Living in a small residential property is smart and practical, especially if you live alone or have a small family. You don’t have to spend a lot of time cleaning and maintaining it because it only has limited space. Aside from this, you can help build a strong and intimate relationship with everyone in the household. Everyone will spend more time together because they are forced to stay in common areas rather than remain in their tiny bedrooms. Although living in a small home has its perks, it also poses several challenges for homeowners. One of the biggest challenges that people face is how to furnish and decorate the place properly. If you also have the same dilemma, you need to develop a plan and find smart ways to improve your home’s aesthetics regardless of its limited size or lot area.
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Common Challenges in Furnishing a Small Home
The biggest challenge that owners of small residential properties face is the fact that they only have limited space to work on. This means they don’t have a choice but to squeeze in some smart furnishing techniques to ensure that they still get the most out of their home. Here are some of the most common challenges in furnishing a small home:
- Building a space for me-time
- Ensuring storage space is enough
- Trying to provide everyone their own bedrooms
- Having enough entertainment space for guests
- Finding the right furniture and appliances
- Squeezing in decorative items to liven up space
Practical Decorating Tips for Beginners
Furnishing and decorating your small home can be overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time being a homeowner. Some people prefer going online and searching for design inspirations through blogs or Pinterest posts. However, it’s still best to have a basic idea of properly furnishing and decorating your home. Here are some smart and quick tips to start improving your home’s aesthetics:
- Invest in multi-purpose furniture—Avoid purchasing furniture that only provides a single purpose. It would be best if you can get multi-purpose furniture instead. This may include beds with storage or coffee tables that can be converted into a working space. If you want, you can custom-build home furniture to ensure that they provide remarkable functions to you and your family.
- Be smart about storing items—Instead of purchasing large shelves and cabinets, stick to hanging shelves or tall and narrow storage systems. This allows you to maximize vertical space without adding clutter. Hanging shelves also allow you to maximize blank wall spaces.
- Focus on light colors when painting your walls—Avoid dark hues and shades when painting your walls. Use light colors instead, so your home will not look too small or cramped. Recommended colors include white, light gray, and beige. You can also use darker tones for accents, but ensure you keep it to a minimum.
- Add decorative yet functional items—Find aesthetically-appealing yet functional items to decorate your home. For instance, you can order patterned rugs or carpets to improve your flooring. Aside from added design, it also helps protect your floors, so it doesn’t get damaged. You can also invest in anti-slip rugs so you can protect your family from injuries.
- Work with a professional interior designer—Doing everything on your own may seem like the practical choice. However, if you don’t have any experience in interior design, going for DIY projects can be risky. You may end up spending more money than what’s necessary. However, if you work with professional interior designers, you can rest assured that you can achieve your target furnishing plan. They also provide expert advice, such as finding an ideal vertical landscape design for adding greenery indoors.
- Make decluttering a routine—This advice may not be related to home decorating, but you need to understand that cleanliness always enhance aesthetics. Without dirt and clutter, your home will look stylish and elegant, regardless of its size. Thus, do your best to make decluttering a routine.
It may be tempting to transfer to a larger home, but doing so will require you to shell out huge amounts of cash. Remember, larger homes mean larger payments. Thus, if you want to stay practical, consider sticking to your existing home. It may have limited space, but as long as you and your family remain happy and comfortable, keeping your property is the best option. You need to ensure that you take the time to improve its aesthetics. Also, you have to ensure it provides you with all the necessary functions of a home. If you can successfully apply practical furnishing and decorating strategies, you can transform your property into a home that you and your family will appreciate for life.