Jul 19, 2021

For some reason, most of the residential properties in the Philippines have less space compared to those of other countries. It’s beneficial because it consumes less electric energy thus getting a small electric bill as well, and it is assessed with low real property tax value, or what we know as “amilyar”, meaning smaller tax to pay. The small space allows easy cleaning, consuming a small portion of your body energy giving you more time for other things. You can see that a lot of benefits that we can obtain from having a small house is “reduction” in many things: less money to spend and less energy to consume. One that we can get an increase on though is our relationships with the people in the house.

With small spaces, people are physically closer to each other. Your dad can read his newspaper on the sofa in the living room where your mom also watches her favorite TV series with you while you fold clothes. You spend more time together with the people in your household giving you more opportunities to get to know each other better and build stronger relationships. Maybe this is why most Filipinos are family-oriented and adaptive to different situations. In a small space, they learned to care deeply for the people they love, and learned big values such as how important it is to be flexible to different situations because they grew up working around their differences with the people that they are living with.

However, small spaces can also be suffocating and stressful, especially at the present time when it is still not advisable to go out when not needed. In a house, condominium unit, or an apartment with small space, there is a very limited area to walk on, there may be too many people along with many items, and you may feel that you no longer have privacy. To cut it short, we feel constrained due to the lack of open areas, leaving us feeling closed off by everything that’s taking up our space. All Home doesn’t want you feeling such. We want you to feel free because in times when we feel liberated, our passion and creativity flows. We’re also aware that not everyone is capable of having a house extension or getting a place with bigger space due to various reasons. To help, in this article, we will share with you tips on how to make your room look or feel bigger by using our must-have items for tiny spaces.

The key in simulating a bigger room despite a small space is creating an openness that will make you feel like there are no walls surrounding you through choosing suitable furniture or decors and arranging them in a way that won’t take too much space.

Work on the colors of the wall

Use light colors such as white or cream on your walls as this type of colors will reflect both artificial and natural light in your room, giving you the illusion that the walls are farther than it actually is. Using glossy types of paint makes the reflection of light even better. Dark colors do the opposite, thus making a space seem smaller, however it can still contribute to the illusion of bigger space when you limit it to one side of a wall making it the accent wall. This will give the same visual effect of pushing the walls farther. You can also paint patterns on your wall such as horizontal stripes that will achieve a wider look or vertical stripes that will make the ceiling look high.

Display artworks

Hanging up art pieces on your walls can affect the mood of its viewers. Another benefit we can get from it is that it can also help in making a space look bigger. Hang a single large size artwork or multiple artworks on one wall only. Make sure to still leave some spaces blank to avoid a cluttered look. Hanging arts without frames give a better illusion of a wide room. If you’re not a fan of art, hanging mirrors are also great to seemingly expand your space because it reflects the walls and light. Hang them on dark walls as they can reflect light from windows and create the illusion of wider space.

From the top, make it reach the ground

If you’re using curtains in your home, hang it near the ceiling and have the ends touch the ground. This will drive eyes upward making it seem that there is a high ceiling as well. If you’re not a fan of curtains, that is an advantage too as leaving your windows uncovered helps creating depth in small spaces. Instead of curtains, you can also customize a bookcase or shelves to cover the entire vertical area of a wall. Same with the curtains, this will give the illusion of a high ceiling. Additionally, you’ll get more space where you can store your items.

Coordinate them colors

If you intend on displaying objects, for example in a top to bottom shelf, make sure that the colors are coordinated. One way to do this is by arranging colors of the same shade arranged in one row or column. This will reduce the visual clutter that our eyes can see. Don’t forget to coordinate the color of your curtains and walls too. Use neutral and light colors for both curtains and walls to maximize the illusion of wider space.

Flaunt them legs

Select furniture that is “leggy.” Leggy furniture are those that have narrow and elevated legs. They allow you to see what’s underneath the furniture making you feel like there’s more space because, again, there is less visual clutter.

Transparency, like honesty, is the best policy

Using glass furniture that allows you to see through them also gives less visual clutter. This will trick the eyes into thinking that there is more space because you are seeing through an object.

Multipurpose furnitureFurniture that serve multiple purposes like a sofa with storage or a center table with storage are great. You can use them for their actual purpose, and store some items in them at the same time.

Tidy up

Let go of things you no longer use, this will not only make space for future items but also reduce the amount of objects that are taking up space in your place. If there are items that you are aware are taking up space, yet you can’t let go because they’re important, then make use of storage boxes like this Megabox storage box. It comes in neutral colors which are perfect to store your things yet not take much visual space even with the big size because of the color.

Give these tips a try to level up your home from one that simply promotes closeness with the household members to a place that exhibits openness allowing bright ideas to enter everyone’s lives.

Whatever your next house project may be, do it with All Home Philippines. Visit an AllHome store near you or check out AllHome online. We offer DIY Hardware, Appliances, Construction Materials, Flooring, Furniture, Homewares, Linens, Sanitary ware, and more! You may also visit our website and enjoy the hassle-free experience of shopping online through AllHome.com.ph today! AllHome online shopping site offers fast delivery, cash delivery and easy payment terms. You may also follow us on our official Facebook page and Instagram account for more updates.