City living often means having to compromise between location and space. This article outlines a number of ways to make a small space seem larger.

RIB specialise in West End properties and whilst living or renting within Central London often means you have a smaller home compared to those further out, there are many ways in which you can create a more spacious apartment through intelligent design.

1. Find ways to split up rooms

Often many modern apartments have a single living area which is not always what new residents prefer. If a new resident wants to split up a room and create different zones and moods, this is also very achievable. Using carefully placed furniture such as a breakfast bar to split up the kitchen from the living area as well as making use of curtains, tables, and sofas to split up a room and have many different ‘zones’ within the same room.

2. Minimise space that things take up

One of the easiest way to create space in any small space is by reducing the amount of space which furniture and appliances such as TVs take up in a room. This can be done by mounting a television on a wall or investing in built in shelving to make full use of difficult nooks and crannies which you may not otherwise be able to use.

3. Buy furniture which serves multiple purposes

When you are purchasing or renting a small house or apartment, it is important to ensure that all your furniture has a functional and useful purpose. This almost goes without saying but something which many people do not consider is that they can also purchase furniture which serves multiple purposes so that they do not have to buy multiple pieces of furniture which take up a lot of space in a small apartment. Some examples of this would include a sofa bed, an extendable table, and a coffee table with built in storage. Pieces of furniture such as these limit the number of pieces which you need to purchase in order to have a full set of furniture.

4. Glass to open up views and connect different spaces

Glass doors and large windows can often make a huge difference to how the size of a room is perceived. Windows facing out to a view or doors facing out to another room can give a sense of size and scale which would be difficult to achieve otherwise. Use windows with fewer panes to create the illusion of space and openness within a small room.

5. Make use of mirrors

Mirrors are of course incredibly important for a variety of reasons, not least to make sure that T shirt matches those shoes! However, in a small house or apartment, mirrors also serve a secondary purpose. A large mirror reflecting a room can make the room seem much larger than it is, tricking the brain into thinking that there is more space. This can help compliment a small space, making it seem far more spacious than it is.

6. Using neutral colours

Often a property owner will try and make a space look bigger by filling it with bright colours and quirky patterns. However, this usually has the opposite effect, with the bright colours and garish patterns often making a room feel smaller and more claustrophobic. The best way to combat this is by using neutral or pastel colours for walls and furniture. This makes a room feel far larger, especially when compared with the use of eye catching patterns and bright colours.