Small Rooms

We are living in smaller homes than we used to, yet we need to accommodate more stuff than ever before. In our previous article on decorating small spaces, we wrote about some of the basic rules of designing small rooms. If you’ve just moved into a smallish apartment or house read that article first – and here we have also put together some more tips about decorating small rooms..

Paint the walls with white or natural colors – use eggshell or satin paint on the walls, these bounce light back into the room.

Use no more than three colors in the space – the main color on the walls, the second on furniture while the third should be used as an accent color. Use the accent color on accessories and things that are easily changeable (such as blankets, cushion covers etc) so that you can just swap them according to the latest trend.

Also use just three materials – for example wood, glass and stainless steel. Too many materials and textures create a claustrophobic, busy feel and visually shrink spaces.

Declutter – have only a few, carefully selected items on display. Keep most of your stuff in built-in floor-to-ceiling cabinets. Zone your cabinets – make them into specific storage quarters, or functional areas. For example, you can create a dressing area, or hide a kitchenette, a library or an office in them. You could also hide your computer station behind cabinet doors.

Utilize flexible furniture – such as a coffee table that can be used as dining table (see pictures below); a couch that doubles as a guest bed; a storage box or chest that can double as a seat; a sideboard or console table that hides a computer station.

Create clever or hidden storage solutions. Utilize space under/above/behind a bed or couch. Bathrooms can normally accommodate more storage – use the areas under the bath and in the service box. Wall-to-wall cabinets might take up some floor space, but actually can make a room look bigger, as long as they are streamlined and have gloss white or mirrored doors.

Use sliding or folding doors if possible. In small kitchens use push-opening mechanisms on cabinet doors rather than handles.

Lighting can also be used to make a room look bigger. Add several different lighting systems – ceiling lights, pendant lights, wall lights, low lights and hidden lights. All should be dimmable and controllable by a remote control.  Hidden lights installed on top of or underneath furniture & cabinets create a depth of space. Hiding rope or LED lights in skirting boards, floor or pictures can create its own artwork as well as adding color or a different ambiance to a room.

So, in short, when it comes to decorating a small room, just keep things simple, streamlined and uncluttered.