22 Small House Interior Design Ideas to Improve Your Home

Ian Mutuli
Updated on
Ian Mutuli

Ian Mutuli

Founder and Managing Editor of Archute. He is also a graduate architect from The University of Nairobi, Kenya.
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If you live in a small home, you probably might find fitting everything in the small space challenging. As much as you can fit everything inside, the bigger challenge is making your house beautiful. Finding better ways to optimize the small spaces is a growing interest for designers, you can also look to add the perfect side table

Some people recommend downsizing the interior design, which means focusing on what's essential provides simplicity, efficiency, and a calmer existence for small homes. Whatever the living situation or the interior design, there are plenty of tips and products to make a small room feel bigger.

It is crucial to come up with small house interior design ideas as a solution to challenges in your specific home. If you're hoping to get the most out of your small home interior design, keep reading to find out some of the best small home interior design ideas that will make your home feel more accommodating.

1. Mirrors

Mirrors in a small house

This is one of the oldest tricks for small spaces. Mirrors are known to make small spaces feel larger and airier. Add decorative mirrors on the walls, either large ones or several small ones. Moreover, adding a convex one adds a personality to the room without taking up much of too much space.

2. Lighting

Lighting in a small house

Image credits: Festoon Lighting

This is another excellent feature that can make or break any house, either big or small. For this reason, it is essential to install good lighting, especially for cramped and small spaces, for example, the bathroom or rooms with a small window. This brightens up the rooms, making them feel larger.

3. Fold Out Furniture

Fold Out Furniture table

Extendable or foldable tables offer flexibility for a small house. For example, the above classic drop leaf design by Ercol is great for a quick and easy transformation when you need to use the space for other things, for example, entertainment. It’s a signature vintage style that dates back to the 1950s, so it is easier to find such pieces on the second-hand market.

4. Hanging Plants

Hanging Plants

If you're looking to make your house beautiful, adding plants to your small space can be a great way to do so. Hanging plants from the ceiling or walls means that you can add some greenery to your home without having the need to take up any floor space. The above picture demonstrates the home of Brisbane-based photographer and ceramicist Nicolette Johnson, that was featured on Design Sponge.

5. Food Container Lid Organizer

Food Container Lid Organizer

Wondering how to organize your lids? With the current trend of open shelving in small homes, you may need a different place to store your unsightly kitchen objects. A lid organizer is one of the ways to keep the kitchen objects in a cabinet and out of the spotlight. This is an excellent way to make your home organized and will also make your life easier. 

6. Expandable Rack For a Small Space

Expandable rack

Are you looking to maximize the small space in your laundry room? An expandable rack is a great way to maximize the wall space. To save space in your small house, you can put a front-loading washer and dryer under the counter, store your essentials on the expandable rack, then use your countertop as a workspace.

7. Utilize the Area Under the Stairway

Under the Stairway drawers

The most underutilized part of the house is the area under the staircase. This area is also one of the parts of the house that has tons of potential. The above picture shows drawers incorporated under the staircase by Chicago architect Tom Stringer to maximize the space.

8. Wall Mounted Drying Rack

Wall Mounted Drying Rack

Space-saving drying racks are another excellent idea. It is a perfect item for your bathroom space since it can quickly expand or collapse when needed. It can also be used in other rooms, for example, the laundry room to dry wet clothes or the kitchen to hand the kitchen towels.

9. Floor-Length Sheer Curtains

Floor-Length Sheer Curtains

Small houses need a lot of light to give an illusion of space. Having regular curtains would bring in much light, that why you need sheer curtains. The sheer curtains are easier to attach to your windows, and since they are longer, they can easily reach the floor. They are also translucent in nature to provide to bring in light and the illusion that they're taking less space.

10. Wall Mount Folding Desk

Wall Mount Folding Laptop Desk

How beautiful is this Wall Mount Folding Desk? It features a corkboard that can be folded down to create a desk. The designer of this folding desk also added four storage compartments and an angled paper organizer to create more storage space for a small house.

11. Mount Your TV

Mount Your TV

Mounting your TV is one of the best ways to save surface space. This media console is one of the biggest space wasters in a small living room, mainly because the TV stand can take up a lot of space. You can mount your TV on the wall or above a fireplace to regain the floor space.

12. Wire Basket Storage Cart

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Wire Basket Storage Cart

A rolling wire basket cart could be a helpful storage space for small rooms like the bathroom, kitchen, or even the bedroom. It is an easy way to make a makeshift pantry, and you can roll it out of sight when not using it. With this cart architecture idea, you won't have to worry about your items looking untidy all the time.

13. Utilize Vertical Interior Design Spaces

Utilize Vertical Interior Design Spaces

There are spaces on top of the furniture or just below the ceiling that are underutilized in interior design. You can either hang some artwork or come up with ideas for high mounted elements, for example, cabinets. When you take the bookshelves or the cabinets up, this not only creates more space in your small home but also makes the homes feel higher and more prominent.

14. Choose the Right Carpet

A carpet in a small house

A rug or a carpet is the one item you don’t want to ignore, especially when it comes to sizing. One of the best decorating ideas for a small living room space is having a large because a tiny rug tends to make the room feel equally small. You need to pick a carpet that is large enough to sit under the furniture or even a wall-to-wall carpet.

15. Reflective Surfaces

Reflective Surfaces

Apart from adding mirrors to the interior design to make the room feel bigger, you can also have reflective surfaces. Small yet striking, this Jean-Louis Deniot–designed Miami kitchen features custom stainless-steel cabinetry that has been laser-printed with an abstract pattern, reflecting the natural light while creating a sense of movement.

16. Sliding Doors and Windows

Sliding Doors and Windows

A number of architects have conceptualized the use of sliding windows and doors to create space in small homes. Since the doors or window panes don't have to fling outwards or inwards, it can help save space for some furniture.

17. Use a Day Bed

Day Bed

If you don't have a designated guest bed, you can use a daybed in your small living room, which can double as a guest room where you can add room dividers. You can also add a day bed to your bedroom and watch it double in size.

18. Take Advantage of Architectural Quirks

Take advantage of architectural quirks

Do you have that radiator by your window? You could invest in a radiator cover and cushions so you can use it as a place to chill and relax. This way, you'll also be able to forgo that bulky couch that can take up half your small space. Like Jae Joo did in the picture above, you can also pile the pillows and add pendant light to make the house beautiful.

19. Strategic Seats

Strategic seats

While for a small house, club sofas are recommended, you can also have additional seats that are foldable and compact. This way, you can store these seats away when the guests have gone. The stool shown in the picture above, designed by Hecker Guthrie, is perfect for a small house.

20. Mobile Snack Table

Mobile Snack Table

You can always forgo the dining table as well as a study table and use this portable snack table instead. This is especially true if you live alone and built-in seating isn't a possibility for your small home. Ensure the bottom rack fit the design beneath your sofa so that you can enjoy meals or do your work right from the sofa.

21. Customize Storage Space

Customize Storage Space

To utilize every space in your house, you could install bespoke built-ins, storage nooks, and furniture that fits your exact needs. There are corners in your homes that you don't have much valuable square footage. You can add a bench and more storage under a bench.

22. Stackable Kitchen Cabinet Organizer

Stackable Kitchen Cabinet Organizer

One of the best ways to create more storage spaces is to use an expandable or stackable organizer, especially when installing a new shelf feels like it's too much work. These organizers double your storage space without the need of making any permanent renovations.

Ian Mutuli

About the author

Ian Mutuli

Founder and Managing Editor of Archute. He is also a graduate architect from The University of Nairobi, Kenya.
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