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6 March 2014

Small Space Living.


Last week my Daugher carried out her own Interior Design Challenge on her Mother-in-laws flat, she wanted to surprise her by giving the living room a makeover while she was away on holiday, and I helped out with the painting and sourcing of some second hand pieces of furniture.

It can be a challenge when it comes to small space living as we found out, narrow corridors to contend with
and finding furniture that will fit through them, plus your furniture, accessories and decor need to work that little bit harder. But with a few design tricks you can make your space feel much larger, so here are my tips on small space living.

  • To make the space feel bigger, use pale colours on the walls to maximise natural light coming in from windows.  Decorate walls with paint that use light reflecting particles to bounce light around. Look out for wallpaper with light reflective surfaces in the pattern, such as silver and gold or a glossy surface. Like wise add a couple of reflective surfaces to bounce light around the room, think of using, glass, mirrors, and shiny surfaces. 
  • When purchasing furniture, remember to measure the space where the item will be fitting into, and measure the piece of furniture before you buy it to check that it will fit. If something is going to fit close to the wall, measure from the skirting board, not the wall, in a small space the difference of it fitting could be that extra 1cm.  If yo live in a flat make sure that furniture will fit through stairwells and corridors.
  • Choose sofas and chair that have exposed legs as opposed to a sofa with a valance running along the bottom of it, this extends the floor area visible to the eye making it appear to be a larger surface. 
  • Make every inch of the space work for you, consider a fold down table, stackable chairs, if possible add shelves to walls.
  • Use flooring throughout the home in the same colour and style, again doing this makes the area seem larger, it tricks the eye in thinking the space is bigger than it is.
  • If the space needs to be multifunctional, think about creating zone's, a space for sitting and relaxing, a space for eating, and a space for sleeping, as demonstrated in this room above from Alvhem Interiors.
  • Keep window dressing simple and unfussy. If you need to shut out the daylight, use a blackout blind, which can be pulled up during the day. Add a pair of light coloured curtains to dress the windows.
You can check out our mini makeover here on the facebook page.

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7 comments:

  1. Hello, I have used light reflective paint in my hall, stairs and landing as its not a large home - I am really pleased with the result. I also agree that mirrors are a great addition. Again I have a large mirror in the lounge. Its opposite a window so fills the room with much more light, as well as looking stylish and filling an empty space on a wall. Sometimes art work could be 'too much' whereas a mirror can be equally as stylish, but less imposing.

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  2. Great idea - I need this for my condo!
    Lindsay
    mswhipp.blogspot.ca

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  3. Very valuable advice! They're especially helpful since I live in NYC where living space is pretty cramped. I love the tip about choosing sofas that have exposed legs.

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  4. Great suggestions, decorating a small space can be so difficult. Before buying furniture I'd also recommend mapping out the dimensions of the piece in masking tape or paper on the floor to be sure it balances with the space. Proportion is so important in small spaces.

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  5. These Living room are fantastic. living room must be cozy and comfortable with Modern Area Rugs. Blue Area Rug is always my favorite. Modern Area Rugs makes your room spacious and stunning.

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  6. Chrome legs on furniture are a way to go if you want to make your small space look modern and stunning. The reflection and yes, the lift it gives furniture like sofas and beds, make the look appear bigger. I just bought some contemporary leather accent chairs at dealshopperz(dot)com for less than I thought it would cost. Lightweight chairs that you can move around and gives my little studio unit that urban/chic look I have always wanted.

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  7. Hi, great tips! Totally agree with the mirrors and shiny surfaces. I actually have a mirror wall. One full wall of mirrors, it was expensive but it was so worth it. Almost looks twice the size!

    Jasmine V | Belgravia Group

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