Picture Perfect: 25 Ideas for Narrow Spaces in Your Home
Our coffee-break escape offers you five minutes' worth of images to inspire and delight. Jump right in...
Vanessa Walker
1 April 2019
Houzz Australia & New Zealand Editor-in-Chief
Perhaps you live in a Victorian terrace, or a Federation semi, or a house squeezed onto a sliver of land. Or you may simply have one area of your home that is deep rather than wide. Fear not, here are 25 ways that these challenging dimensions have been optimised around the world. Whether it’s been achieved with optical illusion, clever storage, or light-bringing materials, these ideas are worth contemplating for your ‘slice’ of paradise.
And remember, you can get more details of a project and see more of a professional’s work by clicking on a photo.
And remember, you can get more details of a project and see more of a professional’s work by clicking on a photo.
1. A glass balustrade keeps people safe without blocking off the staircase. Sydney, NSW
Designer: Trio Style Co
Designer: Trio Style Co
2. You can always squeeze in more storage. London, UK
Designer: RiseDandD
Designer: RiseDandD
3. A narrow mesh staircase is a light touch… Melbourne, Victoria
Designer: Taylor Knights
Designer: Taylor Knights
…And the mesh allows light and pattern to filter through to the rest of the home.
4. The width of a shower cubicle is wide enough for a functional bathroom… Sydney, NSW
Designer: Anderson Architecture
Designer: Anderson Architecture
…Here’s a wider view of the home in its entirety.
5. Clever spatial arrangements often means aligning facilities on one axis. Hampshire, UK
Designer: Forest Architecture
Designer: Forest Architecture
6. Let no space go unused. Oxfordshire, UK
Designer: StuartBarr Construction Design Renovation
Designer: StuartBarr Construction Design Renovation
7. Open up as many sides to nature as humanly (and structurally) possible. Sydney, NSW
Designer: Fearns Studio
Designer: Fearns Studio
8. Where possible, borrow nature to blur the boundaries. Sydney, NSW
9. Don’t forget to flood narrow spaces with light – right up to the ceiling. Kent, UK
Designer: Leask Architecture
Designer: Leask Architecture
10. Work right to the edges. Vancouver, Canada
Designer: Beyond Beige Interior Design
Designer: Beyond Beige Interior Design
11. Double check whether every conceivable space has has been utilised. Sydney, NSW
Designer: Luigi Rosselli Architects
Designer: Luigi Rosselli Architects
12. Views outside make every space better. Oxfordshire, UK
Designer: Mailen Design SW
Designer: Mailen Design SW
13. Functionality first, but don’t forget to play up the space with luxurious touches. Moscow, Russia
14. Built-ins are worth their weight in gold in confined spaces. Sydney, NSW
Designer: Trentini Design
Designer: Trentini Design
15. Choose a feature that detracts from the limited space or difficult shape of a room. London, UK
Designer: MWAI Architecture and Interiors
Designer: MWAI Architecture and Interiors
16. Stack ’em up. Madrid, Spain
Designer: Elena Almagro
See the rest of this narrow home that’s only 2.1 metres wide
Designer: Elena Almagro
See the rest of this narrow home that’s only 2.1 metres wide
17. Don’t leave narrow spaces unloved. Create a sense of invitation, of intention, and the people will come. Sydney, NSW
Designer: David Rowland Studio
Designer: David Rowland Studio
18. Avoid furniture that adds a blocky element to the area. This airy sofa sits lightly in the room, making it appear more spacious than it is. Dublin, Ireland
Designer: Lost Weekend Interiors
Designer: Lost Weekend Interiors
19. Benches are far more efficient seats than chairs when space is tight. London, UK
Designer: Alma-nac
Designer: Alma-nac
20. Always look up when maximising a narrow space. Can you fit in overhead storage? Toronto, Canada
Designer: Palmerston Design Consultants
Designer: Palmerston Design Consultants
21. Curves or organic forms help soften a small space. Melbourne, Victoria
Designer: Tandem Design Studio
Designer: Tandem Design Studio
22. Transparent furniture does a disappearing act and helps spaces feel larger. Gold Coast, Queensland
Designer: Happy Haus
Designer: Happy Haus
23. Clerestory windows work wonders when floor space is limited. Melbourne, Victoria
Designer: Excelsior Master Builder
Designer: Excelsior Master Builder
24. Built-in furniture that serves multiple uses will be your best friend… Sydney, NSW
Designer: Bondi Kitchens
Designer: Bondi Kitchens
…Here’s another view of this narrow space.
See the rest of this narrow yet beautifully crafted eat-in kitchen
See the rest of this narrow yet beautifully crafted eat-in kitchen
25. Go all white so you don’t feel boxed in. Cherkassy, Ukraine
Designer: Sergey Harenko
Tell us
Do you have a narrow space in your home? Tell us if any of these ideas could work for you – or whether we’ve missed something. And remember to like this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
Craving more design inspiration? Don’t miss last week’s Picture Perfect: 38 Cosy Living Rooms
Designer: Sergey Harenko
Tell us
Do you have a narrow space in your home? Tell us if any of these ideas could work for you – or whether we’ve missed something. And remember to like this story, save your favourite images and join the conversation.
More
Craving more design inspiration? Don’t miss last week’s Picture Perfect: 38 Cosy Living Rooms
Related Stories
Popular Houzz Series
16 of the Most Stylish Solutions for Drying Laundry
Our coffee-break escape offers you five minutes' worth of images to inspire and delight. Jump right in...
Full Story
Popular Houzz Series
17 Small Bathrooms That Manage to Squeeze in a Bath
Our coffee-break escape offers you five minutes' worth of images to inspire and delight. Jump right in...
Full Story
Popular Houzz Series
22 Spaces for Spiritual Practice, From Pooja to Meditation Rooms
Our coffee-break escape offers you five minutes' worth of images to inspire and delight. Jump right in...
Full Story
Building Components
21 Beautiful Ways With Bricks, Indoors and Out
Our coffee-break escape offers you five minutes' worth of images to inspire and delight. Jump right in...
Full Story
Laundry Renovations
28 Large and Lovely Family Laundries
Our coffee-break escape offers you five minutes' worth of images to inspire and delight. Jump right in...
Full Story
Popular Houzz Series
25 Stylish Ways to Number Your Home
Our coffee-break escape offers you five minutes' worth of images to inspire and delight. Jump right in...
Full Story
Kitchens
22 Galley Kitchens From Europe to Inspire Your Renovation
By Kate Burt
Our coffee-break escape offers you five minutes' worth of images to inspire and delight. Jump right in...
Full Story
Decorating
22 Curtains That Dare to Be Different
Our coffee-break escape offers you five minutes' worth of images to inspire and delight. Jump right in...
Full Story
Pets
26 Tricked-Out Pet-Washing Stations for Pampered Pooches
Take a peek at these dog baths, tubs and showers in USA homes designed with furry friends in mind
Full Story
Kids Rooms
18 Kids’ Bedrooms With Cool Built-In Storage
Our coffee-break escape offers you five minutes' worth of images to inspire and delight. Jump right in...
Full Story
Some beautiful examples,thank you.
One thing I would like to see is how to maximise a narrow space outside. We are in a long modern house, built end on to the street.There is only 2 metres wide gap to the back fence and it is shady. Its approximately 20-25 metres long.The path is laid straight and needs to be accessed by the laundry and lawnmower. We have espaliered camellias and a fig (but it is too wide at the peak of the season) blocking access.I trialed hydrangeas but they blocked access eventually. Ligularia reneformis does well but also gets too big.
I do not like the fact that if you stand on the street you see straight down to the washing line utility area. ( it is screened ) If the path had a dogleg in it half way down, then it would block the sight line and create interest. Also it would allow a deep planting on one side or other.Instead, we have two narrow gardens on either side.Three of the bedrooms look out onto this area.
It is such a common issue in newish subdivisions but requires some attention.All the focus is on the north facing garden, leaving this side feeling like an 'add on' utility area.
A good topic for some research!
Great collection of designs of utilising limited space. Creativity is born from the these limitations and provides the opportunities for the building designer or architect to rise to the occasion. : )