Renovation Hacks That Make Small Homes Feel Spacious

Key Takeaways

• Just because the inside of your home is small doesn’t mean that the interior needs to feel cramped.
• Small home renovations such as adding a kitchen island, using larger tiles in places like the kitchen or bathroom, and installing recessed shelving are some ideas that can make your home feel bigger.
• Evaluating the space you have and decluttering or transforming unused areas can also make your home feel more spacious.
• Letting in more sunlight and creating a garden window will make any room feel less enclosed.

Your small space doesn’t need to feel small. While you can’t physically expand your home without renovations like a full home remodel, smart design choices can make it appear larger and more open. 

With small home renovation ideas from 5blox, even the tiniest places can feel spacious, breezy, and surprisingly roomy. In this blog, we’ll share some practical tricks and renovation ideas to make small spaces like bedrooms, kitchens, and bathrooms feel larger.

Let in More Sunlight

One of the easiest ways to make a small home feel larger is to maximize the natural light that streams through your windows. This can instantly create a sense of openness as sunlight fills the room and reflects around the space. Without doing any renovations, wall mirrors in a small home can add both light and depth, making even compact rooms feel more spacious.

Declutter Your Space

Keeping floors and surfaces clutter-free instantly makes a room feel more open. If your home wasn’t built with sufficient storage, a little creativity can create storage space where none existed before.

Some space-making projects can be surprisingly simple, like shelving in unused corners, floor-to-ceiling cabinets, wall-mounted cabinets, or coat racks. Once you have convenient storage spaces, you’ll have much more space in small areas.

Create a Kitchen Island

If you’re considering small home renovations and doing a kitchen remodel, try installing an island or bar with plenty of cabinets underneath. With the added storage space it gives you, you can get small appliances, pantry items, pet food, and other clutter off the counters, making the room look much bigger. 

The central location of a kitchen island or bar will keep those things close at hand, unlike storage in a basement, garage, or other separate space.

While you’re at it, consider opening up some of your kitchen cabinets if the contents can be kept neat enough. You can paint or paper the back wall for visual interest, and getting rid of the doors is another small home renovation idea that can create the illusion of more space.

Transform Unused Spaces

With small home renovations, you don’t often think about wasted spaces until you start looking for them. Fortunately, our interior designers at 5blox Studio can help you identify and make the most of these hidden areas. The area beneath a sloped ceiling that’s too low for seating can be built out with open shelving or cabinets, creating a place to keep your belongings off the floor. 

The space between the side of your refrigerator and the wall can be turned into an easy-rolling rack for spices and other small pantry items. Any unusual little architectural space that’s too small for a piece of furniture can be converted into shelving to maximize space and minimize clutter.

Use Larger Tiles

It might seem like it could create the opposite effect, but larger tiles are an excellent renovation idea for various spaces in your home, like small bathrooms, kitchens, and entryways. With fewer grout lines, the surface seems smoother and less busy, creating a cleaner and more continuous effect that opens up the room. This method is particularly effective for:

• Bathroom floors
• Shower walls
• Kitchen floors 
• Entryways 

Reflective tiles that are light or glossy can improve this effect even further by radiating light throughout the space, helping the room feel more open and inviting.

Hang Stylish Curtains

In small homes, renovation ideas like hanging curtains high can be a simple yet effective way to make a home feel more spacious. The room is immediately elevated, and the eye is drawn upwards when curtains are hung high, as close to the ceiling as possible. Light-colored curtains made of natural linen are perfect for small home renovations, as they maintain a room’s sense of openness, allowing sunlight to enhance spaciousness. 

Recessed Shelving

Some blank walls, like those below stairwells, have hollow space behind them, which can be opened up and replaced with built-in drawers, shelves, and cabinets. This creates a tremendous amount of new space, allowing you to reduce clutter and make messy rooms like entryways and family rooms look neater and more spacious. For small spaces where every inch counts, renovation ideas like this are also excellent for bathrooms.

Garden Windows

Indoor plants are lovely and offer health benefits such as reduced stress levels and improved mood, but plants have a way of taking over your space. If you don’t have much space, a small home renovation plan is to create a simple DIY garden window without altering the actual structure of your house.

This special type of window is designed with space for plants, giving them better light while freeing up interior spaces. You can create a mini garden window by stacking little plant stands, installing a wall-mounted shelf beneath the window, or using a windowsill tray. If you’ve got plant stands and flowerpots taking up space, this small home renovation idea can free up valuable room.

Create Spacious Living With 5blox

Small home renovations provide many ways to maximize available space, minimize clutter, and create the illusion of a larger space. At 5blox Studio, our interior designers can help you make small areas feel more spacious. Book a free walkthrough, and our team will make expert suggestions to enhance your home.

Calinia Henry

Interior Designer
With a degree in Interior Design, Calinia brings over 15 years of experience to the interior design industry, specializing in high-end remodels. From architectural plans to final execution and beyond, she’s passionate about turning clients’ dreams into reality. With a refined eye for detail and an innate appreciation for texture, depth, and the perfect balance of elements, Calinia has earned a reputation for building lasting relationships with her clients throughout Southern California.

Calinia believes that every design she creates should be a reflection of the home’s owner as well as an investment in quality and beauty that lasts.