In a small living space utilization of walls all the way to the ceiling can provide valuable storage space but you also don't want to place so many shelves and cupboards and collections that the items will close in and oppress the already small space.
Keep The Floor Clear
It may seem like a small thing but visible floor space will contribute to the illusion of space in a room. Wall mounting vanities in small bathrooms or hanging base cabinets in a kitchen even only inches off the floor will stop your eye from being interrupted and the square footage of the room will appear larger.
Maintaining a consistent floor material will also create the illusion of a larger space so you will want to avoid transitions from tile to laminate or carpet to hardwood if it can be avoided. Area rugs should also avoided or very carefully considered before placing.
Floor To Ceiling and Wall To Wall
If you need to create substantial storage areas in a room pick a wall and utilize it in it's entirety.
Run bookshelves side by side from wall to wall rather than leaving gaps between them. As stated in the above point, placing bookshelves or cabinets directly on the floor will reduce the visible flooring and while leaving a few inches between each piece allows more floorspace to show, it creates a jagged footprint that interrupts the lines of the room. Making a single unit of storage along one wall creates a new border for the room and provides more usable storage, lessening the need to use floor space on other walls.
Similarly, run storage units all the way up to the ceiling. Solid cupboards can be imposing by their mass and by not leaving empty space above it you again create a new line in the room for where the ceiling begins and the mass is less oppressive.
Hidden Storage
Hidden storage, that is storage that has an opaque to solid front allowing you to hide the contents within, is generally the most useful as you do not need to be particular about the appearance of the contents.
You will want to be cautions about using solid fronted storage above shoulder level as it can look unbalanced or top heavy.
Look to nature, where the earth is heavy and dark in colour and lowest down. At mid height you have mid-tone colours and foliage that filters light and above you have the most light and the lightest colour shades. These are simple guidelines to follow in your home as well to ensure colours and furniture look balanced.
Use glass fronts and lighter shades for storage above shoulder level and dark tones and solid cabinets below.
Open Shelving
Open shelving is most useful above counter or shoulder height. It doesn't close in space and is useful display for glasses or collections. For display purposes you will want the shelves about eye level and if you have pets or children placing them higher keeps the contents out of reach.
Using glass shelves, placing a mirror behind the contents or lighting the shelf from above or below can also help make the contents shine and create an illusion of greater space and light.
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