Decorate With Intention: 10 Strategies to Maximize a Little Space

I love living and decorating in tiny spaces. When all of the design components are working in harmony, it’s like living in an efficient little vessel, with every square inch set to work with. Little means different things to different people, but if you live in a 1,200-square-foot cabin or a 350-square-foot studio, then you will find a plethora of techniques you can employ to make the most of what you’ve got. Today we will look at 10 simple ways to enhance any small space.

M.A.D. Megan Arquette Design

1. Use focal walls and vignettes to make”destinations” within your home. The impulse in a small area is frequently to keep things sleek and simple, which can be amazing, but I urge you to consider moving bold instead. Rich paint color and graphic wallpaper that may feel overwhelming at a large room actually looks magnificent in a more compact space. Bonus: It won’t take a lot of the fancy background you’ve had your eye to fill a postage stamp–size room.

Where to put this focal wall? Think about your space concerning zones of use. For instance, you might have an entrance zone close to your front door in which you open the email, and a dining table tucked in the corner by a window. With the addition of an eye-catching element to each zone (a painted or wallpapered wall, interesting artwork, a exceptional chair shape) you can create the feeling of another room. Every mini-destination is just another place for the eye to break, creating a feeling of space.

Gaile Guevara

2. Go for multipurpose furniture. When you live in a pocket-size apartment, you have to create every bit of furniture earn its keep. Poufs or tiny stools may be utilized as tables, footrests or extra seating and are easily tucked away when not in use.

Other adaptive furnishings to contemplate:
• A dining table with leaf extensions
• An ottoman or a seat with built-in storage
• A petite sleeper couch or a daybed for overnight guests
• A pub cart that can hold keys and mail between parties

Michelle Hinckley

3. Unify the room with a single color palette. If you’re able to see from 1 end of your flat to the other without getting up, a general color palette will help pull everything together and make the room feel more expansive. Pairing one main color with a accent hue and filling in with neutrals is an easy way to start. To add interest, consider using the accent color as the main color in a more compact area. As an instance, use navy as the main color with sunny yellow accents at the living room, but choose a bold yellow background in the bathroom.

Tara Seawright Interior Design

4. Use mirrors to make depth. This is probably the oldest trick in the decorator’s book, and with great reason. Mirrors reflect light and views, standing in as extra windows and amplifying the distance. Consider placing a mirror at the entryway, above the mantel or anyplace it will reflect a beautiful view or artwork.

CWB Architects

Want even more out of your own mirrors? Fill a whole wall with mirrors and add mirrored furniture to provide the illusion of another room just beyond view. Placing candles and lovely flowers where they’ll be reflected in the mirror doubles their attractiveness.

greige/Fluegge Interior Design, Inc..

Do not want the trouble of hanging a giant mirror? Create the same effect by hanging a cluster of smaller mirrors rather. No need to match them exactly, but do try to find a theme such as all around mirrors or all bothered wood frames.

LiLu Interiors

5. Open up your floor plan. If you reside in a Victorian flat or a similar area made up of several small, compartmentalized rooms, consider ways of opening the space up. If you have your home and are considering renovations, then removing some dividing walls is generally an alternative. For a faster repair, replace a few solid interior doors with glass doors to connect the rooms. If you are a renter, you still might be able to temporarily eliminate a few doors to boost light and flow.

Jeanne Finnerty Interior Design

6. Keep it clean and clutter free. In a small area, even a few things left out may make the whole place feel like a mess.

Pare down to just your favorite and most crucial possessions, and make a habit of clearing and cleaning clutter at the beginning of each season.

Keeping attractive bowls, baskets, hooks and bins at the prepared will guarantee that picking up is a breeze.

Clutter Clearing 101

MANDARINA STUDIO interior layout

7. Assess the scale of your furniture. Often we try to cram the furniture that functioned in a previous home into the current area, even if the scale is no more a fantastic match for the room. In a small room, you will generally want to prevent the overstuffed and oversize in favor of small pieces. Nonetheless, it’s likely to go a lot, filling the room with too many itty-bitty items. Strive for balance.

Megan Blake Design

8. Lighten up with Lucite, glass and crystal. Clear objects take up hardly any visual distance, which is a fantastic benefit to those people living in tight quarters. Try out a small crystal chandelier, Lucite seats or a glass-top dining table. Want bonus points? Add a mirror to the mixture.

Garret Cord Werner Architects & Interior Designers

9. Save space with swing-arm sconces. Sconces are great space savers, freeing up room on tabletops as well as making it feasible to perform without a table completely. Often seen bedside, swing-arm sconces may also work wonders in a tight corner in the living room or above a desk. Renters take notethe majority of lighting stores offer swing-arm sconces with cord covers, which means that you can just plug them in the wall.

Jamie Laubhan-Oliver

10. Complete every room with a green plant. A fantastic tip no matter the size of your area, but particularly relevant for small space dwellers. Besides cleaning the atmosphere and including a little attention, plants create a feeling of depth, softening the edges of a room and helping us to imagine there’s more distance beyond their borders.

A small home is a opportunity to get creative. Often the very best design alternatives are born of necessity. If you are feeling stuck, consider making a list of items you appreciate about your home or create a design record of inspirational images. Just sitting with a cup of tea and letting yourself daydream can be a wonderful way to produce ideas too.

More:
18 Ways to Make a Little Space Look Larger

Storage Suggestions for Renters

16 Perfect Mirrors

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