You love design, but your flat is so small that you’ve got hardly even got room for a bed.  Sound familiar?  You may feel that living in a place the size of a cigar box is stifling your creativity, but I believe that just the opposite is true.  By maximising your space and furnishing with smart fixtures – like a space-saving round dining table – you can create a fun and cozy room that you’ll be proud to call your own.

Choosing the right storage

You may think that fully outfitting your flat will leave little room for moving about, but how much do those concerns stem from unnecessary clutter?  Having “stuff” isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can make you feel like a prisoner in your own home.  The first thing you’ll want to do is to go through your things and decide which you no longer need (you should do this about once every two months).  Donate what you don’t need, and you’re likely to find that what’s left is much more manageable.  I recommend consolidating your entertainment area by choosing a TV cabinet with built-in CD and DVD storage.  My CD storage oak unit, which includes handy interior fittings for easy organisation, slides neatly into the open space under my TV and required only a quick black stain to match the surrounding furniture.  Likewise, choosing open storage units that are accessible from both sides will allow you place bookcases and dressers in the middle of your flat without creating a logjam.

And what to do with your clothes, you ask?  Utilise your flat’s vertical space by purchasing a tall wardrobe with plenty of compartments for both clothing and accessories.  In my own flat, I’ve combined two side-by-side black wardrobes that fit snugly against my wall and can easily hold both mine and the girlfriend’s apparel.

Not just size, but shape also

The tendency in a tiny flat is to buy pint-sized furnishings, but this approach can only heighten your feelings of claustrophobia.  Lest your apartment leave you feeling like you’ve just stepped through the looking glass, consider buying appliances in alternate shapes instead.  A simple round dining table can be easily moved about your flat and will create a sense of intimacy – not restriction.  Additionally, your dining table can double as a workspace during the day, providing your home with a doubly-efficient home office and entertaining area.

How do you create extra space in your flat?  Leave your ideas in the comment section below!

Did you know?

Many of the locations in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland were based on real places in Oxford, notably at Christ Church.

-Jeff O.

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