One of the crucial points of high-quality architecture is equilibrium: all spaces are important and have potential and must be treated with attention to detail.

This statement is valid both for the living room, which is the main space of the house, where social activities take place, and for small rooms, usually intended for more practical and routine activities that are performed by just a few people.

Perhaps that is the reason that define the fate of small places: they are usually forgotten, placed in residual corners and are not properly maintained.

On the contrary, their level of functionality and appeal can influence the comfort that is felt when they are used and it means an important contribution to improving quality of life.

Here are some ideas to transform small spaces into the new focal points of your home.

The importance of assigning a purpose to each place.

When it comes to small spaces, it is usual that there is a specific use intended, linked to a particular activity. Whether we are talking about a study room, a reading corner or a simple laundry room, the room must be designed in the best way to carry out the desired activity, through the choice of the right lighting, furniture and accessories that comply with your housing needs.

A floor lamp placed above the sofa for reading or an LED strip placed under the wall units to fold the laundry can make a big difference. Do not forget the accent lights that shape the space and highlight its particularities!

Furthermore, choosing the correct furniture and organizing it effectively can completely change the space, because the impact of furniture is as relevant as walls or windows.

Let’s imagine we are designing a room. How would the activity take place? How big does the desk have to be in order to hold both the stationery and the computer? How many books will be placed on the shelves? Where will the dirty laundry be stored? All of these answers will help us make the right choices that match our needs.

Moreover, each room should have its corresponding additional space. The organization of the additional space is a decisive feature that affects the appeal of a room, for example by ensuring that the spare stationery or those ugly detergent bottles are ingeniously hidden. Some simple and effective solutions are a pantry under the counter or a small storage table. We use these additional spaces continuously for daily housing needs and it is them that contribute to the order and cleanliness of each room.

Designing a space for a specific activity simplifies the routine and guarantees perfect comfort for each task.

Practicality and style are compatible.

Functionality isn’t everything! In small rooms, interior design plays a fundamental role not only to solve the problems related to the practicality of spaces with ingenious ideas but also to make them pleasant during the use.

It is highly recommended to stay in the range of pale colors, which help create an optical illusion, making the different rooms appear larger than they really are. Scandinavian design or minimalism, for example, are respectful of small dimensions, because they are harmonious and are not bulky to the eye.

The particular case of the laundry room.

We usually imagine that the room intended for household chores (washing or ironing) does not have any particular architectural interest, relegating the design to spaces that are more “worthy” in the house.

However, a beautiful and well-organized laundry can have a great impact on the quality of life of those who live there and it increases the value of the property.

As previously said, it is important that the area reflects our habits, and as a consequence, we will need to create spaces for each step of the laundry:

– a container for dirty clothes, suitable in size for the number of people in the house;

– an additional space for storing detergents and all the accessories necessary for the activity, effectively hidden to avoid disorder;

– washer and dryer positioned in strategic places;

– a worktop where you can fold clean clothes.

In conclusion, it is a matter of organizing these elements in the most effective way to take advantage of the location in its entirety, without forgetting the right choices of lighting and furniture to complete the space and make it unique.

To create rooms of great impact but tiny size, it is very important to know all the nuances of architecture and make the most of their potential.

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The Architect’s Advice