How to Maximise Space in Your Edinburgh Flat

If you’ve got yourself into an Edinburgh flat, congratulations – they’re rare. They range in size from small to slightly smaller, and they leave your wallet crying for help. But on the other hand, they’re in one of the most beautiful cities in Britain, and are the epitome of the dark academia aesthetic, which is probably part of the appeal to droves of students looking for them.

But students have a lot of stuff and Edinburgh’s twee little flats don’t really allow for a lot of stuff, so we’re looking at how you can maximise the space in your Edinburgh flat. Take a look at our tips to help you out.

Encourage natural light

Before we get onto how to actually get more space, there are a lot of things you can do to give the appearance of more space, so at least you don’t feel as cramped before you’ve even stuck your entire Beanie Baby collection into storage. Pretty much all the tips out there boil down to getting as much natural light in the room as possible. Light makes a room feel bigger, and unfortunately isn’t duped by the big ceiling light, so open those curtains. Invest in mesh curtains to stop the heat escaping out the windows in the winter months. Hang a few mirrors, simply for the sake of bouncing light around the room.

And invest in white. If your landlord hasn’t gone white and you can’t redecorate, look into white accents. White walls are so common because they look brighter in the natural light. Sure, it’s dull, but you can jazz it up with any colour scheme you fancy. Think of it as a blank canvas you can paint over with throws and furniture.

Declutter

Now we can work on actually creating space in your Edinburgh flat. You don’t need everything that is in there. When was the last time you wore this? Or even looked at that? Why are you keeping sentimental gifts from someone you hated?

Be harsh because you’re probably not being harsh enough. If something is too good to throw out, or you don’t like waste, think of it as rehoming. Stick things you think people will like into stocking stuffers, the rest can go into a bag for the charity shop where it can do some good. And it’s worth mentioning that some charities, like Shelter and British Heart Foundation collect furniture if you’ve arrived with a cabinet that is simply not going to fit in that room.

And then there’s the stuff you love but can’t use every day. We’re thinking extra guitars, surfboards, skateboards, seasonal clothes: anything you don’t need every day but don’t want to throw out. Put it in a storage unit. Putting your things in a Safestore unit will allow you to pull them out when you need them and put them back when you’re done.

Use vertical space

But do you know what is emblematic of a typical Edinburgh flat? Those high ceilings. There is a lot of vertical space there to use. If your landlord is okay with it you can put up wall shelves. All those books you would rather die than part with can go there, with enough room for a desk underneath, or a sofa.

There are lots of ways you can use kitchen walls, for example, to hang pots or utensils and more. In the bedroom you can look into getting or making, a loft bed. Loft beds are bunk beds for adults, where the bottom bunk is made of storage units. There’s lots of space to move around when you can literally throw everything under the bed.