Talking About Green

Living in the smallest space possible is ideal for reducing your carbon footprint on the world. You will use less fuel to regulate the temperature in a smaller apartment. You will also use less electricity because you won’t need as many lights. Moving to a smaller home can help you reduce the number of items that you keep in your house that just take up space. Simpler living is healthier for you and for the environment. Once you are in a smaller apartment, there are some things you can do to keep your home feeling as roomy as possible.

Bring the Outdoors In

Plants are great for keeping a small room feeling more open. Place hanging plants so that they are in the top portion of the windows. You need to keep the window open enough to allow plenty of light into the room. A medium sized hanging plant can help with the air exchange in a smaller room, which makes it easier to breathe. Many hanging plants, like ferns or ivy, don’t need much more than a little bit of light and regular watering to keep them healthy year round.

Carefully Placed Mirrors

Mirrors are magic in small spaces. Large mirrors can make a room look like it is twice as big as it really is. Even small mirrors that catch the light from windows or lamps will give a sense of depth. You don’t need to spend a great deal of money on a new mirror. Recycling is a keystone of living a green life. Search Craigslist or local resale shops for mirrors that people are selling or giving away. Garage sales, estate sales, Goodwill stores and Salvation Army stores are also good resources for used mirrors. Be sure to measure your rooms before you start your mirror search.

Double Duty Furniture

Try to find furniture that can do more than one task. The best way to make a small room feel larger is to reduce the amount of visible clutter. Find tables that can double as storage bins. Use chairs that have pockets for magazines or remote controls. The more you can stash away in little drawers or pockets, the less you will have sitting on tabletops. Cluttered rooms can become claustrophobic quickly. Make sure that your furniture choices will allow you to reduce the clutter and keep surfaces clean and open.

Arrange Your Rooms Carefully

The way you arrange your furniture can have a large impact on how big your rooms feel. Always remember to use vertical space efficiently. Hang all of your paintings or photographs rather than resting them on tabletops. Try to leave some empty space on walls or shelves so that the eye has a place to rest as it scans the room. Lighter colors help reflect sunlight and make a room feel more open. Limit your textures and colors to just a few shades or fabrics so that you don’t overwhelm your senses with too much activity that can make the room feel chaotic.

Jessica Bosari writes for the apartment site, Affordable Housing for Rent, a site that seeks to help connect apartment seekers with cheap housing that fits their budgets.