Small apartment interior design: 9 ways to make a small space feel larger

The way to make a small apartment feel larger is to manage perception, not square metres: reduce the dividers the eye catches on, take belongings into the walls, carry light deep into the space and give every piece of furniture more than one job. Below are the nine methods that work best in one- and two-bedroom apartments in Istanbul.

1. Write down how you live first

How many people live there, who works from home, how often do guests come? In a small home every square metre needs a job. Once the scenario is clear, it also becomes clear which area is fixed and which can transform.

2. Reduce visual dividers

Removing a non-load-bearing wall or replacing it with a glass divider lets daylight in. Do not start without knowing which wall is load-bearing; we explain this in our article on structure.

3. Build storage into the walls

Floor-to-ceiling cabinets with doors in the same colour as the wall read as "wall", not "furniture". Space above doors, along corridors and under stairs is space ready-made furniture can never use. That is why in a small home made-to-measure furniture is often not a luxury but a necessity.

4. Choose multi-purpose furniture

• A desk that doubles as a dining table
• A bed base with drawers or a lift-up base
• A sofa or wall bed that turns into a guest bed
• A window cabinet that doubles as a bench

5. Simplify the colour palette

Using close, light tones on walls, ceilings and large cabinet surfaces softens the boundaries. Colour and texture can come through cushions, artworks or a single accent wall. We explain colour choice in detail in our wall colour guide.

6. Keep the floor continuous

A different floor in every room breaks the home into small pieces. Continuing the same floor through the whole home where possible and reducing threshold strips lets the eye read the space as one.

7. Layer the light

A single ceiling lamp leaves corners in the dark and shrinks the room. Lighting the corners with concealed lighting, wall lights and in-cabinet LEDs pushes the walls back. Details in our lighting guide.

8. Use mirrors as an architectural tool

A large mirror opposite or beside a window multiplies daylight and the view. In our CB House project in Göktürk, we used mirrors not as decoration but as an architectural tool that carries light deep into the space.

9. Choose fewer, larger pieces

Many small pieces of furniture and accessories create a cluttered look. A few good pieces at the right scale make a small home look calmer and larger.

“In a small home everything needs a place; anything without one eats square metres.”

Conclusion

Small apartments are the homes that change most with a good plan. When you consider how you live, storage and light together, the square metres stay the same but the home grows. To see the layout in 3D images before the build, see our interior design service.

Frequently asked questions