How to Live in a Shoe-box: 12 ways to maximise space in your self-contained room.

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The demand for one-room apartments in on the rise in big cities (especially in Lagos) where single people migrate; in one’s and two’s; trying to find better opportunities. However, this has not triggered a significant growth in the development of studio apartments or purpose-built one-room apartments; usually what is available for lease are semi-detached boy’s quarter units or converted maids’ rooms. Another trending alternative is to share 2-bed or 3-bed apartments with friends or other random room-seekers.

After successfully renting a self-contained room, you are then burdened with the task of making that small space work for you efficiently. In it, you live- entertain guests, do laundry, sleep, dine, study, dress-up and in some cases; cook and work.

I particularly like the idea of making small spaces work. I admire minimalistic designs. I enjoy playing with furniture. I always look forward to tackling the challenge of achieving functionality in living spaces despite many constraints.

Here are some simple, affordable ways to achieve small, functional spaces.

My two golden rules are = Make your room appear bigger + Make your room work efficiently

1.       Use light colours on the walls and ceiling.

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Use light colours on your walls. Light surfaces reflect light and will help your room appear larger. This method works best when the walls are painted in a close to the colour of the ceiling. I am thinking white, cream, off-white etc. The advantage is that you will enjoy more daylighting in a brightly painted space than in a room painted with darker colours.

*Well, you can carefully break the monotony and add some interest by creating a feature wall that has a contrasting colour or a patterned wall-paper.

2.       Tuck- them –away!  (out-of-sight-is-art-of-my-space).

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Focus more on storage than display in decorating your room. Displaying too many things at once means too many objects would be seen at the same time and will make the room appear smaller and clumsy.

Use more of drawers than racks or trolleys. Use a wardrobe for your clothes rather than a hanger, tuck away your make-up items in your closet, rather than display them on a dressing table, (you might need them only once a day anyway). Tuck-away the magazine racks and laundry basket. Find space for your shoes in your closet.

3.       Use less patterns.

Avoid choosing a patterned carpet, bear it in mind that you might want to use a patterned curtain, a wallpaper and patterned bed-sheets. I recommend using window blinds with light colours (with a close shade to the hosting wall) and soft patterns; this will give  room to create an interesting focal point in the room.

4.       Save your wall space.

Reduce the number of hangings on the wall. You probably have just four walls which host your window, bed, TV/entertainment centre and your wardrobe. Try to limit your wall hung decors to bare necessities like a simple wall clock and a photo-frame /artwork.

5.      Use the mirror trick.

If you have to install a mirror in your room, go for a full length frame-less mirror, this will create an illusion of depth. Even banking halls are designed using this trick. The added advantage, of course, is that you will be able to take full length ‘selfies’.

6.       Use collapsible furniture.

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I find these smart solutions very intriguing; sofas that double as beds, wall picture frames that double as desks, drop-down beds etc.

The added advantage of using collapsible items is the ease of haulage when moving out.

7.       Maximise storage niches.

Use multi-purpose furniture items; I like to call them smart furniture. Chairs that store books, bed with drawers or shelves, wardrobes whose tops double as bookshelves, etc.

8.       Use a coordinating furniture style, think 'holistic'.

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You can boycott all the hassles and go for a holistic room installation. This will ensure that all the furniture in your room are of the same quality and style. You will also be able to design your room to fit your lifestyle. You will be able to achieve a singular look in your space and this will make your space look bigger. You may need to talk to an architect or interior designer to help you design your space and communicate your ideas to a furniture-maker.

9.       Go modern.

Use less drapery and curved edges. Use a Venetian blind instead of long draping curtains, use furniture with straight line and edges (this will help you maximise corner spaces), avoid too much ornamentation.

10.   Use see- through furniture

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Think glass furniture. Transparent items guarantee that we can see through to the (other) end; so we are oblivious of the fact that they are standing in our view; providing an illusion of depth or un-interrupted depth.

11.   Store over-the door

Your bathroom door is a perfect host for an over-the-door hanger that should bear your towels, worn clothes etc, away from the walls in your room. Pegs on the door of your wardrobe will also help in tucking away your handbags and weaves from sight.

12.    So what if your kitchen is inside your room?

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a.       Get an extractor if one is not installed. This will help you keep the fumes away.

b.      Make your kitchenette a singular unit by installing a cabinet that will house your cooker, fridge and sink at once.

c.       Create or install a beautiful space divider if you wish to make the kitchenette a little less obvious.

Those were interior design suggestions from a minimalist point of view; please feel free to share other tips that have worked for you in the comment box below.