Charlie Luxton On Using Every Space In Your Home
The architectural designer and television presenter shares 6 tips to help you maximise your home’s potential…
1.Use space to create space by simply moving furniture
If you want to play with the structure of your property, without having to physically move walls, finding the right place or position for furniture can make a big difference in how a room looks.
Tables and sofas can divide even small rooms creating the illusion of a bigger space. Move around with the furniture you have in your property and see if it makes a difference to your home.
Photo (top) by Patrick Perkins on Unsplash
2.Take advantage of high ceilings and incorporate floating shelves to add depth to a room
It’s a simple and inexpensive home improvement to make. Walls are a resource we hardly use, we might hang up a picture or two but for a small space walls should be utilised to their full potential.
Installing floating shelves from floor to ceiling will help add an additional layer to the room and double up as extra storage to declutter the surrounding space.
Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash
3.Keep up with the digital world
Technology plays a big part in households; new research from the BT Modern Families Report has revealed 56% of Brits do their online shopping in the living room, 1 in 50 use voice assisted devices in the bathroom and 18% of Brits escape to the spare bedroom to use their mobile phone.
Having the flexibility to use technology around the home ensures we don’t spend hours fixed in one spot. Installing wi-fi that provides connectivity in every inch of the home like BT Complete Wi-Fi lets you find your own space, for privacy, work or just having fun.
Photo by Alex James on behalf of BT Plus
4.Don’t see each room for what it is, extend their purpose
We’re naturally attracted to spending the most time in rooms that are comfortable to us. Make sure you’re using each room equally and getting the most out of your space, making each room multi-purpose.
If your dining room is currently just being used for meal times – try transforming it as a space for work or hobbies by using clever storage.
Photo by Alisa Anton on Unsplash
5.Use light colours in windowless rooms to make the rooms feel bigger
Dark colours can often create the appearance of a small, cramped space, so to reverse this and create the illusion of a wider, lighter and open room, incorporate light colours or semi-opaque furniture.
You should do the same for windowless rooms too, which don’t get any natural light, as the lighter colours of the furniture will reflect the light in the space to make it feel brighter too.
Photo by Jose Soriano on Unsplash
6.Open up the porch to make it a welcoming space for you and your guests
Your front door is always an over-looked space of the home.
Open up the area by placing a small bench for people to use when taking shoes off or getting ready to leave; it makes the entrance way have more of a purpose.
You can also use the space to pack in some storage, either using free standing draws or floating shelves – they’re both great additions to make use of the space.
Photo by Douglas Sheppard on Unsplash
Charlie Luxton discusses the ever changing demands of today’s connected home in the BT Modern Families Report and how Complete Wi-Fi offers seamless wall-to-wall coverage and an end to wi-fi blackspots
Allison Hay
I joined the "My Weekly" team thirteen years ago and, more recently, "The People's Friend". I love the variety of topics we cover both online and in the magazines. I manage the digital content for the brands, sharing features and information on the website, social media and in our digital newsletters.
