Creating a flexible home interior is paramount for families of any size, with each family member, no matter their age, having different uses for your rooms. This is even more important if you are living within a small house, where you might not be able to use each room solely for a single purpose. Then, to keep up with the modern trend of creating multi-purpose home interiors, here are some top tips to influence your home décor and design.
1. Invest in a Sofa Bed
One of the top combinations for a multi-purpose home design is that of a living room/bedroom, especially if your family has recently grown or if you do not have enough rooms to cater to the number of people living within your home. Then, to create a room that has a different use during the day than at night, you should consider investing in a modern sofa bed. Sofa beds can be easily folded away during daylight hours to provide more space and to allow the room in question to double up as a bright and welcoming living area for your family, or even a home office.
You should also consider other convertible furniture options, such as foldable beds, which can be tucked into the wall during the day, desks that can be tucked away into tables, and dining tables that can be folded down to create sideboards. You might also want to invest in furniture that is multi-functional, such as kitchen islands, which have the triple purpose of seating area, food preparation, and storage.
2. Create Space
The one element that a multi-purpose interior needs, though, is space. Spacious rooms lend themselves to flexibility due to the fact that many different activities can take place within a single space. To create space within your home, you should only invest in minimal furniture options, make sure that walkways and corridors are free, and ensure that you leave spare areas around your home that are not filled, and which can be used as and when you need them.
You can also create more space by building an open-plan layout and removing any walls that can act as barriers. This can enlarge your rooms and ensure that they are useful for several purposes. For instance, many people use open-plan extensions for both living, cooking, and dining. If you want to spruce up this layout, you should consider introducing layers, which can produce separate areas within which different activities can take place.
3. Make Use of Your Garden
When most people consider creating a flexible home design, they do not include their garden in their plans. However, creating an outdoor living space within your garden can be beneficial as it can give your family more room to breathe and allow you to have an additional space to enjoy. This can ensure that your home feels less cramped. To make use of your space outside, you should install a range of garden furniture, such as chairs and tables which you can use for entertaining and dining, as well as paths and patios to help you to get around your garden easily. You should also consider building canopies and summer houses that can allow you to use this space no matter what the weather is. If you need an overflow area away from the house, you might also consider building a shed or outhouse that can be used for hobbies or even as a home gym. Many people then use these outdoor living spaces as both dining and relaxation areas, as well as garden offices.
4. Invest in Smart Storage Options
However, it can be near impossible to create a multi-purpose space if you are constantly stumbling over clutter, as this can prevent you from quickly swapping your furniture around and can make your rooms feel cramped. Then, you should try to invest in smart storage options where you can hide all of your unnecessary possessions, or furniture that has a different purpose to the one that you are currently using the room for, out of sight until you need them. Some of the smartest storage options on the market include ceiling and wall hanging options, as well as cabinets and under the bed containers that can give your home a sleek, minimalist look.
5. Create Zones
If you are concerned about having to remove and swap your furniture around whenever you want to repurpose your living space, you should consider creating zones in your rooms that demarcate areas for different activities. For instance, you might have a seating or work area for the adults and a play zone for the kids. One of the easiest ways that you can do this is by using rugs to split your floor and mark the boundaries of different areas, while sofas and chairs can also create zones according to the direction that they are facing. You should also make sure that you use all of the corners within your house to make sure that every section of your rooms is being used to your advantage.
6. Consider Lighting
Although you might think that lighting blends into the background of your room and makes no difference to its purpose, this is not the case. Your lighting can instantly transform the atmosphere of your interior, taking it from cozy meditation space to party central within seconds. Then, you should consider investing in mood lighting, such as lamps, and light dimmers that can be easily changed to suit the ambiance that you are looking for.
7. Use Neutral Colors
It can be difficult to create a flexible space, though, if your walls are incredibly distinctive and bright. For instance, it could be hard to work in an office space that is decorated with a bright jungle-themed wallpaper that would be better suited to a kid’s room. Then, you should paint your interior in neutral colors, such as off-whites, creams and beiges, as this can help you to have a clean slate to work with.