How To Maximise the Space in your Home when Downsizing

There comes a time in most people's lives when they want to downsize their home to a smaller property. This could be when all your children have grown up and left home, and you no longer need all the space you have, or you want to move into a smaller, low-maintenance home that is easier to take care of.

The thing is that moving all of your furniture and belongings into a smaller home is going to end up making your new place feel cramped and uncomfortable. It can help to do a bit of decluttering to get rid of the furnishings you don't need in your new home, but there are still more things you can do to help maximise the available space and make it work for you.

Have a good clear-out

While decluttering can help you get rid of all those bulky pieces of furniture that you neither want nor use, some things will still hold an emotional attachment. If you simply cannot part with a bit of furniture because of the memories it holds for you, then why not consider giving it to one of your children or a close relative to keep and love as much as you do.

It can hurt to part company with some treasured furniture or possessions you have kept for years but giving it to a close relative who understands your attachment will help you get over not having it in your home any longer.

If you have no emotional attachment to any of your furniture, it can be an exciting time to look at buying multi-functional furniture to make the most of the available space.

Frugal furnishings

Furnishing a smaller home can be easier than you think! Firstly, it can pay to focus on the essential pieces of furniture you need and cannot easily live without. Once you have decided on these, you can decide whether your home needs more furniture or if adding more will only act to clutter up the place.

The best tip here is to use as little furniture as possible, but make sure the pieces you choose are versatile. For example, you will need a bed to sleep in, but if you choose one with under-bed storage, it will save a lot of wardrobe space.

If you like to switch over your summer and winter bedding, buy a large chest or ottoman in which you can store your seasonal bedding, but it can also be used as a coffee table in your living room.

Use light coloured decorations and furnishings

Painting your walls in a light colour palette can help to brighten up your room and give an impression of more light and space. Choosing light wood furniture and fabrics in warm pastel colours will also give lightness to your rooms rather than weighing it down with heavy, dark wood furniture and dark fabrics.

Use plenty of glass, mirrors, and reflective surfaces to bounce backlight around the room and illuminate dark corners. A glass dining table will allow the light to flow through and prevent dark shadows under the table.

Get bright with your light

You can use subtle lighting effects to make your rooms look bigger than they are. Instead of having one central light that pulls all the walls inwards, use wall up lights to spread light up the walls to open up the space.

Position a mirror opposite a window in a room to reflect and maximise the natural sunlight coming into your home. Adding a warm standard lamp to a dark corner can lighten up the room's edges and make it feel warmer and cosier at night.

Above all, you want to cleverly use colours, fabrics, and furniture to create a fresh and spacious feel to your new home while maximising the space.

If you are looking to downsize your home, we can help.

Get in touch with our team here to discuss your requirements.