Of course, you love your home no matter how small it is but, deep down, chances are that you dread living in the crumpled space. You would love more space for more fresh air, easier movement, and for increased functionality. Besides, it is a proven fact that limited spaces can have adverse effects on your mental health and general wellbeing. The good thing is that you can always increase space in your home regardless of its size.

Creating more space in your home can be as simple as creating additional storage, decluttering, choosing the right furniture, repurposing wasted areas, replacing standard doors with sliding doors, multi-purposing rooms, or getting rid of the TV stand.

If you’re craving more space in your home, here are six surprising ways to achieve your goal.

Build Extra Storage Areas

If you are like most people who keep acquiring new stuff, you probably have run out of space to store them. Your family has also probably outgrown the currently available storage areas.
Build more storage areas to accommodate the extra items.

Here are a few ways to achieve this.

· Add more cabinets to the rooms. To make your work easier, consider investing in ready-to-assemble cabinets. They come with a manual for easy installation. You probably will need little carpentry skills to get the job done, but you don’t have to be an expert.
· Make use of high ceilings by building a loft to serve as an extra storage area. You can also install floor-to-ceiling shelving or hanging units.
· Stack storage containers with rarely used items under the bed. Alternatively, install under-bed drawers to store the extra items.

Declutter

The alternative of building more storage for your extra items is getting rid of those things that you rarely use. Get down to thoroughly doing an examination of your home starting with books, clothes and furniture. If you can’t justify why an item is in your home, the best thing is to remove it. Use the opportunity to donate those that can be reused, or sell them to make an extra dime.

Make Rooms Multi-Functional

Having separate rooms for every function feels great. However, if you want to create extra space, you might need to rethink combining a few functions into one room. For instance, your home office can be turned into an extra bedroom, while you take your work to the master bedroom. You can also invest in a sofa bed that allows extra sleeping space at night. Your living room can serve as the kid’s playroom. You only need to ensure you have a place to neatly store the toys after use.

Use Sliding Doors

If you dread squeezing behind an open door, or your door opening halfway, then it is time you got rid of the standard door. You may ignore the space it takes, but it can go a long way in making a room spacious. Go for the sleek sliding door, as it will only take minimal space.

Choose the Right Furniture

Oversized furniture will most probably appeal to you, but if it is going to take up a large space in your small apartment, then it isn’t ideal.
Choosing the right furniture for a small space goes a long way in freeing up a lot of space. For instance, having a dining table in a small kitchen will take a lot of cooking space. On the other hand, using bar stools will free up the area for your manoeuvrings. You can also opt for folding chairs that you can stack away after use.

Ditch the TV Stand for a Wall Mount

You might love your TV stand, but have you ever assessed the amount of space it has taken? It may seem insignificant considering your sentimental value to the stand, but it is enough to make a crumpled area spacious. Thankfully, there are alternatives that take up no floor space. Consider mounting the TV on the wall. In addition to adding space, it will be safer especially if you have kids running around.

The list is endless; there are many ways to create more space in a home.

This article was contributed by Jennifer Monroe