10 Tips for Small Spaces
Furnishing a small space can be intimidating. Here a few tips and tricks to help you navigate making a small space feel stylish and comfortable. These ideas are great for anyone, including those heading off to college.
- One of the simplest things you can do is to look for furniture with legs; it will create a feeling of airiness. Another option is to choose one or two larger pieces of furniture or artwork to create a statement. Make sure your statement piece is something you love and that you want to be the focus of your room…remember there is a difference between a bold declaration and clutter.
- Anchor pieces like your bed or couch should not take up more than 2/3 of the wall. When possible pull your furniture away from the wall and have space in between furnishings. Having many items or items too close together will look like clutter.
- Opt for round tables to help keep maneuvering around them breezy. You can also go with a glass top table or the new trend in acrylic tables. This will help keep the room feeling open.
- Consider pieces that are dual purpose or that can fold up. A desk that folds up into the wall is a great space saver and you can use the chair for extra seating when you have guests. An ottoman that can store blankets or a bed with built in storage will help things feel tidy.
- Speaking of tidy, the number one thing you can do is to declutter! Having a space that doesn’t have every open spot filled and items in piles will immediately make the space feel larger.
- Use the full height of your walls. Keeping things tall will help the room feel open and not boxy. Limit the number of items you have on the floor; you want to be able to move around freely.
- Use mirrors to help your small space feel larger. By placing them perpendicular to a window you will reflect natural light allowing the room to feel bright and open.
- In the kitchen you can skip using upper cabinets in lieu of open shelving. This will make a huge impact on the how open the kitchen feels. Note that by having open shelving you will also loose a significant amount of storage. If storage is an important feature, then consider adding some glass doors to your upper cabinets.
- Keep things simple. Whether you decide to go bold or light with your color selection, keep in mind that you want to limit your color palette and the amount of texture you add to the room. If you decide to go with light colors or white on white, make sure to add some greenery and wood. This will add warmth and keep the room from feeling stark.
- Lastly, it’s a small space…make sure that you love all the items. Every piece should bring you joy!
