Creating the illusion of space in small rooms or apartments is all a matter of trickery ... Interior design trickery!
From space-saving storage ideas to handy tricks to make a room appear larger we have called upon our fabulous, co-founder, Jane Rockett for her easy 10-step guide to making your small rooms or homes appear larger. Keep on reading to discover more...
SPACE SAVING TIP NO.1 - MIRRORS, MIRRORS, MIRRORS
Stylish and functional, mirrors with shelving are great for creating extra space in your home.
Use mirrors everywhere - think backsplashes in the kitchen (tin tiles are really effective for this), a wall of mirror in the bathroom, giant mirror in hallways and landings. The options are endless - foxed mirror, mirror tiles, antique, modern the choice is endless. Jane particularly loves mirror metro tiles too.
If you're feeling really savvy, you could get your hands on a storage mirror like our selection of Mirrors with shelves. Not only will the mirrors reflect light and create the feeling of more space in your home, but they will also stylishly store your bathroom essentials such as toothbrushes, lotions and potions, candles and make-up. A win-win in our opinion. Use these mirrors all over the house from bathrooms to bedrooms and hallways.
Click On This Image To Shop - Light Gold Tall Bathroom Mirror With Shelf £120.00 | Black Square Bathroom Mirror With Shelf £95.00.
Standing Mirror & Valet Stand £165.00 | Distressed Mirror With Floating Shelf £65.00 | Light Gold Tall Bathroom Mirror With Shelf £120.00 | Oval Mirror With Shelf £40.00
SPACE SAVING TIP NUMBER 2 - SLIDING DOORS
Image From VIVE Studio via The Contemporist.
Sliding doors are brilliant for saving space in small flats or homes.
A unique door feature, sliding doors will open up your home or apartment creating the illusion of a larger space. With a choice of wooden doors, industrial style doors and Crittall window doors like in the image above, we'd also recommend opting for a door with glass to open up your home even when the doors are closed. Check out our Pinterest Board - Creative Space Saving Ideas - for more sliding door inspiration.
Image Credits - Kitchenholic and Arch Daily
SPACE SAVING TIP NUMBER 3 - UTILISE EVERY SPACE
Image from Extraordinary Interiors by Jane Rockett and Lucy St George. The home of Shelley Carline. Photography by Debi Treloar.
If you're limited on space then you've got to get clever with your storage spaces.
From the top of your wardrobes, beneath your staircase to under your bathroom sink, there are so many places that you can utilise to store away anything that you don't use on a day-to-day basis or that you want out of sight.
Top spaces to utilise include:
- Under Desks and Console Tables
- Under The Stairs
- Your wardrobes. Fitted Wardrobes are best because they are more efficient with space.
- On Top of Wardrobes and Shelves.
- Cabinets and drawers at the end of hallways and landings.
- Under the bed in stylish under bed boxes.
- On high shelving which will also have the benefit of drawing the eye upwards, creating the illusion of higher ceilings.
- Walls of shelves (all the way to the ceiling) great for storage and display. Make them shallow to maximise on space.
Images from Extraordinary Interiors by Jane Rockett and Lucy St George. The homes of Deborah Vos and Jane Rockett. Photography by Debi Treloar.
This leads us nicely on to our next point all about stylish and creative storage...
SPACE SAVING TIP NUMBER 4 - CREATIVE STORAGE
Image From Extraordinary Interiors By Jane Rockett and Lucy St George. The home of Michael Minns. Photography by Debi Treloar
When it comes to accessorising your home our top tip is to always curate and sort the wheat from the chaff!
Anything that you do not love should be stored away in beautiful storage units, baskets and boxes that compliment your decor style. Our founding goal at Rockett St George is that everything in the home should be beautiful, even the useful stuff. So, spend time searching for beautiful storage that will make you smile when you see it. The quirkier the better!
We have some really lovely storage pieces at Rockett St George including beautiful baskets, glass display domes, storage jars, shoe storage racks and wall shelving units that look great whilst also serving a useful purpose.
SPACE SAVING TIP NUMBER 5 - BREAKFAST BARS
Image from Extraordinary Interiors by Jane Rockett and Lucy St George. The kitchen of Jane Rockett. Photography by Debi Treloar.
Breakfast bar tables and bar stools are great for small flats and gallery kitchens.
Small enough to not take up too much room in your small kitchen, bar tables and chairs also have the added benefit of being raised which creates a feeling of more space. A win-win!
Timeless bar stools designed to fit any decor scheme - Faux Leather Bar Chair With Zig Zag Stitching - Grey and Brown £180.00
Tall Elm Wood Breakfast Table £215.00 | Midas Bar Stool £145.00 | Hampstead Gold Bar Stool £149.00 | Tall Casino Velvet Bar Chair - Rose Pink £150.00
SPACE SAVING TIP NUMBER 6 - BLINDS OR SHUTTERS
Image from Extraordinary Interior by Jane Rockett and Lucy St George. The living room of Jane Rockett. Photography by Debi Treloar.
If you're styling a small space then opt for shutters or blinds over curtains.
Curtains, whilst great for blocking out light in bedrooms can be heavy and make a room feel smaller. Blinds and shutters, by contrast, disappear when open and offer a cleaner line. Plus, when the shutters and blinds are open they will allow more light into your home.
Check out @thehousethatblackbuilt on Instagram as she has created a whole series of stories about the different types of shutters to use in your home. You can view the stories in her highlights.
Images from Extraordinary Interiors by Jane Rockett and Lucy St George. The home of Tina Boulton and Helene Morris. Photography by Debi Treloar.
SPACE SAVING TIP NUMBER 7 - ROOM DIVIDERS
Image from Extraordinary Interiors by Jane Rockett and Lucy St George. The home of Fred Musik. Photography by Debi Treloar.
Great for studio apartments or large rooms that need sectioning off, get your hands on a beautifully printed screen or room divider.
A great choice for renters, there are some incredibly beautiful Screen Dividers out there (including some fabulous Room Dividers at Rockett St George) that will work wonders for your small space.
Alternatively, you could use glass walls or windows to divide rooms. It will make your home or flat feel so much larger and will let the natural light flow to all corners of your home.
Images - Sungkai Woven Cane Wooden Room Divider/Screen - Black £400.00 | The home of Kate Learmonth as featured in the Rockett St George book - Extraordinary Interiors.
SPACE SAVING TIP NUMBER 8 - BOOTH OR BENCH SEATING
Image from Extraordinary Interiors by Jane Rockett and Lucy St George. The home of Shelley Carline. Photography by Debi Treloar.
Booth or Bench Seating is a clever seating idea that will work in just about any room in your home.
Create a booth kitchen dining area with under bench seating. It works really well if you have little ones and creates an intimate dining space for you and your loved ones.
Then in your living rooms and bedrooms consider installing a window bench seat. It can look uber stylish and offers under-seat storage for all your books, baskets and more. We have some lovely velvet bench cushions coming to Rockett St George very soon, so keep an eye out!
Image from Extraordinary Interiors by Jane Rockett and Lucy St George. The home of Niki Jones. Photography by Debi Treloar.
SPACE SAVING IDEA NUMBER 9 - RAISED FURNITURE
Image from Extraordinary Interiors by Jane Rockett and Lucy St George. The home of Quentin Leroux. Photography by Debi Treloar.
If you are really limited on space then an easy interior design trick would be to keep the floor on show.
The more floor on show the larger a room will appear, so get your hands on some stylish floating bedside tables, pedestal dining tables, mid-century style coffee or side tables or anything with good legs!
Images from Extraordinary Interiors by Jane Rockett and Lucy St George. The homes of Alexandra & Nicholas Valla and Niki Jones.
SPACE SAVING IDEA NO.10 - MEZZANINES
Image credit - House & Garden
A mezzanine is the business when it comes to small spaces!
Perfect for kids (and big kids too), a simple Mezzanine can be really transformative on the size of your room and the space you have available.
Image Credit - Livingetc
