Maximise your small space and become space-conscious with these essential de-cluttering tips

Modern apartments are getting smaller and with the new trend of modular homes coming into play, many people are being challenged to make the most of a smaller space and are becoming a lot more space-conscious These trends and new ways of living, such as minimalism, have grown popular due to the shifting mindset around over-consumption as well as the effects of the space that our growing society is currently taking up in our environment. environment.

How do you begin to even fit everything you own into a place that seems too small to keep it all? Well, we’ve got a few essential tips to help you de-clutter and organise your home so that you can be space-conscious, no matter how small your home may be.

6 ways to become space-conscious and enjoy a small space

1. Have shelves built into the walls
   If you’re a person with many books and items that need shelves as storage space, consider installing shelves into your walls, opposed to making shelves and bookcases an extension of the walls. This may not seem like much, but it adds up to a lot of space saved in an already limited environment.

2. Use space vertically- store upwards
   Using less ground/surface space is a sure-fire way to save on space in a smaller environment. In the kitchen, consider setting up storage space for dishes and glassware along the walls, or using hanging units for pots and pans.

3. Use off-site storage for excess things
   If you can afford it, purchase or rent a storage unit to keep things that you don’t want to give away, but that you also don’t need or use often. This could be great for things like cribs that your little ones have outgrown, if you’re planning on having more kids at a later point, for example.

4. Consider scale
   If you’ve got a small space, it wouldn’t make much sense to get a big 5 seater L-shaped sized couch that can barely fit, right? Becoming space-conscious comes with the ability to judge your space and scalability well. So consider the size of your furniture so that it complements the size of your rooms. Buying tables and chairs that fit the scale of your home will make it seem less like a space that is “too” small. 

5. Brighter spaces feel bigger
   The colour of the walls in your small home can make a huge difference when it comes to the illusion of space. That’s because brighter painted rooms with more light create a feeling of more space than if the room was painted darker. In a similar  way, mirrors can also help create the illusion of more space. A brighter space includes a clean space. Being space-conscious comes with wanting to keep a small space clean as well. Because a clean and tidy space can brighten and open up any space no matter how big or small.

6. Focus on owning less
   As a  society, we’ve been conditioned to believe that we need to own a wide variety of items that we don’t really need. Think about something you own and the last time you actually put it to use - now think about how much space it takes up and all the dust it’s collecting in your home… See? The best way to become space-conscious is to release whatever you don’t need, and this doesn’t always have to feel like a waste. Overly-cluttered spaces affect how much movement room you have and can affect your mental state too.
   Consider donating your pre-loved items to a charity shop, a second-hand dealer, or to the less fortunate (if it’s still in good condition- after all, no one wants an item that they can barely use). Alternatively, you could also think about recycling some of the things you can’t give away to prevent them from ending up in a landfill.

Whether you prefer a bigger or smaller home, keeping it tidy and clutter-free is always important. Sometimes, the key to a spacious home isn’t just how much furniture you have, but also the way you place your furniture can also open up more room for your room. Use Zoflora to clean and disinfect small living spaces and rooms as you become more space-conscious and you never know how much you can maximise even the smallest space!