By Mary Beth Clary
Decorating a small space comes with its own set of challenges. Just as you would with a larger room, it’s essential to decorate small spaces with items that you love. By using a few basic tricks, you can design a room that is completely yours, functional, and most of all, beautiful.
1. Use Light Colors
While this may seem more challenging in a small space, by using a few basic tricks you can decorate a room that is completely yours and entirely functional.
When choosing a wall color for a small living space, always select a light palette. Using a bold color on the wall will only make the room seem smaller. Alternatively, a lighter color will brighten up the space and make the entire room feel more airy. If you love darker colors, you can incorporate them sparingly. Save the bold hues for throw pillows, pictures, and accessories. If your favorite color is red, paint the walls a soft color and opt for the red table lamp you’ve been eyeing at your local home décor store.
2. Look to The Light
Any room will appear larger with the right type of lighting. If a small space has a source of natural light, take advantage of it by using neutral-colored sheer curtains or roman shades. If natural light is limited or if you have a windowless room, utilize a mixture of fantastic table lamps and overhead lights.
3. Be Off the Wall
In an attempt to make your room look bigger, you might be tempted to plaster all of your furniture against the walls. In doing so, though, it subconsciously conveys the signal that you don’t have enough space. Give enough room between your bigger items (such as a couch or a table and side chair) so that your room doesn’t feel like one big furniture lineup.
4. Focus on Organization
Organizational tools can help you keep your space tidier, but it can also maximize your available footage. Start by choosing furniture that serves dual or multiple purposes. For example, a trunk or woven basket with lids can double as storage as well as a coffee table, allowing you to stow away items such as blankets and magazines that would otherwise clutter the room. That’s why you should revise your rooms to see what pieces you currently own that can work in other spaces.
5. Find the Right Rug
If you thought that your space was too small for a rug, think again. The key here is to go bigger, not smaller. While you might assume that having a smaller rug would fit better in a tiny space, it can actually accentuate the diminutive nature of the room. Instead, invest in a statement piece rug that takes up enough space for the furniture to fit on it. Not only will it warm up your space, but it can draw visual interest to your floors.
6. Be Detail-Oriented
Put your stamp on a small space by paying attention to the details. Use a small space to draw a focus to collectibles. Shelves, glass topped cabinets, and picture frames can be used to showcase your favorite items, like old photographs or seashells from your family trip to the beach. Even childhood keepsakes become more significant in a small space. With these special details, your space will reflect who you are and in turn how your guests perceive you.
7. Choose A Theme
When you have a tiny room, everything competes for a person’s attention. That’s why you should decide how you want the room to feel first. Are you looking for a dramatic or earthy vibe? Once you determine how you want the space to look, find pieces that match with your theme. The cohesiveness will make your room look bigger, not smaller.
8. Use Mirrors
Sure, having a mirror can be great for last-minute touch ups before leaving the house. If you have a mirror in your room, you can brighten up the space naturally, and you can make the space appear bigger, too. You can opt for one large mirror that acts as a statement piece, or group several together for an interesting design element.
Just because your room is small doesn’t mean that it can’t be beautifully decorated. It’s a matter of finding your style and being strategic with how you decorate that is ultimately going to make the biggest impact, no matter what size your space is.
