TIPS
Make smaller units look and feel much
bigger
By Gunaprasath Bupalan
Spending a little money on your ID is necessary because you would want to live in
comfort instead of feeling claustrophobic or uncomfortable in your own home.
O ver the last 5 years or so, we have seen the rise of smaller unit sizes in the high-rise category.
Mainly dwelling amongst the serviced apartments, SOHOs, SOVOs and all the other SO SOs. As much
as I personally thought that it was just a phase and who would consider buying such units of 400sq ft
and 600sq ft, it came to my surprise that upon the launching of such units, they have been snapped
up like hot cakes – mainly due to the price factor being really affordable (visually), not taking into
consideration whether there is a potential rise in profit margin, or how difficult it may be to sell it
later in the coming years.
Since the demand was there, many
developers also got on the bandwagon and
we now see lots of high-rise developments of
this nature in the market. Make use of hidden storage and multi-
purpose items.
This column is not intended to discourage
the purchase of such units, but it is to help those
who have already bought smaller units and find
it a little cramped up – here are some tips to make
smaller spaces look a lot bigger without the need
to break walls. Hang shelves near the ceiling to draw the
eye upward.
Paint or wallpaper the ceiling to make the
room look taller. Follow the cantaloupe rule.
Use light colours on the walls and the floor. Choose statement furniture that fills the
room.
Anything that draws the eye upwards makes a
room feel bigger.
While darker colours make a room seem cosy, they
also absorb light instead of reflecting it, making
the space feel smaller. Opt for lighter coloured
flooring as well as wall colors to make the room
feel airy.
Pull furniture away from the wall to create
the illusion of spaciousness.
Pushing furniture up against the wall makes
everything look and feel cramped. Even just few
inches in between the wall and your bigger items
can make the space look more open.
To make use of those few inches, you can DIY a
console table to slip behind it.
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Get a coffee table/desk that have hidden components
for you to store things.
A high shelve could be stored with a line-up of
books or DVDs or a collection of CDs. Only problem
would be that there may be much dust that collects
here.
Decorative accents smaller than a cantaloupe
crowd a room. Instead, go for fewer decorations
that are bigger.
In small living rooms, one large couch instead of
multiple small pieces actually decreases the look
of clutter and makes a room feel bigger.
Use stripes to elongate the space.
Just like vertical stripes on clothing, a striped rug
will make your room appear longer. Orient the
stripes to go the length of the room that is the
longest for optimal effect.
Colour code your shelves to create the
look of structure.