Moving to a bigger city may be your dream, but often only a small apartment or studio can be afforded. This does not mean that you need to be restricted in terms of living quality and homely comfort; small twists and design ideas can help to transform small homes, and keep the rooms feeling spacious and open.

Getting the right mix of colouring, lighting and furnishing is the key to give your home a roomy appeal and a comfortable feel. Jacqueline Rose, a feature writer for www.granarywharf.co.uk, gives some advice.

The Role of Furniture: Room symmetry

In small flats, furniture and drapery can be used to build up room symmetry and balance the space; for instance, furniture needs arranging so that areas of different functions such as dining, living and sleeping are separated visually. Shelves can be used as room dividers which in turn can create an intimate area. Zones which may create a busy impression need to be hidden, so small home offices can be built into a closet, utensils go into boxes and crowded shelves could be covered with draperies.

The Role of Furniture: Don’t take space visually and don’t waste space

To make rooms seem a little less small, home owners should select their furniture wisely. In kitchens and bathrooms, open and floating shelving should be opted for instead of bulky cabinets. Indeed, utensils need storing in boxes and containers which complement the overall design of the room.

Dining areas and living rooms profit from either Lucite, wired or light weight accent furniture which can be easily moved around or stacked and do not take space visually. Generally, downsized furniture should be chosen which may give up floor space for such items as floating night stands and also make use of space which usually would not be used for such things as clip-on lamps.

Here, loveseats instead of bulky sofas or sectionals should provide the seating comfort in the living area. Multi-functional furniture such as sofas or murphy beds are a good solution to save space too. In order to create considerable storage solutions, narrow shelves which go up to the ceiling, and furniture placed where they are hardly visible such as under stairs, can be utilised. Even using one full wall for shelving may be possible.

However, at no point the room should seem busy, and thus the room must be kept tidy and should show minimal décor. Clearly, in a small home it must be prioritised between dining areas, office corners or living areas and the furniture needs to be selected accordingly. One should decide what is personally most important and should have it as the focal point of the room.

The Role of Lighting, Colours and Patterns

The main rule of how to decorate a small room is to stick to neutral and light walls and curtains that help to reflect the light. Indeed, cosy colours can also be used, but they should not be too dark. As the room must be well lit, several lamps need to be used throughout the space, and the view through the window should always be kept open.

A focus should be built towards a beautiful spot in the room which may be the seating or dining area. The attention can be redirected to an area by placing mirrors or art work and by adding a dramatic touch with vibrant hues and eye catching patterns on walls and fabrics. For instance, by creating a focal, vibrant wall and using a rug with prints a dramatic touch is added which breaks up the monotony of the light room.

The vibrancy of colours and patterns should not overwhelm and needs outbalancing by bigger plain colourful blogs. Especially in bedrooms, sophisticated colour schemes and fabrics, as well as multiple layers of cushions and blankets, create the illusion of luxury which leads to the impression of a spacious room.

People who prefer to let a specialist take care of their home’s interior design could simply rent or buy a ready to move in apartment which comes with fixtures and fittings as a standard. For instance, the award winning apartments of the waterside building Granary Wharf in Leeds are known for their outstanding architecture and design of their modern homes. Click here for more information.