Hong Kong is well known for its limited space, with one of the most densely populated areas on Earth right in Mong Kok, which boasts a mind-boggling average of 130,000 people per square kilometre!  It means that the people of Hong Kong have to know exactly how to make the most of small spaces—here are some tricks!

A strategically placed mirror allows light to bounce all around the room and creates the illusion of a larger room.  It can easily double the visual width of the room, especially if the area it reflects is clear and uncluttered.

It’s hard to keep a small space clutter-free, but the key is to be smart about storage. 

While a low bed (pallet beds have been so popular) might allow more vertical negative space, it does not afford much (if any at all) under-the-bed storage.  Higher beds can be fitted with drawers underneath for frequent use, or storage bins for seasonal items.  For easy access to larger items, an ottoman bed saves you the trouble of constantly lifting the mattress out of the way, or crawling to dig around underneath the bed.  The same goes for sofas and other opportunities for hidden storage—make the most of multi-functional pieces wherever you can!

Use open storage to your advantage.  Take the IKEA classic, Kallax, for example.  It can be customised with doors to hide any eye-sores, or drawers again for further organisation.  Using these on the bottom shelves would not obstruct the visual field of a room, allowing plenty of light through, while tasteful placement of more decorative items on the top shelves can still cement the shelf as a barrier between functional spaces. 

I’m sure by now you’ve noticed the repeated mentions of letting light flow within the room.  Glass or lucite furniture have that barely-there feel that take up much less visual real estate than a solid piece would.  Just make sure you don’t have excitable pets (or humans!) that might accidentally hurt themselves!

If you're able to, painting the walls a light colour—again—lets light bounce around the room more easily.  Furniture that is right up against the wall being in a similar tone would emulate the same effect of the transparent pieces above, as they blend into the walls.

While subscribing to the tip above, allow yourself to have one statement piece for each functional area. This isolates a specific focal point for each space, thereby keeping them discrete. The statement piece can be the boldest piece of furniture of the area, a distinctive rug or a large piece of wall art.

Just as statement pieces draw your eyes around the room and separate functional spaces, the same can be done with lighting.  Instead of only relying on overhead lighting, adding lamps around the room has a similar effect.  If you’re short on floor space, there are a lot of flexible mounted options!  Wall sconces can go very far in tying together the vibe you have designed for the room.  There are also easy DIYs floating around the web, such as shelf brackets paired with cord lights and Edison bulbs that make for an industrial yet cozy space!

My last tip is an easy change that you may not have considered: hang your curtains higher!  Instead of attaching the curtains right along the top edge of the window frame, using a curtain rod far higher draws the eye up along the wall.  It also makes for the illusion of much larger windows and a higher ceiling!

Are you into decor and interior design at all?  Do you have extra tips for making a small space feel bigger?  Let us know in the comments!