Small Space Decorating is Big on Charm and the Comforts of Home
By Barbara Mabey
In a small space decorating can be a little challenging but there are ways to embrace a smaller living space enhancing its charm.
If you live in a town house, a condo apartment or recently downsized to a smaller living space you can choose to decorate so your rooms feel more spacious or opt for an intimate cozy feel. It is being creative in the way you look at the space. Either way decorating a smaller space can be very comfortable and still complement your personal style.
Some of the comments I hear when people enter the furniture showroom is "Everything is so big" "My house is too small." It would be normal to think that if you have a small room that your furnishings should also be small.
But the truth is with a small space decorating with larger scaled pieces is what called for. Just not as much of it.
Of these larger pieces using multiple pieces to offer individual seating is best too. Don't be tempted to get the biggest sofa you can find. Not everyone will sit on a sofa and furnishings that provide individual seating will lend an open feel and design to your room.
Use the space wisely, emphasizing the qualities of the room. Be sure not to block the traffic flow or the windows and try to arrange the furniture away from the walls when possible.
Armless chairs and upholstery with exposed legs as opposed to a skirted style are good choices to use, and furnishings in small space decorating will want to be multifunctional and able to accommodate your things with both hidden and open storage.
It is important the eye can move about the room with little interruption as possible and using small pieces can make the space look cluttered and crowded.
And that can sometimes be one of the problems when you have a small room. They tend to appear cluttered quickly. The more that is out and on display will make the room look cramped. So, clear the clutter by editing to what you need and you will feel so much better. Less to clean too!
When choosing colors for small space decorating the general rule is lighter, cool colors will make the space recede making the space appear larger and warm colors make the space appear closer.
But depending on the feel you want in the room you can still do warmer tones of yellow or reds if you want to create an intimate cozy setting.
Keep in mind when you design a room more intimate on purpose the style is what will shine through and not the smallness of the room.
Soothing tones of blue and green are good choices for opening up the space visually and the lighter the room the bigger it will seem. Again it depends on the mood you want to create.
Monochromatic color schemes by using various tones of the same color family are good choices to consider for small space decorating. When the colors are used in this way the eye flows continuously from the furnishings to the walls, and tends to blend into the space without color breaks or interruption.
Another example of limiting the breaks in color from one element to the next, and to make the space to appear larger is to treat the walls and molding the same color, while keeping the ceiling lighter than the walls.
Sticking to neutral, solid or subtle textures on the upholstery is key, introducing any pattern into the room through accents. (Just not too many.)
Same holds true for area rugs. Solids or a pattern that is not busy, with colors that are in the same value without a lot of contrast.
Lighting plays an important role in small space decorating. Allow as much of the natural light to come into the room by eliminating heavy drapes and choosing lighter window coverings or a treatment on the window like a roman shade.
The proper amount of lighting softens a room and feels welcoming, especially in the 'intimate and cozy' room. Use table and floor lamps instead of overhead lighting for soothing illumination.
Mirrors give us the illusion that things that are bigger than they are and reflect more light.
Reflective surfaces also help to open up a smaller room. Use glass top tables, a large frame mirror on the wall opposite a window to reflect the natural light, or a tall standing mirror propped against the wall.
Make sure not to overdo the accessories if you are decorating a small room. One large print is often better than a collection of smaller ones.
Too much of a good thing in this case is not the way to go.
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