5 Clever Design Hacks To Maximise Space In Your Family Home

We all lead such busy lives and our homes become our sanctuaries for escaping to and seeking refuge at the end of a full day. Unfortunately, when life gets busy, our homes become a reflection of that, and this can lead to frustration and resentment of ours spaces. Today I am going to be sharing with you my clever design hacks to maximise space in your home and simple tips you can implement easily. Through my full-service interior design offering in Brisbane, I have helped countless families maximise their homes and create functional spaces that are both beautiful and organised. Read on for my top tips and hacks you can implement in your own home.

Ensure All Furniture Has Storage

When designing spaces, one of my key considerations is to always select furniture that is functional and provides storage where possible. This is an area I see people get wrong time and time again as they choose aesthetics over function and often furniture needs to be replaced much faster. For example, in the bedroom I always choose a bedside table that has a drawer, a cupboard or both to ensure items can be stored away neatly and piles of ‘stuff’ don’t sit on top. Although stools are cute and a simple minimal look is great, we store so many things on our bedside table that built-in storage is a must. Other furniture items to ensure have built-in storage are the entertainment unit, console tables, coffee tables and overhead cabinetry in kitchens.

Avoid Open Storage

Following on from above, when selecting furniture, I always recommend having as much ‘closed’ storage as possible and avoiding too many open shelves. In busy family homes there is a build-up of items such as toys, technology, documentation, craft supplies and other everyday household items that require a designated home. When you opt for open bookcases, console tables or entertainment units without doors the clutter inevitably builds up over time. As these spaces are open, the visual clutter becomes overwhelming as you can see all the items stored. To avoid this, I recommend selecting furniture that has drawers and cupboards so items can be stored neatly away behind closed doors.

Use Vertical Space

In smaller homes a great way to ensure you are maximising your space is to draw the eyes up and make use of the walls. This could be as simple as adding a few floating shelves to areas such as the kitchen, living room or bedroom to store decorative items, books and other styling pieces. Another way to make use of your vertical space is to add hooks in areas such as the laundry to store mops, brooms and vacuums and by the front door to store hats and bags. The garage is a great place to add high shelving and store items neatly in storage tubs to make extra use of the space and remove items from inside the living areas.

Create Zones

Open plan living has been popular for many years now and with great reason as it allows us to mingle as a family and create more flow within a home. However, with a large expansive space, this can sometimes lead to blurred boundaries and spaces can appear messy or disjointed. When helping my full-service interior design clients in Brisbane I always ensure we chat about zones and what the spaces will be used for so we can accurately designate areas to these activities. For example, in the living room the space can be defined by adding a large floor area rug that the sofa, accent chairs, coffee table and side tables sit on top of to ensure the space has clear boundaries. In bedrooms, especially kids’ bedrooms I like to create zones for sleeping, zones for relaxing and zones for playing. This can be done by furniture placement, rugs, artwork and lighting.

Baskets Are Your Best Friend

Baskets are one of the most easy and affordable design hacks to keep your home organised and clutter-free. I recommend adding large baskets to spaces like the living room to store blankets, cushions and kid’s toys. Baskets are a great storage solution for kid’s bedrooms and playrooms too as you can categorise toys and small items easily. They also allow for a quick and easy clean-up process as you simply throw the items in their designated baskets, and you are good to go! My favourite places to get beautiful baskets from are Adairs, Freedom and Wicka.

By implementing the above tips your home should feel more calm, organised and relaxing. If you find that you would like a helping hand and want to know the best ways to maximise your home, then get in touch and we can have a chat about how my full service interior design can help you.