Secrets to Decorating Small Spaces!

Beryn Hammil

Now that the children are grown and are out on their own, many people are considering moving to smaller living spaces. 

Moving to a smaller home may initially be challenging for a variety of reasons, including emotional, but smaller spaces can be better. For most people it offers a more practical lifestyle; there’s less to manage, clean, and maintain. Of course, there’s also less space and accompanying expenses to pay for too. 

by Beryn Hammil
SF Bay Area Interior Designer 

Consider this When Planning Your Move to a Smaller Home 

Before you commit to a smaller space, look at the floor plan of your potential new home and make sure there’s enough space in it for you to create an inviting home.  Ask yourself a few key questions: 

Does the kitchen afford you all the amenities you need to function effectively in it?
Is the living room large enough to have a separate dining area?
Does the house or apartment have enough closets?
Do you really need a guest room that’s not used most of the time? Or can a guest room be a library, study, or media room whose sofa opens to a bed on those rare occasions when you have overnight guests? 

Answers to these questions will help you make a wise decision about your new home. 

CREATE THE ILLUSION OF SPACE 

Rooms within Rooms 

One of the best ways to make a smaller home seem larger is to arrange your furniture to create “rooms within rooms.”  

For example, did you know that a sofa can also be a room divider? Instead of putting it against a wall facing into the room, put it in the room perpendicular to the wall so that its back is facing towards part of the open space of the room. This visual separation can effectively make a living room and dining room out of one space. Two rooms for the price of one! 

To help reinforce this divided room concept, place a console table (with ottomans under it for extra seating when you need it) or a credenza (it can provide storage space) at the back of the sofa. Add a pair of console-height table lamps on top of it and put some of your favorite accessories in between. This provides lighting for the sofa area as well as ambient light for the new dining room. 

The newly created dining area is perfect for socializing when friends join you for a lovely dinner.  Additionally, your dining table also gives you and your guests a place to sit and play cards or board games. 

Furniture that Serves Multiple Purposes 

Back to the living room area; be sure you have enough seating for guests and to give yourself a change of place in which to sit. Swivel chairs, comfortable in and of themselves, also give you the opportunity to face in a different direction without having to rearrange furniture. Very practical for a small home! 
 A coffee table is a necessity, but can occupy lots of visual space. A glass table on the other hand, is still a functional surface but without taking up so much “eye” space. Alternatively, consider a coffee table that has ottomans stored under it as part of its design. When you have guests, the ottomans are wonderful for quick seating, and grandchildren love to make secret forts out of them! 

Mirrors Create the Illusion of More Space 

Mirrors are another wonderful way to make a small space appear larger. Instead of mirroring an entire wall, think about a large, framed mirror as a major element on a wall in the room. It can literally create the illusion of twice the space, and with its frame, it seems like a work of art in and of itself. 

Close the Door and Away You Go…NO Worries! 

Downsizing to a smaller space used to be a word that struck terror in the hearts of homeowners. Not so much any more. It’s now an opportunity to live a freer lifestyle. More people are looking forward to being able to just lock the door and go on a trip without a worry about who will water the garden and watch the old homestead. That’s reason enough to give up the large house in exchange for a smaller space in which to live a more carefree life. 

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Tags: family, highlight, Home, Inspiration, interior design

Category: Interior Design