Arranging a house is like playing a huge game of Tetris.
There’s a space. Often, it’s a square space – or at least a rectangle, with even sides and proportions you can fit furniture into. The problems tend to come when you have all the furniture that you want in situ, but there’s still the nagging sense that you’re not making the most of the area.
The most common solution to this problem is storage. Put up a set of shelves or find a bookcase that will fit – but, of course, then there are the spaces where this just doesn’t work. The arrangement of the room is perfect so you don’t want to change it, but you’re still left with weird spaces down the corner of couches or between bed and bed table – and you want to make use of every square foot of your home.
Doing so isn’t hard, though it might require some imaginative thinking and usage. Here are a few ideas to get you started on solutions for those spaces where nothing seems to belong, but something might just work…
A Reading Nook
If you like to settle down with a book, then a reading nook is a perfect solution for a strange space. It’s also blissfully simple to do, while taking up space that otherwise would have felt wasted.
All you need is somewhere to sit and a light to read by. A piece of foam cut to size is the perfect soft, cushioned seating arrangement. If you’re feeling crafty, you can make yourself a cover for it in a fabric that just begs to be touched. For the light, you can of course plug a desk lamp into the mains, but a small LED light that you can fasten where it’s convenient might also work.
An Occasional Table
As the name might suggest, an occasional table doesn’t need to have a specific purpose. It can just exist for the sake of filling the space and looking pretty. It’s the perfect place for an ornament that would be otherwise cluttering up your mantelpiece, or it can act as storage if you find a design that works for your needs.
Go for a circular table with thin legs to ensure a fit that works. Square occasional tables are more common, but they tend to require very specific available dimensions to sit in. With a round choice, you can tuck them under the odd space between the stairs or into a corner, and they will look like they were designed for it.
A Large Houseplant
Anyone who has an interest in design and decor can’t have missed the fact that small succulents are having a “moment” when it comes to houseplants. These, however, are not the limit when it comes to a bit of outdoors, indoors.
A large houseplant can not only give your home a relaxing feel, but choose the right one and it will help to purify the air in your home. For obvious reasons, choose a plant that doesn’t need much sunlight to flourish. House it in a decorative pot and it can go anywhere, filling a space and performing a function at the same time.
XOXO
Debbie