Living place – either – it’s flat or home, it should be beauty and spacious. It should also reflect the inner beauty and true colours of its members. Very often, people complaint “since it’s a flat, we are not able to find enough space inside it. It never looks a home at all. It just resembles a narrow hotel room or a dump yard without any free space or enough air to breath”. That’s the reason why most people go far way from buying flats spending handsome amounts.
But, if you do sufficient planning at the preliminary stage itself, it’s possible to create a homely nature in a small and narrow flat also. For that, never start planning once you buy the flat. Instead do it before the construction starts. Then only you can design a beautiful interior for your new flat.

Planning starts from floor plan

Once you have decided to buy a flat, you need to check basic floor plan first. See more than one block to know more about that flat and then only you should arrive to a conclusion, “which one should I buy?”

The position of the floor, are windows opening towards right direction, is that flat available with enough sunlight and air circulation etc should be noted first. The floor plans helps to have a vague idea of these facts. Then, closely examine position of doors, position of windows and windows of next flat also. You should know the window openings of opposite flat also, to ensure if your flat gets sufficient privacy. Size of rooms, position of rooms, privacy of bedrooms, enough storage spaces, good kitchen etc are equally important. Then only we can design the interior of a flat.

Floorings to door fittings

Before designing interior you should assure beauty, arrangements and efficiency of your new design. You should make use of each and every portion of your flat in a useful manner. Furniture and decoratives should reflect the beauty of your interior designing. It should give a nice feel to both your eyes and mind. For that, certain things are to be noted. Let me give you a few designing ideas.

Flooring

Never choose dark coloured tiles for your floor. Instead of giving different types and colours of flooring to individual rooms, choose a single colour. If you select a uniform pattern for all rooms, it’s nice. If so, your flat will appear spacious. Choosing light colours not only gives spacious rooms, but also ensures more light to your interior.

Lighting

Now, days of direct lighting has gone. Bulbs and tube lights are fitted in such a way that they give indirect lighting to rooms. For that, bulbs are arranged so that direct lighting falls on ceiling. It makes your room feel more height. Also, it reduces the stress of eyes due to direct exposure to light.

Painting

Use light colours only. It gives a pleasant feeling to your eyes as well as makes rooms more spacious. But give one wall a contrast colour, to give a different look to your room.

Doors

If two doors are provided from the front – one opening to living room and the other one to kitchen, it would be a better idea. If both husband and wife are working outside and have a house maid, she needed to be given the kitchen keys only if she is assigned preparing dishes job. When you lock kitchen from the rest, you can ensure the security of your home.

Some decorations for corridor

Most flats open with a narrow corridor, which ends in living room. If yiu are able to provide a small shelf in the corridor walls, you can keep your shoes there. Also, such walls can be used to keep showpieces or beautiful pictures. If you are hanging pictures or paintings, fix a picture lamp also.

While arranging your living room

Since flats are not as big as homes, you should arrange your living room to give a spacious look. It guest room and dining hall are joined together to form a big hall, no need to separate them. It appears more spacious.

If you want privacy for dining area, design ‘L’ shaped halls. One area can be used as living room, while the other area for dining. Yet, if you want to partition them, use thin curtains or partitions. If your hall is lengthy, you can place shelves in between to separate them.

Never use thick curtains inside rooms. Also avoid frill type decorations for your curtains. Both take more space and hence your room will appear small. Thin cotton curtains of light colours with small prints are the best for flats.

Balcony in living room

Balcony should be given in living room. If it’s placed in bedroom, only those who use that particular bedroom can make use of it. If it’s provided in living room, everyone including the guests will be benefited. You can arrange a small garden in your balcony. Ensure that those plants get enough water and proper care.

Furniture only sufficient

Minimize the use of furniture. Excess usage of furniture makes your rooms less spacious. Instead of wooden furniture, buy metal, steel or glass to decorate your interior. If gives a spacious appearance to the place, where you are going to stay.

Centre tables or side tables can be used for your interior as you desire and if glass topped furniture is used, it brings more light to your interior.
Arrange your living room in rectangle shape. Use minimum furniture. Simplify upholstery works also. Use colourful cushions on the top. Never arrange furniture near the passage to rooms. Also never place them as obstacles to sunlight and air. Shelves can be designed in living rooms to keep magazines and newspapers. Instead of providing separate spaces, make built-in spaces on walls. Pullback type shelves can be designed under settee or window seats. Keep minimum show pieces in your living room.

Beautiful dining room

Determine the shape of the dining table according to room’s shape. If your room is rectangle shaped, use same shape dining table. If it is square shaped, round tables are the best. Fix a big mirror on a wall to make your room appear more spacious. Glass tops are the best for dining tables as it reflects light and give a spacious appeal to your room.

• Size of your dining table should be in accordance with the number of family members.
• In crockery shelves, place some crystals or beautiful cups and plates.
• Arrange wash basin a little away from your dining table. Make a storage space beneath the wash basin. You can place hand towels and soap there.

Colourful bedroom

Avoid beds with great decorations for your bedroom. Bed with low height gives a special look to your interior. Avoid dark colour bed sheets and bed spreads. Choose colours closely matching curtains. In addition to pillows, placing a few colourful cushions in your bed add elegance to your room. Use built-in shelves for your bedrooms that can save a lot of space. It gives a neat look too. Avoid extra furniture also. Just a table and chair is sufficient. While placing bed, ensure that windows never appear at headboard.

Partitioned bathrooms

Now bathrooms are luxurious than before. It is good to partition to dry area and wet area, giving closet and wash place in dry area and shower at wet area. If you want to make it royal, give a colourful glass as partition.

Kitchen with plenty of light and air

Kitchen is the temple of home and it provides energy to every member. So, keep it clean and tidy. Now kitchen is often set as a part of dining area giving a two-way communication between these two. Kitchen should have windows or doors that open outwards. Give natural sunlight and air ventilation to your kitchen. Counter top should be set keeping in mind, the height of house wife. Keep storage spaces and shelves also, at her hand distance. While designing kitchen, allocate earlier, the places needed for cooking range, fridge, mixer, grinder, stove, oven and other electric appliances. Now everything is of in-built style in modern kitchens where nothing projects outside, even the gas stove or oven.

A pet home in your flat

Is it possible to keep a pet in your flat? Many people may ask the same question. Now, constructions are even allowing pet houses in flats, a specific area for keeping pets. Pet corners are given near corner area.

If you are interested in farming, such areas are also provided in modern flats. You can plant chillies, tomatoes, peas or anything you desire.

Is your flat small? Don’t worry

By retaining the total surface area, it’s possible to increase the room size. You may be thinking, how. Instead of three small and congested bedrooms, it is better to have two big ones. If you want more rooms, buy two consecutive flats and join them together. But, in both cases you need to take great care while designing.

Now duplex apartments are also available. If you want to live in a flat as if you are living in a two-storey building, you can opt to buy two such flats one above and one below and join them by using a staircase.

To change the entire look of your flat

Sometimes you may feel bored with the same interior. Instead of buying a new one, it’s better to give it a new face. But this solution is applicable only if your flat doesn’t contain any concrete walls except external ones. If rooms are constructed using partition boards, it’s not at all a big task to give a fresh look to your flat. Just re-arrange them to form new rooms as you desire. While changing the layout it’s easy to give new wiring arrangements also.

Pent houses with courtyard

The main defect of normal flats is the absence of a courtyard, a free space to have a walk or just sit outside. If you really want a courtyard, just choose pent houses. They are large rooms entirely different from normal flats. If a floor contains 4 flats, its upper floor contains two pent houses. You can get separate courtyard as well as free space for gardening or farming.

So, let us conclude

India is a highly populated country and it’s not at all an easy task to buy a separate home in busy cities, particularly metros. Even if mind is not willing, many people are adjusting themselves to buy flats with the money they have. While they are doing so, they may be sacrificing many dreams of a dream home that they desire. Such people never need to feel despair. Within the limitations itself, by carefully arranging your furniture and wisely using every space, you can make each and every dream of your home come true. I assure. Hoping this article will bring those dreams live again.