Space. Where it all begins and where it all ends. And everywhere in between. Seriously, we need space! In our fast-paced, materialistic world, all we ever focus on is things and how to get them. I'm not judging, we're all in this together. The invisible things around those things go unnoticed in our lives, and usually, they can only make themselves heard when we are already unhappy. All those short breathers. The walks home. Moments for ourselves while in a relationship. The hollow of the cup holding your coffee. And yes, the absence of the mess in our surroundings.

Although it can be very annoying to live in constant chaos, sometimes you don't have so many options for change. Disorder has this quality we all hate that the bigger the need for order is, the louder chaos is screaming. Of course, it's also in our heads, and what's in there, we know from experience, that is really hard to change. It's easier and better to start the changes on the level of conventional physical laws: to find concrete solutions for our problems with the lack of space. So let's take a look at a few select ideas on how to improve our relationship with chaos!

 

A minimalist lifestyle

Small apartment living requires more organizing, but many young people choose this lifestyle because it's more affordable. Extras that come with it are that it can be a very sustainable solution, and it's also practical and cozy. Tiny houses and van life are trending now, and for a reason: they are affordable, easy to maintain, and give you freedom. But the downside of a minimalist lifestyle is that you have to give up on many of your possessions. If we look at the core of things, saving space starts with asking ourselves the question regularly: do I need this? And this sometimes goes for entire parts of a conventional home too.

 

Like a Kitchen

Yup. Do you even need one? If you do, but you could use the space taken up by a full-blown kitchen better, a very ingenious solution for having one is getting a foldable one. Many different designs are available, and they usually fold to fit in a cabinet. They roll on wheels, so you can easily move them around in the space. Some of them are fully equipped with a dishwasher and cupboards, having everything we're used to in a conventional kitchen.

 

Foldable ... everything!

While you can get a whole kitchen folded in a corner, there are many mind-blowing foldable pieces of furniture around too. From foldable beds to collapsable chairs you can unfold and hang on the wall as art, there are limitless solutions. One of my personal favorites is the under-the-bed closet, which replaces a wardrobe, and makes a perfect little hiding place for kids.

If you want a cool look for your apartment, you should check the sunken bed solutions out there. They add a feeling of spaciousness to the apartment in a stylish manner. The web is full of great ideas for saving space, but a few stand out because they can do it with style. There are many ideas out there that are very practical for saving space, but then your apartment ends up looking like a garage, with everything stored on your walls and hung from the ceiling. The sunken bed is just beautiful, there's no doubt about that.

 

Fake it ’till you make it

While there are lots of ingenious solutions for storage end efficient furniture designs, sometimes a small apartment only needs some illusions to make things work better. Appearance is everything, so if you can't create real space, you should definitely go for fake space. You heard it right: it's just as good as the real thing. Remember, a huge chunk of the space is created in your head, psychologically, and these ideas are the products of visual culture merged with scientific research.

 

White

You probably already noticed this, but the color white doesn't only create the impression of cleanness, it also grows things in size visually. White reflects the most light, and this could come in handy when it comes to walls. White makes shadows appear less dark, making the corners of your room appear lighter in color. This creates an expansion illusion, and your apartment suddenly feels more spacey. It also helps light get into areas, so white is the way to go unless you want to succumb deliberately to the darkness.

Dark colors make things seem heavy. This goes for furniture too. Also: using white furniture in front of your white walls makes objects less prominent, thus visually creating a sense of space.

 

Mirrors

Mirrors create the illusion of an opening in the wall. Depending on what they reflect, it can be like an extra window, an extra room, or in the case of a big mirror-it can double the size of a room. Placed on the opposing sides to windows, mirrors reflect the light coming in too, doubling the amount getting in your apartment.

 

Space goes upwards too

Have you noticed that any small room with a higher ceiling doesn't feel so chokingly small? Our receptors for space work upwards too. With this knowledge on our side, we can trick those eyes horizontally. Decorating a free piece of wall with things organized in a horizontal manner makes eyes go upwards, not just sideways, thus adding a few illusionary cubic meters to your experience. You can practically decorate with anything from photos, artwork, draperies, or any other composition. Don't forget: for the trick to work, the artwork, mirror or anything you place on the wall has to be arranged in a horizontal stand.

 

Creating space really is a game of the mind. While plenty of amazing designs are available for space-saving furniture items, it's worth taking a look at your needs before purchasing anything. A few illusions might help as well while keeping your creativity flowing and your mind flexible.