A bumper post for you today as there have been so many bank holidays recently I thought I owed you a big read.
Now that many of us live in smaller homes while house prices are still, generally speaking, going up, space has become a luxury that many can’t afford. Today I thought I would share an (edited) extract from my new book, a third of which is dedicated to The Small Home. Although it’s also worth pointing out that even large houses can have small rooms. And that if you don’t live in a small home now you might in the future.
The rooms are divided by shelves or, at a lower level, the back of a sofa. An upholstered headboard might carry on to become the back of a banquette that faces a small dining or work table. In your own home you can use large plants as a screen. Controversially the televisions are left in the seating area rather than the sleeping part. And in the newest addition to the group which opens in Kensington in July, curtains have been used as dividers. A gentle reminder here to read the picture captions and also to note that these are hotel rooms not homes so you probably won’t want to take these ideas lock stock and barrel but rather interpret them for your own needs.
The Locke Group has taken a fixed approach to small space living while the television cook and author Rachel Khoo took a more flexible approach in her (since sold) small London flat. She created a moving wall that folded back to create one large room or small small bedrooms, the Murphy bed folds up against the wall and her side tables were mounted in motorcycle jacks so they could be raised to bar height or lowered to coffee.
You should be able to find a middle way – part fixed, part flexible – to your own small space but use them as jumping off points for ideas. And, if you are struggling to find those ideas then may I respectfully suggest that there’s a book for that – packed full of clever suggestions and tips for making the most of your own small spaces.