2. Blur the boundaries between inside and outside
Much like creating an openplan living space, blurring the boundaries between the inside and outside of your home can help create a space that feels much bigger. Large glazed doors are a brilliant way to bring the outside in, but also simple tricks such as using the same flooring inside and outside helps to soften the lines that divide up your home.
3. Light materials
Image: A collaborative project between Randy Bens Architecture (rb-architect. com) and interior design firm Falken Reynolds, this Vancouver house has none of the cramped, dark feeling associated with, say, a Victorian property with the same narrow footprint. Photo: Emer Peter
There are two schools of thought when it comes to using colour to make a space feel larger. Using light, pale colours is one way to help a space feel larger, however, some designers choose to lean into darker, smaller spaces with equally dark colours to create a cocoon-like feel rather than trying to fight the natural inclinations of the space. While the end effect is quite drastically different, if you think a lighter, more spacious feeling room is worth fighting for, choosing lighter materials will help you achieve this.
4. Use glass strategically
Image: In this kitchen by Roundhouse Design, the designers have worked alongside architect Simon Whitehead create a space that utilises exterior glazing cleverly, but nowhere better than where a traditional splashback behind the sink has been replaced with a window to allow more light into the heart of the kitchen. Photo: Billy Bolton
Retaining a sense of openness is key to making your home feel more spacious, however, sometimes partitions are necessary. Whether to create privacy, act as a sound or smell barrier, or even as part of building regulations, these divides can usually be softened using glass partitions to create a brokenplan scheme.
5. Add an internal courtyard
Image: A sunken garden and an internal courtyard create connections through the interior of this maisonette by ZCD Architects, occupying the lower two levels of a four-storey Victorian house in Victoria Park, London. Photo: Charles Hosea
Much like a skylight, an internal courtyard is a great way to create a light well within a property, however, it also creates a connection with the outdoors by producing a useable outdoor area, which otherwise may have been wasted transition space.
6. Reflective surfaces
Image: Reflective materials plus a creative approach to streamlined storage are key to the success of this Fulham home refurbishment with bespoke furniture by Barbara Genda.
Going back to basics – hanging a mirror will make your room feel bigger – but there are ways to incorporate the same effect with reflective surfaces in your home design. Mirror can be an effective surface for the likes of storage for example, but these reflective surfaces don’t have to be functional to see yourself in to have the desired effect. Partially refelctive surfaces can still give an illusion of depth and also bounce light around the room to brighten up darker spaces.
7. Borrowed light
Image: Taking advantage of the penthouse’s high, sloping ceilings, Studio Ulanowski’s renovation placed the master bedroom overlooks this living area, borrowing light via green steel-frame windows. Photo: Michelle Young
Where rooms are too dark, or even have no windows at all, creating an internal window between rooms can be a good way to add functionality. Both rooms may suffer from a greater lack of privacy, but borrowing natural light from one will help the other be a far more usable space, and it’s even possible to make a charming design detail out of the concept.
8. Remodel to openplan
Image: LLI Design remodelled a four-storey 1970s townhouse in North London from top to toe. On the top floor, the main bedroom was reconfigured from a series of separate rooms into one large area that incorporates the bathroom.
Openplan design is perfect for large, entertaining spaces such as kitchen-dining-living rooms, but don’t doubt its effectiveness elsewhere in the home. Creating a softer divide between spaces in small rooms can have an equally transformative effect, so think twice about how you’re going to construct the space for your ensuite off the main bedroom.
9. Create a mezzanine
Image: Tasked with opening up the layout of this conversion, Architecture studio McLaren Excell added to the useable space with an upper floor level containing a bedroom. This sleeping area has been suspended from the roof structure, so there are no supporting walls or columns below to interrupt the sightlines on the ground floor. Photo: Richard Leeney
There’s always a trade off when trying to add extra functionality to a space, but properly employed, a mezzanine can be an effective tool. High ceilings add to the feeling of spaciousness, but a mezzanine is a way to use some of this space without building a full second storey, retaining the sense of space but also creating another usable room. Spaces that work best on mezzanine levels are those which intersect well with living spaces, such as offices and play rooms.
Will you be using any of these features as part of your build? Share your thoughts with us by tweeting us or post a comment on our Facebook page.
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