Cities impose smaller spaces for apartments, which causes greater concern in ordering and storing items in an appropriate manner, taking into account the aesthetic aspect.
There are a large number of furniture manufacturers that have furnishings and safes that take into account the narrow space, and some of them have become designing multiple uses to gain the largest possible space, so that the apartment does not turn into a crowded or messy warehouse.
In some apartments, the corners have turned into storage areas, and sometimes a person feels that many secret places are filling the place, because the wall may be a closet or a bed and a large table may come out of it, due to many techniques that engineers and designers used to take advantage of to make more space in the house.
The Lebanese interior engineer, Pascal Harb, tells Al Jazeera Net that the most important thing is not to buy items that we do not need or perhaps we will need one day, and this does not mean that we only buy the basics, but that we do not unleash purchases that soon become a burden on us.
Our furniture meets our needs
Pascal considers it preferable that the size and division of the house be appropriate for its residents as well as its furniture, so we do not fill it with furniture that we do not need, as it should be according to its necessity on the one hand, and its practical use on the other hand.
She gives an example of this, as it is not necessary to have an office at home if we do not usually work from it or there are no students who need it in school, as it takes up space that may be used with something more useful.
She adds that it is important for the furniture to be thoughtful so that it does not narrow places. If the sitting room is small, it is preferable not to use the center table, and to place two chairs without a back that can be used as small tables, and they can be considered as two spare seats to sit on them as well.
Creative ideas
Instead of placing the room's decorated accessory on the floor, it is suspended from the ceiling or on walls such as shelves and panels.
One of Pascal's ideas is that if the population of the house is a little, the dining room can be replaced by a "hanging" table on the wall, it can be folded and become attached to the wall, and opens when needed, and for more pleasant decoration, the visible face of it can be a beautiful painting that fits the place .
Expand the kitchen
Pascal adds that the area of the kitchens is often small and hot, and the cabinets are above and hung on most walls, and here a wall-shaped cabinet can be designed and is along the wall and its width, giving the impression of widening and reducing the look of the cabinets.
She adds that if the items or tools are versatile they save more space.
More space for children
As for the children's room, placing the bed against the wall makes us gain more space for study and play, and then this room will be like a full house for children, and the room space can be divided vertically. The mother also worked in the same boys' room with her child under her gaze.
Colors, plants and drawers
Pascal notes that colors play an important role in feeling comfortable in the place, as are the plants, and they can get stuck if they have no place on the floor.
To gain a larger place, Pascal believes that raising the floor between one room and another can achieve space for storing what the family needs, either in the form of drawers (or drawers) or holes that raise and place the objects in a box under them.
Library under the stairs
As for the internal stairs of the house, the space under it can be used in many ways, according to Pascal, and these drawers can also be made boxes for keeping things, and the space under it can also be made a library or cupboard to hang coats and hats.
And in the case of columns, they can be converted into open or closed cabinets according to the design.
Seasonal safes
Pascal also recommends the use of a soft opening mechanism for cabinets in general, and considers that if the cabinet is along the wall and its width we can place a sofa in front of it so that the seasonal items are behind it, and we do not need to move it always, such as the carpet and its cleaning machine, and winter or summer clothes depending on the season.
The table can also be foldable and foldable, and it is placed inside a box in the wall so that all its items are placed in the box itself, and it is a beautiful decorative element at the same time.
It is also possible to apply the same method to the work table, so it folds either inside a box or next to the wall, so it does not take a place and opens when needed, and work tools can be placed from a computer, papers and others inside it.
Partition without cutters
Pascal notes the importance of taking into account the number of family members, the quality of their work, and their way of life in order to determine many elements of appropriate decoration, and to make use of the space according to the need of each family.
Rather than dividing the partitions that take place, you prefer to use lighting, colors, tiles, or the ceiling, which gives the impression of dividing the place without losing any space. For example, instead of the partitions that separate the salon and dining room, lighting plays this role.
Suitable distances for movement
In all of the above, we must consider keeping the appropriate distances for traffic and movement in order not to get stuck, and she says that no matter how beautiful the place becomes uncomfortable and forget its aesthetic if there is something that impedes movement.