Designing condos and small spaces

MANILA, Philippines - Buying a condo unit in the city, especially in a busy, commercial area like the Makati CBD, is a great investment – one that doesn’t come cheap. When you buy a unit, you’re paying to own the room. You’re paying for the location, proximity to your needs, amenities and service. Although it’s not always easy to live in such small space, it’s a sacrifice a lot of people are more than willing to make.

Gone are the days of having condo units that are wide and spacious – unless of course you pay more millions to have more space.  Normally, condo units being sold in the market are too small, you could barely move inside your own home.

How do you really solve problematic condos? Here are some simple solutions that could help in making your stay in your condos worthwhile.

Plan well your space. Make sure that the traffic flow is easy through the furniture layout. Make sure that the pieces are all proportion with each other.

Maximize your space. Have as much storage space as you can by having built-in cabinets that are from floor to ceiling; putting drawers under the beds; choose furniture pieces that have storage spaces as well – like, for the end tables and coffee tables.

If your problem with your condo unit is the low ceiling, just paint the ceiling the same color as the walls to give you an illusion of a higher wall.

If your living room area cannot accommodate a standard size sofa set – don’t push it. Do not hesitate to have your sofa set custom built to suit the size that you need.

Install mirrored walls. If you don’t like mirrored walls, put over sized framed mirrors on the walls or put floor mirrors parallel to a wall where there’s a dining set or a living room set. This will automatically give you bigger space – but of course that would be just for illusion. Mirrors would give you the feeling of vastness – of course, it will just reflect the ambiance you have created.

If your condo unit has an open layout, wherein upon entering can see the kitchen dining and the living area, it’s better to install hardwood flooring all throughout the space up to your kitchen. This will give you a very warm, elegant and a unified “look”, just make sure to clean the kitchen floor after using for maintenance.

Dress up your windows. Even a small space needs dressing up, so it may not look like the poor cousins of your neighbors. You can use side drapes, roman shades, wooden blinds – I don’t use vertical blinds for residential condos because personally I think vertical blinds are better if used for the offices.

Accessorize! Do not be afraid to use over sized accessories when decorating your small condo. Using over sized or normal sized accessories would give you the illusion that all the furniture pieces you have used are of standard sizes.

Don’t be afraid of color. For condo units with limited space, color may be the saving grace of your unit when designing. Just choose your favorite color, and then add the complementary colors of your choice of color in about 50% 25% 25% ratio. When you have achieved the balance of colors of your preference you can adjust the additional colors with your accessories like throw pillows, vases, books, curtains. et al.,

Designing your condo may be a tough undertaking, but you will surely get your fulfillment when it’s completed. So, good luck in building your dream condo!