10 Ways to Simplify Your Space

Make every room feel bigger and more harmonious with these practical design ideas- from colour schemes and materials to streamlined storage.

Install a light-filled staircase
Revamping your stairs with frameless glass balustrades and open treads creates a more transparent look – better sight lines between rooms will make your interior seem larger, as well as carrying light between floors. Add a roof light at the top of the void for an even more dramatic light-well effect. This cool, angular staircase is part of a traditional London home that was completely reconfigured. Contact  Spiral UK  for more information on bespoke staircases.

Add flexibility with a partition
Sliding doors are ideal for dividing modern, open plan spaces at times when you need two distinct zones. Unlike a hinged model, once the door is open, it can go virtually unnoticed, tucked away inside a slim cavity within the wall. Pocket doors are perfect for creating flexible spaces within your home. Book an appointment at the Sky House Design Centre  to view our aluminium door selector with Mondrian internal sliding doors.

Create a clever storage wall
Working from home has just got easier with built-in storage systems helping to organise your open plan space; draws, desks and shelves can be concealed within one unit.

Fit unified flooring
Having the same surface throughout all rooms is a straightforward way to create a coherent look. Certain materials such as stone, concrete and porcelain can even be continued outdoors. Find out more from  Exterior Solutions  at the Sky House Design Centre.

Build a neat study area
Install a long, wide shelf of a freestanding desk in a home office; not only will it look more homely and less business like but the horizontal lines will also help draw the eye through the room, giving an illusion of space. A generously sized corridor can be turned into a useful storage and working area.

Get your wardrobe in order
If you have enough space in your bedroom, carve out a dressing area and install tailor-made storage to hold every last suit jacket and put it on show. Make use of all of your space including narrow loft space using mirrors and pivot doors to reflect light and maximise the space.

Make a small bathroom feel bigger
Keep bathing areas simple with a limited palette of colours and materials; small spaces in particular can benefit from this approach. A wall-hung basin and toilet gives the room an uncluttered look, making the floor space appear larger. Speak to  Watermark Bathrooms   at the Sky House Design Centre for design advice on making the most out of your floor space.

Decorate with tone-on-tone hues
Painting your whole house the same colour is a sure-fire way to achieve unity, but experimenting with a tonal palette – two or more shades of the same colour – will produce a more interesting yet subtle scheme.

Banish Worktop Clutter
Toasters, coffeemakers, water filters and other cooking paraphernalia make for untidy surfaces. A recent trend in kitchen design is the use of large cupboards with a section of worktop inside: when you’ve finished breakfast you can hide away all your appliances. When the doors are open they can slide into pockets at either side to keep the look streamlined. Or, if you are designing a kitchen extension allow space for a small utility to keep the appliances in. Contact  Watermark Kitchens  for some design advice.

Turn wasted space into storage
Create pull-out drawers under the stairs, which are a more effective use of space than a single, undivided cupboard.
Contact Sky House Design Centre for more information and design advice on simplifying your space.