What concrete ways do you suggest to actually create more space? What are the most common problems and solutions dominant in small spaces?

The best way to create more space other than adding an addition onto your home is to create storage. By creating places to store things you get them off the floor, tabletops, desktops, counters and that adds square footage.

Some storage ideas are:
- Display collections on walls, go up instead of using precious shelf space, it will also keep collectables looking focused and uncluttered.
– Use ottomans with storage inside, they can hold everything from paper work and files to extra bedding
– A trundle bed is great for an extra guest bed because when you don’t have guests you can fill it with pillows to look like a sofa. Then you also have the drawer below that, without a mattress, can be used for storage.
– Use a medicine cabinet in a bathroom to take advantage of vertical space
– Putting a bathroom sink on top of a counter instead of sinking it inside maximizes that precious storage space inside the vanity cabinet below, not to mention the style punch it packs!
– Use a pot rack in the kitchen whenever possible, pots and pans are big and bulky and take up the majority of your cabinet space, you’ll free that up with a pot rack and add some visual interest at the same time!
– If you have a really tiny space consider a Murphy bed, they now make what I call “souped up” versions that are easily accessed and can be on spinning tracks with shelving units on the backs rather than the standard look of two large cabinets. They are not like the Murphy Beds that we all remember!
– For Closet storage consider taking off your closet doors and replacing them with curtains that go up to the ceiling on hospital track. You’ll soften the look of a space by incorporating fabric, you’ll make the space look larger by having the curtains go all the way up to the ceiling and you’ll add more space to your room because you won’t need to allow for the door clearance since the curtains just slide side to side.
– If you have a pedestal sink in your bathroom consider adding a sink skirt, it will give you a place to store additional toiletry items and add some style and color to your small space.