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| Nice & Squeezy |
| Feeling cramped? Not for long, with these handy tips. |
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Our House takes a look behind the scenes of an Our House Magazine photo shoot as Julia Richardson, the Features Editor, puts together some inspirational space-saving ideas to show how you can make maximum creative use out of a minimum space.
Space Saving Ideas
1
When floor space is limited, look to the walls to maximise that extra space. Use a series of curved wall fittings to hold your books. They definitely don’t look like your average bookcase, and free up valuable floor space. You can turn a 2.5metre width of wall space into a library. The shelves are roughly L-shaped curved pieces ($15 each from IKEA) and can be set at slightly skew angles so that the books seem “piled” on top of one another. Wall-mounted vases, wall lamps, CD racks, magazine racks and candle holders are some other space-saving ideas.
2
If space is at a premium, look for flexible furniture - either pieces that can “disappear” when you don’t need them or those that do two jobs at the same time (ie. sitting and storage). Examples are a queen-size loft bed with a mini-living room underneath. The living room features an easy chair, TV, stereo and some music storage. Other items include a large cane armchair that has a deep drawer under the seat and a side table that opens up for yet more storage space.
3
Be on the look out for extra-thin or narrow furniture and appliances. The magazine shoot features a galley style kitchen with a narrow-width dishwasher (45cm instead of the normal 90cm) plus a garbage compactor. The compactor takes all everyday-type rubbish (tin cans, egg cartons, old socks, etc) and compacts it all down to a neat package. Instead of taking your usual garbage bags to the wheelie bin, you just take out a shoe box-size chunk of compacted garbage. This item is particularly good for people in apartments who have to haul garbage down a large flight of stairs.
Other examples include a super-thin notice board that can be stuck on any wall space, along with extra-narrow shelves. These could be installed, for example, at picture rail height to hold sporting trophies in a teenager’s room or halfway between the underside of your wall mounted kitchen cupboards and your kitchen bench top to house your spices.
A “swiveling” wardrobe would be handy in a small guestroom. It basically consists of a tall pillar with drawers and shelf space on one side and a full length mirror on the opposite one. The other two sides have a few hooks and rails for hanging items. The whole ensemble spins and pivots about a circular base. There is even, for the wealthy, the latest “thin” television that will hang on your wall like a large framed picture.
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Disclaimer
All Fact Sheets and other material on the Our House website are provided as a general information service only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the advice of a properly qualified tradesman. Neither ninemsn nor its licensors (including the Nine Network) assume or accept any responsibility for, and will not be liable for the accuracy or appropriate application of any information whatsoever in any Fact Sheet or other material on the Our House web site. Your use of the Our House web site is governed by this disclaimer and the ninemsn's Terms of Use.
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