Scaling down doesn’t mean sacrificing style or comfort. Combine a minimalist approach to furniture with a maximalist approach to interior design. Focusing on a few well-curated pieces with big design impact prevents your space feeling cluttered or dull.

 

The biggest mistake people make when downsizing their living space is taking their furniture with them. Nothing shrinks a room faster than large, oversized furniture. When moving to a smaller space, rather sell your larger items and buy furniture for your new apartment or home.

 

Remember that everything looks tinier when viewed on the showroom floor or online. Take stock of your measurements and ensure the furniture you buy will work in your new space. These top sixteen tips ensure every inch of your space is utilised efficiently.

 

1.     MAXIMISE UTILITY while minimising clutter with multi-functional design. Choose furniture pieces like a sofa that can transform into a bed or an ottoman with hidden storage. Get more bang for your buck with decor pieces that do double duty with both form and function. We love the concept behind Bujnie’s Floos Wall Plant Hanger. It’s a space-saving home for your plants that doubles up as artwork.

 

Floos Wall Plant Hanger

 

2.     Make use of VERTICAL WALL SPACE with floating shelves or easy to install frames for your plant babies. This creates more storage for your belongings and frees up floor space.

3.     Choose LIGHT, NEUTRAL COLOURS for furniture. Light tones create an airy and open feel, making the space appear larger than it is. Limit darker and brighter colours to your décor.

4.     Please MIRRORS strategically to give the illusion of depth and reflect light, brightening up the room. Well selected mirrored furniture or a large mirror on a focal wall can double up as art.

5.     Opt for DROP-LEAF TABLES that can be folded away when not in use or circular dining tables with accent legs and glass tops.

6.     Use a combination of ambient, task, and accent lighting to create a cosey yet well-lit atmosphere. Well-placed, LAYERED LIGHTING can both segment and open the space visually.

7.     GET LEGGY with furniture. Furniture with exposed legs creates a sense of openness as the floor is visible underneath. This makes the space feel less crowded and shows off the bulk of your square meterage.

 

Choose furniture that shows a little leg!

 

8.     Choose furniture with OPEN SHELVING for your living room instead of closed cabinets. This adds an open, inviting feel to the room.

9.     Design rooms to have MULTIPLE FUNCTIONS. For instance, a guest room can double up as a home office.

10.  A CORNER COUCH efficiently uses corner areas, which are often underutilised, allowing you to maximise the available space in your room.

11.  Infusing NATURE-INSPIRED DÉCOR unlocks an illusion of expanded space and cultivated a serene ambiance.

12.  Introduce BLACK ACCENTS prudently into your space to add dimension. Black accent pieces allow a diverse range of artistic elements and style to harmoniously coexist.

13.  MIXED METALLICS instantly uplift your interior design theme, contributing a layer of luxury. The use of gold, copper and brass elements lend warmth to an interior that might otherwise feel cold and introducing smoke and silver instantly lends sophistication and flair to spaces with more classic design finishes.

14.  MIX IT UP with vibrant colours, geometric patterns, and stripes to brighten up your space. Mix navy with black, terracotta with orange, blue with green and pink with pillar box red. The idea is to pair items that conventional wisdom says won’t work, mix them all together and then give them space to breathe.

 

Mix it up with bold colours and geometric and abstract patterns

 

15.  ACCESSORISE using a few favourite items. A hat collection can look great on a wall and that bicycle you love showing off on the road can look great mounted on a wall, allowing you to save storage and style your space with personal touches.

16.  No matter the height of your ceilings, decorating your living room with low furniture pieces will make it feel abundantly larger. To DRAW THE EYE UP, include tall, skinny plants to exaggerate the distance between your floors and ceiling. Position your curtain rails towards the very top of your ceiling rather than above your windows. You’ll be amazed at the difference this makes to how you feel in your space.

 

Tables with glass tops and exposed legs, low lying furniture and curtains hung from the ceiling

 help keep spaces open and bright.

 

 

Remember to scrutinise your floor space, take physical measurements of the things you plan to keep or buy and visualize how these will feel in your space. It’s often the overlooked niches that could be a perfect enclave for cherished items. Infuse your abode with a sense of order. Start with thinking about the placement of the largest furniture and work your way down to the smallest items. Less is more for a contemporary and uncluttered lifestyle.

 

Moving homes is a wonderful invitation to simplify and style your life, creating a fresh new space that best reflects who you are. Cultivate a space free from clutter to foster focus and nurture tranquility.