eXp Realty, LLC

Interior design tips for small houses

by Kyung Kim 11/17/2022

living room space with text

Living in a tiny home or studio apartment? Smaller living areas can be cozy, but sometimes it’s a challenge to get the most out of less space. Here’s a beginners guide to interior design for the small spaces in your home.

Add depth

Adding depth to your room can make a small space appear larger. Adding reflective mirrors or glass does a fantastic job accomplishing this. Reflective surfaces give the illusion of more space in a room. Painting and decorating with light shades can make the space feel even more dimensional, open and airy. 

After you’ve added depth, it’s essential to utilize the area to the best of its capability. The next section reviews how to get the most out of the space in your small home. 

Every corner can be a hangout space

Every corner in your home can be useful and fun. For example, you may enjoy board games. Add a coffee table with storage space to your living room. You can enjoy light refreshments with your household along with creating a space to enjoy the games you love. 

Open furniture layout in all rooms

It’s essential to make sure there’s enough open floor space in your home for movement. Small homes can become cramped quickly. Using more compact furniture helps to give the appearance of more room. For example, a two-seater dining table can be added to your kitchen. This leaves more kitchen space open to maneuver.  

Make the most of vertical space

As the last section mentioned, you want to keep your space open for free movement. Vertical furniture can help you get the most out of small spaces. For example, bunk beds can hold two individuals and don’t take up as much floor room as two separate beds. 

You can create space in your small home with the right layouts. Add reflective surfaces to any small room for depth. Keep an open furniture layout and make the most of vertical space.

About the Author
Author

Kyung Kim

Hi, I'm Kyung Kim. I immigrated from South Korea to the United States in 1968 when I was 7 years old. I have seen my mom struggle with the English language and work hard to raise her four kids by herself. Still to this day, I don't know how she pulled it off, but she bought her first home in 1979 for $70,000 and because of that decision, she was able to live without worrying about her financial future. I want that for everyone, to feel the pride of home ownership and to build their financial wealth using real estate as part of their financial portfolio. I feel so blessed to play a small role in helping others reach this goal.

I live in Beaverton with my husband, Richard. My mom, who lived with us for several years, passed away in our home in February 2022. Her first home purchase in 1979 made it possible for her to live to the very end, without worrying about her finances. As of August 2022 with a little downpayment assistance, our four children own their own homes. Being in real estate, I quickly realized that if they didn't buy now, they may be priced out of the market in the future. Whether that would have been the case, we will never know, but what we do know is that they are all realizing some good, healthy appreciation in their home values.

As passionate as I am about people owning their homes, I'm also passionate about giving back to our community. I support Compassion First, a non-profit organization that provides aftercare for sex trafficked girls in Indonesia. My husband and I also feel called to financially support social injustice organizations.  

I'd love to assist you. Whether you're in the research phase at the beginning of your real estate search or you know exactly what you're looking for, you'll benefit from having a real estate professional by your side. I'd be honored to put my real estate experience to work for you.