ONE of the most common queries I get is how to get the most out of every space in a client's home.

With homes going up in value all the time, space equates to value and maximising every room's potential is key to creating a successful home design that works for you.

Initially you need to look at how you use your home and decide on what is required to suit your needs.

Rooms can have multi-functions which can help to tackle space issues.

For example, having a home office in the guest bedroom, with the ability to hide the office items away when guests stay, leaving the desk as a dressing table for them is a great way to ensure that you have a room for both these needs.

A guest room is one of the most underutilised spaces in a house as you only use it when you have people to stay - if you add in another use you are maximising the value of that space.

This type of solution can not only help to make your home more efficient, but also give you more space overall - you no longer need to have one room set aside for an office.

However, even when you have looked at the space you have and how it is used, more often than not there is still at least one room that can feel small in comparison to the rest of the house. In my experience this is usually a bedroom or bathroom.

When looking at how to create the illusion of space in these rooms planning is all important to ensure that the space is maximised and the room feels as large as possible.

What to look for:

Colour

Use light colours as these create the illusion that the walls are further away than they actually are.

Dark colours will feel like they are closing in and also will suck the light out of the room, making it feel even smaller. This is why creams and whites are so popular in modern homes as a lot of modern homes especially tend to have smaller rooms.

Mirrors

An old trick but it always works. Adding a large mirror to one wall in a small room will instantly increase its apparent size, as everything is reflected.

Use a wall that will reflect both the maximum amount of light and also have the nicest views - you do not want to reflect a blank wall for example.

A large mirror on an entire bathroom wall has great effect, so too does a large mirror above a fireplace.

Reflective surfaces

Anything reflective will bounce light around the room and the reflections will give a feeling that there is more space.

Particularly popular at present is mirrored furniture, shiny patterns on wallpaper and crystal light fittings.

Light

Maximising light will help to show off the space you have. If you have a window in the room in question make sure that as much natural light is getting through as possible.

Hang any window treatments so that they can be open and away from the window. Also, have a good set of lighting in the room both lamps and ceiling/wall lights so that no corner is in shadow at night.

The more of the room that can be seen, the more spacious it feels.

Multi-use

Multi-use furniture. If you have a small room, one of the easiest ways to create a sense of space is to have less in it.

There are a variety of space saving multi-use pieces of furniture on the market today.

Classic examples are coffee tables that have storage for DVDs and magazines built in - or beds that have storage compartments underneath for bedding etc.

If you use furniture like this, your room will appear larger.