When owning your own home, condo or loft, or even renting an apartment, you may feel challenged with decorating a small space. Do not get overwhelmed. The beauty about small areas is the endless creativity that can be applied to making the room successful and livable – to making them be perceived larger than the actual square footage or ultimately creating this room as your main entertaining area. Making the most out of our small space is crucial. It is possible to create a stylish space even if it small; the hard part is to know where to begin.
The first and most important question you should ask yourself – what is the purpose of the space? Identify with your goals and make a checklist for your needs and wishes. Assess your existing space and see if any of your current accents or pieces support your list. You may find that there are objects in the room that don’t fit the purpose. Clutter in the room is often evidence that there are objects that are not needed in that specific space. Before shopping around, start eliminating pieces that have no purpose and you will quickly see the room beginning to breathe.
You can make a small space look larger with a clever use of color, light, texture and careful choice of furniture. Here are some tips:
• Consider using “ enlarging” devices, e.g., a mirror, room divider, screens
• A minimalist approach to furniture will be helpful
• Think creatively about your storage requirement and how to best incorporate them into your overall plan. Awkward corners and shallow recesses can be converted to a good storage space.
• If you have a dramatic height think how to use it for a second floor “loft” or storage.
• Use a monochrome color scheme, but let your space speak: If you use the room most often during the day, use light airy colors. If a room looks gray and dingy perhaps it is facing north, so use a warm color such as a soft yellow to warm it up, or a lime green
• A good opportunity to be bold is in nighttime rooms; strong colors make a room look more formal, but are better for a candlelight or electric light.
• Don’t be afraid to use white in your space. Use shades of white and cream together. It is soothing to the eye and even the tiniest room will look light and airy with white.
• If you want to “lower” a ceiling try to paint it three shades darker than your wall; To raise a lower ceiling use a pale, cooler color.
• Painting the end of a narrow room in a strong, bold color will make it appear wider
• Use color to separate spaces within the space.
• Less is more: how many times have you heard this expression? Use it in your small space
• De-clutter: Get ride of unnecessary furniture and accessories. Manage your clutter by grouping your accessories in a coherent unity. If you are a collector and you want to display your collection, try grouping items. It will look neat and uncluttered.
• Use built-in shelving as a way to save space.
Most importantly, have fun with designing your space. Be proud of the final product and share your success with friends!
For design questions or a free consultation, email Inbar at inbar@inbarinteriors.com.
