Practically every mom in America can attest to the fact that, eventually, your home will become cluttered if you don’t keep a watchful eye on what the family buys. When you’re out shopping for that new end table, it’s easy to forget just how much or little space you have – especially when you’re in the middle of all the cool new furniture and accessories inside the store.
The trick to making the most of your home’s space is first to maximize the available space. Subtraction is more critical than addition here; opening up space will make a world of difference in the atmosphere and the useful furnishings. Consider the following tips to start.
Open Up the Kitchen Space
Your kitchen is easily one of the busiest places in the house since it’s where all the food is! A a result, you really want this room to set the scene and make an impression. Widen the area by opting for vertical storage instead of horizontal, and consider having extra cabinets installed to mask any dry goods that otherwise sit on the countertop. Add touches here and there to make it bright and open. Although most people keep pans and pots in a drawer, consider installing efficient overhead wire racks to hold these cooking workhorses.
Clear Out Your Garage
Trust us; you’re not the only one who thinks of the garage as a storage area. The truth is, once you put something in there, expect for it to be years – maybe even decades – before you see it again. Schedule a few days to do some clearing out of all that old furniture, boxes, odds-and-ends and outdated appliances that you have in there. It’s time to stop treating your garage as a graveyard for fix-it projects that will never manifest themselves. Once you have all this new space, you can get creative with it and build or install luggage racks. Who knows; maybe you can even start using the garage for its intended purpose once again – car storage!
A Clear Entryway an Open House Makes
Once inside, this is the first thing that anyone entering your home sees. As such, it should make a great impression. It should be thoroughly uncluttered, and a bench in the hallway can work wonders for having shoes placed out of sight – especially one of the benches that open up and allow bags to be placed inside. Of course, hooks for hanging coats, shawls, hats and cold weather accessories goes a long way.
Home Office Remake
If you’ve got an extra room, then a home office is a must. It can contain the general use computer, a desk or two (depending on the size of the room, of course) for the children’s’ homework, your own workspace and storage solutions lining the walls. With this particular room, you can get really creative since there can be something for everyone inside. A quick web search or magazine search can open up a world of possibilities of supplies to make the most of the home office space.
The Living Room
Another of the essential rooms in the home is the living space. Everyone spends time here, and so openness is a priority. It shouldn’t be used as a storage area for your son or daughter’s dumbbell set or yoga mat; that stuff has to be in their bedrooms or garage. In the living room, you’ll need plenty of comfortable seating, ottomans, and a home theater shelving system that’s robust enough to hold the multitude of electronic devices in most American homes today. It should be easy to walk through this room, too, since you’ll likely be entertaining guests from time-to-time. Besides, having enough room means it won’t be a chore when World Cup Soccer or the NBA Playoffs come around, and you have to place mattresses or futons on the floor for all-night viewing.
Optimizing Your Bedroom Space
The most private spaces in the house are the bedrooms. You want them to exude a sense of calm, which means making sure they aren’t choked for movement. There’s a lot to work with when it comes to the closet space, for starters, to ensure you’ve got enough room for clothes, shoes, and nightwear. Use boxes liberally to store winter clothes when spring rolls around. Closet organizers can make a whole new world inside that small space.
If you’re having issues with starting this project, the laundry room might be a great place to begin. Optimizing this room can give you the ideas you need to maximize the rest of your home space. Start small, and go from there; in no time at all, you can have a living area that you’ll be glad to come home to.
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