We know first hand how tricky it can be to find furniture that fits into small spaces, hence why we started Urbansize in the first place! We've picked up a few tips and tricks along the way that will help you choose the perfect furniture to maximise the space for actually living.

Scale it down

It seems obvious, but choose furniture with a smaller footprint. It is tempting to buy the largest furniture for the space to try to maximise storage or usage. But the negative impact oversized furniture has on a room is not compensated for by the small amount of extra storage. 

Choose furniture that is slightly smaller than the space you are filling, and the room will maintain a sense of light and airiness which is essential to the vibe you are trying to achieve. 

Try to find pieces that are shallower than standard so that it sits back more comfortably into an alcove.

Choose double function furniture

There is plenty of furniture that can serve two functions, helping you to minimise how many pieces you need to buy. For example, a storage ottoman footstool or even a lift top coffee table that can double up as a desk. 

We like to use one of our floating dressing tables as a work from home station at the moment, any excuse to get a bit of space to ourselves! 

Look for these design features

Certain design elements will really help create a feeling of light and space. We like furniture on legs, especially larger pieces like sofas or cupboards as it allows you to see more of the floor in the room, tricking the eye into thinking there is more space.

Elements like sliding doors will allow you to put other pieces of furniture in front of it because you don't need the clearance to open a cupboard door. 

Clean lines - the more visually complex a piece of furniture, the more it complicates the room and makes it seem smaller and more cramped. Save those personal flourishes for your accessories.

Floating/wall mounted shelves

Our favourite hack of all! If in doubt, wall mount it. There's nothing that frees up floor space more than wall mounting your furniture. There are so many options now from floating desks to clever shelving to floating bedsides which will help you expose more of that much needed floor space and create a cleaner airier look. 

Build in some elements

Built in bespoke furniture comes at a high price and isn't always within budget. But if you can, build some elements (like a banquette in a small kitchen/diner) and then use shop bought pieces to fill in the gaps, like a wall mounted shelf unit. Mix and match to suit your budget and needs.