Ask an Expert: What is Your Ultimate Space-saving Trick?
Space is one of those things none of us can get enough of, so we asked Houzz professionals to share their best space-saving tricks
Luisa Rollenhagen
5 April 2015
Houzz Contributor. I am a passionate traveler, writer, reader, and debater. My previous haunts have included Buenos Aires, Berlin, New York, and now London. All of these places have introduced me to varied and unique styles of architecture, design, and a certain cultural standard of living, all of which I try to include in my daily work.
I've studied English Literature and Journalism at NYU in New York, and am now continuing to burrow myself into books at Kings College London. I have a socially unfortunate obsession with literature, film, and the newest shiny gadgets. I will nerd out over vintage typewriters and 3-D printers.
Houzz Contributor. I am a passionate traveler, writer, reader, and debater. My previous... More
Houzzers always seem to be running out of space, a lament the city-dwellers among us in particular can identify with. However, regardless of whether you live in an urban jungle or the serene countryside, sufficient space in our homes is a concern most of us grapple with at some point. So we’ve asked eight professionals from the Houzz community, ranging from architects and interior designers to contractors, to reveal their top space-saving trick.
Construct storage wherever you can
Rebecca Leivars of LEIVARS advises us to create storage on any wall surface available:
‘If something has a thickness to it, make it storage. If you’re constructing a stud (non-load-bearing) wall, think about whether it can house storage. Can a section pull out to house shoes, perhaps? Can anything bespoke you design lift up? Think outside the box!’
Rebecca Leivars of LEIVARS advises us to create storage on any wall surface available:
‘If something has a thickness to it, make it storage. If you’re constructing a stud (non-load-bearing) wall, think about whether it can house storage. Can a section pull out to house shoes, perhaps? Can anything bespoke you design lift up? Think outside the box!’
Utilise spaces you generally overlook
Andrew Dunning of APD Interiors explains the value of transforming unused spaces into storage solutions:
‘Open your eyes and look at all the space you have in your home, not just the space you currently use. Could your kitchen units go higher? This would allow you to store infrequently used items out of the main kitchen area. Also, what about the space under the stairs? This is often badly utilised, but can be a great way to improve storage space. Custom-built storage is often the best solution here.’
Andrew Dunning of APD Interiors explains the value of transforming unused spaces into storage solutions:
‘Open your eyes and look at all the space you have in your home, not just the space you currently use. Could your kitchen units go higher? This would allow you to store infrequently used items out of the main kitchen area. Also, what about the space under the stairs? This is often badly utilised, but can be a great way to improve storage space. Custom-built storage is often the best solution here.’
Trim down your kitchen
Andrew Petherick of Artichoke reveals his tip for those considering a kitchen redesign, although cleaning out your kitchen (and your home) on the regular basis is a good tip for anyone to follow:
‘Before designing your new kitchen, look at what you have in your existing one. Take anything you haven’t used for six months and store it somewhere else. You’ll be surprised how much space you save.’
Andrew Petherick of Artichoke reveals his tip for those considering a kitchen redesign, although cleaning out your kitchen (and your home) on the regular basis is a good tip for anyone to follow:
‘Before designing your new kitchen, look at what you have in your existing one. Take anything you haven’t used for six months and store it somewhere else. You’ll be surprised how much space you save.’
Invest in a mezzanine
Stuart Duncan of Build Different values the space-saving (and stylish) properties a mezzanine can bring to a space:
‘Put a bed on a mezzanine level, freeing up valuable space below.’
And if you manage to squeeze in a small home office as well, as in this space, even better.
Check out how you can carve out a new room without extending
Stuart Duncan of Build Different values the space-saving (and stylish) properties a mezzanine can bring to a space:
‘Put a bed on a mezzanine level, freeing up valuable space below.’
And if you manage to squeeze in a small home office as well, as in this space, even better.
Check out how you can carve out a new room without extending
Be clever with your garage
Michael Parinchy from Pro Build 360 advises maximising the space in your garage, if you have one, by adding a second level to it:
‘One very popular space saver that we’ve done a few of recently is to have a garage with a “loft level”. You can store all the things you don’t use every day up there. It’s easily accessible, but out of the main house.’
Michael Parinchy from Pro Build 360 advises maximising the space in your garage, if you have one, by adding a second level to it:
‘One very popular space saver that we’ve done a few of recently is to have a garage with a “loft level”. You can store all the things you don’t use every day up there. It’s easily accessible, but out of the main house.’
Consider multi-functional furniture
Designer Camilla Pringle from Camilla Pringle Interiors recognises the ingenious space-saving potential of multi-functional furniture.
‘There are a lot of new, innovative options on the market now.’ It can be as simple as a kitchen island with integrated wine storage, as shown here, or a more elaborate piece, such as a retractable desk or dining table.
Browse foldaway designs that maximise space
Designer Camilla Pringle from Camilla Pringle Interiors recognises the ingenious space-saving potential of multi-functional furniture.
‘There are a lot of new, innovative options on the market now.’ It can be as simple as a kitchen island with integrated wine storage, as shown here, or a more elaborate piece, such as a retractable desk or dining table.
Browse foldaway designs that maximise space
Put your items on display
Egon Walesch of Egon Walesch Interiors & Flowers reveals the space-saving properties of a carefully curated cabinet display:
‘I have a bit of a thing for display cabinets. I love handsome old wooden ones from department stores and draperies. They can be an unusual but very practical feature, offering lots of storage while displaying some of your treasures and favourite items.
‘I also think having items on display encourages good practice. You end up keeping them much tidier than if everything was hidden within drawers or cupboards. For the same reason, I love open shelving in kitchens, which also makes your crockery, pans and so on more accessible.’
Egon Walesch of Egon Walesch Interiors & Flowers reveals the space-saving properties of a carefully curated cabinet display:
‘I have a bit of a thing for display cabinets. I love handsome old wooden ones from department stores and draperies. They can be an unusual but very practical feature, offering lots of storage while displaying some of your treasures and favourite items.
‘I also think having items on display encourages good practice. You end up keeping them much tidier than if everything was hidden within drawers or cupboards. For the same reason, I love open shelving in kitchens, which also makes your crockery, pans and so on more accessible.’
Go open plan
Andrew Brown of Brown + Brown Architects praises the space-enhancing and money-saving powers of an open-plan scheme:
‘Open plan, if it suits a client, will also save space. Hallways and corridors cost the same as other, more important areas to build or renovate and often seem like a waste.’
TELL US…
What are some of your top space-saving tricks? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
Andrew Brown of Brown + Brown Architects praises the space-enhancing and money-saving powers of an open-plan scheme:
‘Open plan, if it suits a client, will also save space. Hallways and corridors cost the same as other, more important areas to build or renovate and often seem like a waste.’
TELL US…
What are some of your top space-saving tricks? Share your ideas and photos in the Comments below.
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Great tips for utilizing the space you already have. Sometimes you do end up having to declutter though, as a living space only has so much usable room, though getting rid of things can be pretty difficult. Something that
worked for me was putting things into storage for a while (using Closetbox,
which was super convenient and easy on my schedule),
and if I found that not having things around was okay, I could get rid of
them.
Also, when you live in a small space, you are constantly having to clean up, and put away EVERYTHING , even projects that are ALMOST done. Wouldn't it be soooo nice to leave something on a table, undisturbed, and out of the way until you could get back to it after work?!
Some really great tips here! Our favourite is definitely the multi-functional furniture idea.There are so many innovative pieces out there on the market these days!
We sell a large variety of multi-functional furniture for small spaces from a variety of different retailers to help you enhance the space you have available! mysmallspace.co.uk