Small homes: Making the most of limited space

Maria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Coming up with the interior design for small houses can be a challenge: It's inevitable that house owners have a smaller canvas to work on.

But if you already have a particular design concept, you can realize your dream house that fully reflects your personal taste.

An associate with design consultant firm Grahacipta Hadiprana, Sammy Hendramianto, said small houses were ones occupying about 100 square meters on an average 120 square meter plot. The house's interior is usually left undivided with two entry points of the front and back doors.

Many owners of small houses are young couples with one or two children or young working people who do not have much time to spend taking care of a large property.

To create an optimum spacious effect, owners may need to enlarge the windows, which would also make the house more welcoming for them and their visitors.

"Wide windows would not obstruct the view and would expose the view of the garden. This is pleasing to view," he said.

He said the basic rule in designing the interior of a small house is to keep it simple, meaning that details and the amount of the interior elements, like furniture, carpets, partitions and decorations, should concentrate on light designs with a focus on functionality.

"People can still 'play' with interior elements but they have to keep in mind that there is a space limitation and the priority should be given to the functionality of these interior elements," he said.

With the space limitations, Sammy added, people should not force themselves to have a room for every function, such as a guest room, a living room, a dining room and pantry.

"Therefore the interior elements should be kept as flexible as possible, enabling the owners to expand the function of a certain room or part of the house," he said.

This purpose may require owners' creativity in mixing and matching different designs for the interior of a room, like buying a three-seated sofa for the guest room and matching it with two single armchairs of different design, for example.

"Mixing different designs for the furniture is meant to create space by optimizing the room's capacity," he said.

Although mix and match can be tricky, a successful combination can help avoid creating a stuffy impression, which often results from sticking to the belief that you have to have a complete furniture set.

"Besides, the use of armchairs are recommended as they can be easily moved from the guest room to the living room or vice versa when house owners expect guests," he explained.

When the pantry and dining room areas are limited, it is advisable to provide a console to help differentiate both areas.

"Food can also be served on this console table for a quick breakfast. And if the dining table cannot accommodate guests, they can enjoy the meal on that table," he said.

And although the internal part of small houses are usually left undivided, a rigid partition is not a necessary because each room can be differentiated by the placement of furniture and other elements.

If you want to use a partition, it is advisable to choose wooden-framed glass or other simple and light partitions.

Another item that can create a spacious effect is mirrors, especially large ones, which can be hung as a wall decoration.

For color, it is better to choose light-toned colors for the interior, but dark ones, when appropriately used, can create an accent in order to avoid dullness.

"The wall can be painted with neutral tones but the colors of various interior elements, like the furniture, drapes and curtains can radiate the room's main nuances," he said.

Indoor plants can be added to give an artistic and a relaxing effect in the interior. "I personally think that indoor plants are among the must-have interior elements," he said.

Among suitable indoor plants are srigading, ferns, medium- sized palm trees or other potted flowering plants.

Carpets are not necessary, but Sammy said house owners could use a thin Persian rug, which are easy to clean and store.

"A family with children may need no carpets or those who have carpets may need to clean them more often to remove the dust," he said.

For an effective lighting arrangement, owners must determine how many spots in one room need illumination. Instead of using few high-watt, glaring lamps, it is better to install several softer lights in different strategic areas.

"One lamp can be put on a small table by a chair for reading, one in a corner of the room, one to illuminate artwork, like a painting, for example," Sammy said.

"Such a lighting arrangement is easy on the eyes and at the same time provides a more artistic effect as it will highlight things that are worthy of being exposed."