Small space design

Need to make the most of your small apartment, room, cottage or other space? Try these ideas...

1)  Use color.  Accenting a sofa, the windows, and art on the wall, etc... will draw the eye towards color and can visually enlarge a space. White is NOT the only way to make spaces seem larger. Pattern too, draws the eye towards it so don't be afraid of large scale on wall coverings, window treatments and furniture. Group art and photos together to make a visual statement, rather than spreading small pieces around a space.

2) Make things function in more than one way.  Need a table and a shelf and a room divider? Purchase or make a piece that can do all of those things. An open backed piece with interior shelves, at 30" high, can resolve all three issues.  Be creative. Re-purpose furnishings. Need art? Hang hard-to-store necklaces or jewelry from pins on fabric boards and get storage and custom artwork.

3) Raise things up. Can you create a platform for a bed and use the space underneath as a desk or storage area? You don't need to make things 'standing height' if the ergonomics work otherwise while using the space. Increasing the scale of furniture used in small spaces is OK too. Larger scale pieces, used well, do give the impression that a room is larger.

4) Lighten up.  Literally.  Carefully selected layered lighting along with mirrors, can completely change the apparent space. Be careful with what the mirror reflects!  Dress windows lightly but don't sacrifice privacy. Remove interior doors when possible to create a floor-through impression. Use glass to divide spaces rather than knocking down all walls.

5) De-clutter.  The more things that are out-of-sight or organized, the more open a space seems.  Use decorative boxes for paperwork and sorting, baskets for storage, closed storage units versus open-shelves, and even hide your desk and craft area inside a gorgeous cabinet. When accessorizing, while I subscribe to the "less is more" theory, you can use and organize small collectibles and the end-result is something eye-catching.