What’s the number one priority for most people looking for a household? The right number of rooms of course, the cost obviously, and also the condition and quality of its design. But often, the one thing that contributes to all of these characteristics is that of space.
Square footage is often the most definitive element of final cost, even accounting for locations and features within the household. Sure, a smaller house might be more expensive in New York than in a small town, but increase the square footage, and the costs will rise exponentially.
As such, space comes at a premium. Once you’ve moved into a household ,especially those with constraints, you may wonder how to get the best out of the square footage you’ve paid for. Believe it or not, with some clear design priorities and the willingness to apply consistent arrangement, you can unlock much of the space within a building.
In this post, we intend to suggest three principles for making that work. We hope such guidance inspires you as a designer.
Sliding Barn Doors
The usual doors that swing open need clearance space, which means you’re losing a chunk of floor area every single time you install one in your house. It’s fine for the most part, but can really impact you when you’re working with limited square footage and trying to fit furniture into rooms that already feel tight. Sliding barn doors run along a track mounted to the wall, so they glide back and forth seamlessly, but don’t need to take up any room space, and you can suddenly fit a bookshelf or chair where the door swing used to be.
Better yet, they’re also brilliant for dividing spaces without closing them off completely, like between a kitchen and dining area or to hide away a laundry nook.
Outward-Opening Windows
If you’ve windows that open inward, you’re using up space inside the room every time you want fresh air, and that can be a pain when you’re trying to position furniture or use windowsills for plants or storage. Swapping them for outward-opening windows means you reclaim all that internal space, and you can push furniture right up against the wall underneath without worrying about blocking the window mechanism or having to move things around just to let some air in. They’re best for above-ground levels of course, but work regardless
Luckily, it’s a small change but it makes rooms feel more functional and less cluttered, because you’re not constantly trying to think about if the windows are going to limit you.
Stacked Storage
While it seems like vertical storage is obvious, most people underuse the upper half of their rooms and end up with wasted height while the floor feels cramped and messy.
If you have the vertical space, tall bookcases that go right up to the ceiling, wall-mounted shelving units, hooks for hanging things up high, or anything that takes advantage of all that empty air above eye level and keeps your floor space clear for moving around can be a fantastic way to give yourself more room.
With this advice, you’re sure to save the household space you really need, and benefit as a result.
Featured Photo by Charlotte May
