Less is More: Decorating Tips for Small Spaces
Decorating small spaces in your home can be a complicated task if you're not quite sure where to begin. But there's good news: It doesn't have to be difficult at all.
In any home, especially a small one, every inch of free space counts. Small shelves, tiny niches, and other unique spaces can help accent a home in a tasteful, uncluttered way. By using the small spaces wisely and leaving the larger areas open, the living space will feel larger.
You may think because a room is smaller, having large furniture pieces are out of the question. Not true! Oversized furniture will not make your rooms appear smaller, but instead give them a warm inviting feeling. Of course the layout and size of a room will determine how many pieces can comfortably go into it. After all, you may be looking for drama and comfort, but you still need to be able to maneuver around. This also applies to accessories; it's better to have a few large dramatic pieces as opposed to a lot of small items, which tend to turn into clutter and dust collectors. The exception to this would be with collections. But again, you want to have places to showcase them like glass front hutches, cabinets, bookcases or shelves.
Sometimes a small vase, flower arrangement, or even a little candle hidden away in an angled corner can bring more accent to a room than a huge arrangement on the middle of the living room table. This difference in your use of space can help you ensure that your home looks cozy without looking cramped or overdone.
If your rooms are small, make them look larger by hanging light colored prints and a few mirrors. Large, dark prints will dominate a room and make them seem even larger than they are while shrinking the room substantially. Mirrors and light prints open up rooms, increase the light, and make it feel more welcoming at the same time.
Size and Function
Small rooms pack more punch when the furniture and accessories are not only properly sized, but multifunctional. For example, ottomans can work as coffee tables and desks but can also function as end tables in a small room. For example, suppose you have a 12-foot by 14-foot study but need to transform that room into a multipurpose space. You can easily make the sofa in the room into a sleeper sofa (guest room), purchase an entertainment center or armoire to store the TV and other electronics, functional desk to turn that room into an office.
Interesting lighting, glass and mirrors give a spatial effect to the room that's not too glitzy. These fixtures provide the room with focal points that de-emphasize its size. Meanwhile, it's always good to have three different sources of lighting in the room, whether it's a window, an up-lit screen or a floor lamp. Layering those lighting elements gives rooms a feeling of depth. Adjustable lighting, whether it's a table lamp or track lighting also help make small spaces look larger.
Storage can be another issue in a smaller space, there just never seems to be enough. If you're buying new furniture or deciding on which pieces to bring from your current home, look for ones that can perform double duty.
For example:
- Place an armoire intended for the bedroom in the living room. It's the perfect storage place for remotes, magazines, extra bedding, kitchen linen or any of those pesky little things you just can't seem to find a place for.
- Instead of the standard coffee table, look for one with a flip top or shelves underneath. Cedar chests, blanket chests or trunks can also be substituted.
- A small floor cabinet you might have used in a bathroom can become an end table, most of these come with drawers, shelves or both.
- Decorative stacking boxes or even old suitcases not only make for great storage, but also become terrific accessories.
- Plastic storage boxes come in a variety of sizes, colors and are inexpensive. They can be stacked on shelves in a closet or cabinet, even into drawers. Clear smaller sizes are perfect storage for shoes, winter gloves, pictures, extension cords, nails, packages of hooks or hand tools. Larger sizes can keep extra winter coats, blankets, odd season clothes or seasonal decorations.
- Baskets and hampers are another useful organizational option.
- Kids rooms are always in need of extra places for all their treasures. Colorful, plastic milk crates are a perfect kid-friendly solution. One suggestion, if you are planning on stacking the crates and have small children it would be beneficial to secure them to the wall.
Plastic shelving units are good for mounting on the backs of doors or on the wall in closets. These come in handy in the kitchen for holding extra soda bottles, canned goods, paper towels, etc.
Don't forget that moving into or decorating a small space can be challenging, but with a little planning it can be just as beautiful as any large room in any large house or apartment. In the end size really doesn't matter if it's filled with the people and things you love.
