When you’re living in a small house or apartment, interior decoration can be a challenge. However, while limited space, unusual angles, sloped ceilings, staircases, and other obstacles might seem difficult to work with at first, they can actually give rise to more creative, memorable arrangements that you would never have considered before.

With limitations come many opportunities, all of which can help you to explore new ways of structuring your furniture and indoor decor for maximum space and enjoyment.

When you’re faced with architectural obstacles, you’re also provided with the opportunity to try new things and explore a different way of approaching indoor design. It allows you to think outside the box and develop more inventive and refreshing ways of furnishing and decorating your space.

Need some inspiration?

I’m going to share seven ways that you can overcome limited space and create a home layout that’s altogether functional, beautiful, and interesting.

Choose The Right Wall Paint Color

Color plays a major role in our perception of space. For instance, darker colors may feel cozy, but they can have a shrinking effect on a room, making them unideal for smaller home environments. Instead, opt for lighter shades that open up the space and make it feel bigger.

Some of the best light shades for small rooms include:

● Off-white, ivory, eggshell

● Sea green

● Pale blue

● Earthy ochre

● Light gray

These uniquely soft, light hues are all perfectly equipped to broaden your indoor spaces and make them feel bigger and more full of life. Steering clear of deep, dark shades like dark blue, deep charcoal, red, and forest green will help you avoid that cramped feeling.

Utilize Scaled-Down Furniture

Scaled-down furniture is furniture that has been designed with smaller, simpler spaces in mind. For example, a loveseat instead of a four-person sofa or condo-sized sectionals.

Instead of full-sized objects, choose smaller varieties of essential furniture to create a complete yet compact indoor spaciousness. Compact side tables and wheeled kitchen-cum-bar carts offer loads of practical value because they can also be moved around as needed throughout the day.

Stretch Your Space Out With Large Mirrors

It’s the oldest trick in the book. But it’s so effective that it’s worth putting on this list as a reminder. Mirrors reflect the environment around them, helping you create the illusion of expansive space, even when your room is awkwardly shaped or restricts movement.

The larger the mirror, the better. If you have the budget and you don’t mind making a lot of eye contact with yourself, you could even tile an entire wall with mirror glass.

But if mirrors aren’t your first choice, you’ve still got options. Any reflective tiles, decor, or surfaces can help create more dimension in a small room and enhance a natural sense of light and space.

Embrace Smart Storage

Kudos to Bernard Castro, the man who basically invented the sofa bed! Making the most out of small, awkward spaces has a lot to do with getting clever about how and where you store your possessions. Fortunately, we live in an era where there are many opportunities to utilize multi-functional furniture, such as:

● Nesting tables

● Modular shelving units

● Drop-leaf tables

● Ottomans with storage

These are just a few examples of fabulous multi-functional smart storage options that can help you overcome all kinds of architectural obstacles, from small spaces to angled walls. Merging two functional objects into one is a fun, effective, and highly practical way to get around the awkwardness of a cramped environment, and it’s often cost effective, too.

Create Zones

Creating tangible, visual zones in a small space is a great way to enhance the sense of space around it. Using dividers, furniture that creates a barrier, or separating areas with distinctive color themes can almost trick your brain into thinking there’s more space than there is.

And if it's an awkward layout rather than a lack of space that makes your interior feel odd, you can still promote a sense of balance and boundary through the implementation of physical zones.

Remove Anything You Don’t Love Or Need

When it comes to simplifying and stretching out an indoor space, clutter is your worst enemy. You’ve got to make the most out of every square inch. So, don’t waste it on decor you don’t need, like, or want around you. Make like Marie Kondo; if it doesn’t spark joy, get rid of it!

Being intentional about what you place in your home isn’t just useful from a space perspective, it’s also a good lifestyle habit to adopt. It’s always okay to be sentimental about stuff you really love. But if it’s not serving you, it’s probably not serving your space, so it’s time to cut it loose.

Removing things you don’t want also keeps your home looking fresh and clean. The less junk you have floating around your room or apartment, the more space you free up to actually enjoy.

Keep It Simple!

When it comes down to it, creating a functional home layout out of limited space is all about simplicity. Don’t overcomplicate it. Use what you have to curate fresh, practical furniture arrangements that feel natural and comfortable, not forced.

If you try to stuff too many objects, colors, or textures into a small space, the result will be chaotic. And it doesn’t need to be. As I’ve discussed today, there are so many ways to elevate an awkward or small indoor space to make it feel both beautiful and comfortably sized.

Transform Your Home With These Tips

While small or awkward indoor spaces might not be everyone’s first choice for a home design project, those who’ve experienced them firsthand know that there are many ways to make them work for you.

Whether you’re decorating your own home, are an aspiring interior decorator, or looking for home staging ideas for real estate school, implementing these tips can help make even the smallest, strangest-shaped rooms feel spacious, light, and full of character.

In fact, sometimes working with a difficult space can help you unlock new levels of interior design creativity and teach you a lot about how to make the most out of what you have.

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I write about small space design and decorating, sustainable furniture options, positive self care and a variety of do-it-yourself home décor.

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Sophia Bennet is a skilled chronicler of the world of business and real estate. With a sharp eye for detail and a passion for these subjects, she provides valuable insights and inspiration to her readers through her writing. When she's not working on her craft, Sophia can be found seeking new experiences and adventures, always on the lookout for the next great story to tell.