You might have already had a granny flat for some time now. You have intended it to be your personal office or your teenaged son’s mini-house. But due to some reason, it has become a storage area. There is a great chance that you have actually found it to design due to its size and limited room. No one can blame you, and you are not alone in this aspect. Many homeowners have actually neglected to design their granny flats, believing that its small size makes the prospect so difficult. But that should not be the case. This should be the situation where you could challenge your creative wits.
Though it may be small, your granny flat has actually big design opportunities. You just have to exhaust your imagination and find inspiration. If its small size is what keeps you from making it truly beautiful, now is the time to stay away from that belief. Here are some of the pointers that you can look into if you want to design your own granny flat in Melbourne.
Less is more
You may be used to big spaces where you can actually bring in a lot of furniture pieces and items that you think you can use. But with granny flats, you ought to not subscribe to that belief. Less will always be more when you have limited space. So, if you are thinking of actually bringing in a sectional when you already have a mini-sofa set, you should reconsider things. You do not want to drown yourself with furniture pieces.
Scale your furniture
When you are putting in furniture pieces, you should consider the size of the room. Do not try to fit a large sofa or a king-size bed inside a 24-square meter space. Otherwise, you will run out of space. Instead, stay faithful to the scale. A condo-size flat will always require smaller furniture pieces. To maximise the space, you can always go for modular pieces or furniture items that have more than one function. For one, your sofa can double as a bed, which you can use at night.
Invest in lighting
You are not supposed to leave your flat dingy. It has to be well lit so that it will look bigger than it actually is. You can go for sliding windows instead of solid doors so that natural light can come into the space at daytime. You may even choose to have a skylight. To maximise the light, you can place mirrors to reflect the luminance.
Stick to neutral palettes
The goal is to make the space spacious, so going for dark colours is actually counterintuitive. Instead, go for neutral ones, such as white, beige, and some pastels. They can easily reflect light, which in turn will make your space much brighter.
Designing a granny flat may be difficult at first, knowing its limited size only allows a few items. This is the time where you should be minimalist. You should prioritise function over form. After all, function is what makes a home beautiful. If you find it still challenging, do not hesitate to seek the services of an interior designer.