You don’t have to suffer from claustrophobia to feel cramped and confined at home. Sometimes, you can outgrow your property and it feels like you can barely breathe. This usually happens when your family gets bigger and the spare rooms are suddenly taken up, with more belongings scattered around the home.
Still, you can also have a cramped home as soon as you move into it. We’re not all lucky enough to buy a spacious property, so we have to deal with a lack of space. Keeping that in mind, I’ve thought of a few ideas that can help you make your house feel less confined!
Get an extension
This seems like the obvious place to start! What better way to release the confines of your home than by physically making it better? The issue with extensions is that lots of homeowners assume they’re super expensive. There’s almost this idea that an extension means you have to build a second house onto your existing one!
Realistically, a home extension is only as big as you need it to be. Sure, you could extend your home backwards and add new rooms for the top and bottom floors. Or, you could choose kitchen or bathroom extensions to open up one room in your house. For some homeowners, the cramped feeling stems from one particular room feeling too tiny. So, a little extension can go a long way to improving the liveability of your house.
Add windows or mirrors
If you can’t afford an extension – or can’t get one for planning permission reasons – another home improvement option is to add windows or mirrors to your property. Mirrors instantly make a room look and feel bigger because of the reflection. One smart idea I’ve seen is to have big floor-to-ceiling windows on your bedroom wardrobe. They immediately make the bedroom seem spacious.
Windows have a similar effect, but they also bring light in from outdoors. This definitely helps with any confinement issues as you can see outside and don’t feel as closed off and cramped.
Tidy up
Yep, it’s really that simple! Your home is probably a lot bigger than you think, it’s just that every room is full of clutter. Some of it is ‘organised clutter’, which basically refers to things that aren’t necessarily strewn on the floor, but you never ever use. For example, a half-empty bookcase that you really don’t need.
Tidy your home and get rid of things that no longer serve a purpose. Be quite rigorous and harsh as you’ll be amazed at what your brain convinces you to keep! If you want, you can always put things in storage to move them out of your way but ensure they remain safe and secure.
This is a collaborative post
You’ve got three different options to play around with here! I tried to pick ideas that appeal to everyone. If you have the money and space to extend your home, it’s obviously the best choice. If you don’t, there are still other options that make your house feel less cramped.
