Tips for Creative Interior Design: How to Optimize the Space You Have Beautifully

It’s no secret homes in Singapore are getting smaller; as the population grows the available space for our homes gets smaller. Thus we need to know how to creatively maximize the potential of our living space. We look at the Swedish people for inspiration for urban and compact home living. They are known for their uniquely minimalistic but still characteristically full Scandinavian style! Read on to find out some of the tips we have for creative interior layout design to optimize the space you have beautifully!

1. Monochrome Color Paint — you can go light or dark

Go monochrome to elongate the look of a space. Here, the kitchen makes use of sleek dark envelopes to create the illusion of space.

When you keep the wall color paints simple and in similar tones with your ceiling, frames, and other fixtures, you elongate the space by minimizing distractions to the eye. This is the first useful tip for when you wish to maximize the view of your space.

Or you can opt to go with a light envelope such as white and other light and airy colors to create the illusion of space in your home

2. Contrast with Furniture but Pay Attention to Scale

The only factor you don't want to play contrasts with: keep the scale and proportion of your furniture in line with the size of the space you have.

Next, you can play with contrasting colors, perhaps a cream-colored sofa or a marble console against a navy blue wall to bring out the furniture style of the room. But what is important to note when looking for furniture in a small space is to make sure that the furniture is proportionate to the space it occupies. And what this means is, if your space is limited, you’ll need to match and pick furniture that is never too large. You need to know your space measurements well and compare the sizes of the furniture you see at the stores. You’ll want a slimmer design couch with clean lines to complement and add to your compact space.

3. Carpets and Rugs Should Be Large

Keep area rugs large to hold all the furniture you have in the space together. This way, there are less breaks in eyes and again contributing to the view of an elongated space.

The same thing goes for carpets and rugs, you can either choose a color palette that will make your furnishings go pop or go muted but for carpets and rugs, but the one thing you need to make sure is to check that the rug holds all of your furniture so that it isn’t just floating and breaking up space in your area which will lead to the place looking sectioned off and smaller.

4. Work with Multipurpose Space

Design your home with many functions in mind. That way your compact space can serve multiple activities—especially now that we are spending more and more time at home #wfh

When you have limited real estate space, you want to make sure that the space you have is maximized to its full potential and nothing can be better than creating multipurpose rooms to serve multiple functions and activities for every family member in the household. As we find ourselves spending more time at home due to the pandemic, our space should play dynamic roles and be able to shift from the lounge area to open space for wellness activities. This can be done by having furniture that shifts easily to create additional space. Another great idea is to have a huge open space at the living and dining area, then install movable see-through panels or make use of heavy curtains that can help section off spaces into specialized rooms for activities or create a cozy atmosphere when the occasion calls for.

Here we see the children's bedroom with multipurpose functions for the steps doubling as storage space with drawers installed into them

5. Adopt Practical Trends like the use of a Statement Dining Bench

When you opt for a dining bench, you can automatically save more space by pushing the whole dining area to a corner instead of traditionally floating in the middle of the room when paired with dining chairs

These days we see a lot of unique and clever dining space solutions — from a family with children opting to convert their spacious balcony into a dining area so their kids have more space to free roam in the house, to kitchen islands, and then to statement dining benches. Instead of having the dining table traditionally placed in the center of one room and as a result, taking up the whole room space itself, you can actually have your dining space placed in a corner when you use a dining bench then place dining chairs on the side that is facing the open area. Custom dining bench options could have infinite options; from reclaimed woods to plush velvet padding to quirky printed upholstery and metal wire benches.

Opt for dining bench on the side that leans to the wall and dining chairs on the open area. That way individual chairs are easier to shift around further adding to the convenience and practicality of the space whilst not skimping on the styling as well.

6. Stow Away Things at Hidden Storage Spaces

Maximize real estate storage space by installing floor-to-ceiling cabinets in compact spaces. That way everything can be kept inside and avoid the look of clutter.

A great thing to incorporate into your renovation plans is to build in ample storage spaces to stow away things to avoid clutter in a small space. Ideas such as hidden ceiling to floor storage cabinets or a raised platform bed with storage space underneath are great and practical ideas to add to your home renovation plans.

A raised platform bed with storage space underneath are great and practical ideas to add to your home renovation plans.

7. Keep Decor Minimal or make clever use of Wicker Baskets!

But if you are just planning on adding real estate space by way of clever furniture placements and styling, buy wicker baskets to fit into shelves and keep things sorted and neat when you categorize these baskets instead of just randomly dumping things into them. A place for everything you own ensures that you don’t hoard and you do not waste any time searching for the things you need. #productivityhack

8. Play with Mirrors

Mirror installations are perfect for when your home’s design theme is luxurious as the symmetry and lighting effect created from the mirror reflections really truly elevate a space

It is a known fact that mirrors make a narrow space appear spacious and they look really really good too! Full mirror installations are perfect for when your home’s design theme is luxurious as the symmetry and lighting effect created from the mirror reflections really truly elevate a space. The only downside with using mirrors? They can be heavy and expensive to install. Make sure you use a professional like us to check and ensure all installation safety hazards are cleared.

It is a known fact that mirrors make a narrow space appear spacious and they look really really good too!

9. Combine two rooms by hacking a small portion of a wall

Here, one of the apartment's wall was hacked to create a walk-in wardrobe connected to the master bedroom.

The most construction work required of all the suggested tips for optimizing your space beautifully, this tip requires you to work with an interior designer to inspect your floor plan and determine which walls are available to hack and which ones cannot be touched. When done right, this newly connected space will be able to enhance the flow of your living space leading to a spacious walkaway into two previously disconnected rooms. What you can create with this is perhaps a walk-in wardrobe from your bedroom or even an office space with large windows overseeing the living area.

After reading these tips, you should no longer feel that you do not have enough space at your home because you can always find creative ways to add to your compact living. Are you inspired yet and ready to speak with us to help with your home transformation? We offer full-suite services for all things home-related be it from home styling services to spruce up the place to more extensive transformation projects that involve interior design and hacking and renovation. To get in touch with us, kindly fill up our Interior Personality Assessment (IPA) Analysis and we will assign the right people to attend to you, be it a Budget Planner, Project Manager, Designer, or Decorator! We have a team of experts, each in their respective fields to seamlessly guide you in your personalized home renovation journey. Follow the link to fill up the form to get in touch now! Alternatively, please contact our WhatsApp if you have any further questions regarding your next home transformation project!