5 Secret Interior Design Strategies to Master Your Small Space
Living in a smaller home doesn’t mean sacrificing style or comfort. Clever interior design transforms even the most compact spaces into havens of light, spaciousness, and personality. If you’re ready to think beyond the standard “paint it white, and use mirrors” advice, here are some insider strategies to take your space to the next level.
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Verticality is Your Friend
Our eyes naturally follow lines, and in interior design, we want to guide the eye upward. This creates an illusion of extra height and airiness. Here are a few ways to use verticality to your advantage:
- Tall Furnishings: Choose bookshelves, armoires, or cabinets that reach close to your ceiling.
- Drapes with Impact: Hang floor-to-ceiling drapes, even if your windows aren’t particularly tall. Mount the rod just below the ceiling line for maximum impact.
- Creative Stripes: Paint vertical stripes on a feature wall – this is bolder than horizontal stripes, which can visually ‘shrink’ a room.
- The Power of Plants: Tall, slender houseplants draw the eye upward, adding a touch of nature and visual interest.
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Embrace Dual-Purpose Furniture
In a small space, every piece of furniture needs to earn its keep. Seek out versatile options for maximum functionality:
- Ottoman Power: A storage ottoman provides seating, a footrest, a makeshift coffee table, and a place to stash blankets or magazines.
- The Murphy Bed Phenomenon: For a guest room that doubles as a home office, a Murphy bed folds away when not needed, freeing up valuable floor space.
- Nesting Tables: These sets of tables tuck neatly beneath one another when not in use, ready for drinks and snacks whenever company arrives.
- Sofa Sleeper: Ideal for small apartments, a comfortable sofa that transforms into a bed is a lifesaver. Invest in quality for longevity.
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Zone for Success
Creating distinct ‘zones’ within an open floor plan helps a small space feel organized and purposeful. It avoids the feeling of one large room where everything blurs together. Here’s how:
- Rug Placement: Define different areas with strategically placed rugs. A living area rug, a smaller rug in a dining space, or even a narrow rug marking an entryway. This creates visual separation.
- Clever Dividers: Bookshelves don’t have to be against a wall. Position one to act as a partial divider between a sleeping area and a workspace. Even a beautiful folding screen can provide temporary separation.
- Furniture as Boundaries: The back of a sofa can signal the end of a living room zone, transitioning to a reading nook or a dining area.
Related: Organizational Luxury: Storage Innovations
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Let There Be (Strategic) Light
Proper lighting is paramount for making a small space feel expansive. It’s more nuanced than just adding a lot of light:
- Layers are Key: Use a combination of overhead lighting, floor and table lamps, and even targeted accent lighting, highlighting artwork or architectural features.
- Bounce the Light: Replace some fixtures with wall sconces, which bounce light back into the room creating a sense of spaciousness.
- Dimmer Switches are Magic: Control the brightness and mood in your small space depending on the time of day or activity.
- Natural Light Triumphs: Avoid heavy drapes. Opt for sheer blinds, letting natural light in. Natural light adds a sense of openness a small space needs.
Read More: What to say when you meet with your architect
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Don’t Fear the Bold
Conventional wisdom suggests sticking to light neutrals in small spaces, but this can lead to visual blandness. Embrace these bolder strategies:
- Statement Ceiling: Paint your ceiling a slightly darker hue than your walls. It counterintuitively makes the space feel taller. Or, add a bold wallpaper pattern for a playful surprise.
- Monochromatic Doesn’t Mean Boring: Choose a mid-tone color you love and vary it in different shades and textures throughout the space. This unifies the look while creating visual depth.
- Curate with Confidence: A few larger pieces of art or curated decor make a small space feel more intentional than a gallery wall filled with small frames.
Incorporating these lesser-known strategies with your overall design plan will elevate your small space! Let visual interest, functionality, and a touch of the unexpected guide you.
