|
.
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.
|
.