Small Spaces, Big Style

Knowing how much I love to decorate, I was thrilled to receive the following guest post from Josephine Flaska! It’s obvious this gal knows her decorating dos & don’ts! These are terrific tips to put style into a small space!

 

Small Spaces, Big Style pinnable Pinterest collage

 

 

SMALL SPACES, BIG STYLE

Living in small spaces can be wonderful. They are cozy, cheap and work well for people who don’t have a lot of material things. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to make a small room feel more like a home and less like a hotel room. If you’re feeling stuck on how to go about revamping your room, try one or all of these easy ways to make a small living space look fresh.

 

Give the foundation of the room a facelift

A fresh coat of paint can make a space look and feel larger. The typical way many rooms are painted is a main wall color and a different hue on the ceiling and/or moulding and, unfortunately, this makes the area come across as more compact. Instead, keep everything a singular shade. The ceiling should be the same color (if the walls are light) or a lighter tint. White-infused cool-tones (such as these pastels from Behr) will open up the room, whereas warm colors will make a room look smaller. If you’re adding carpeting or a rug, make sure it follows the same color scheme as the wall—the clashing of colors will make the room walls seem closer together.

 

Keep the focus in a small room on one piece of furniture

It is really easy to overwhelm a small room with too much furniture. As mentioned above, when it comes to decorating small living spaces, less is more. If you’re decorating a compact living room, you don’t want a giant couch and an entertainment center that is equally as monstrous. For bedrooms, focusing on a beautiful bed frame is a good idea unless you’re looking for a more minimalistic look. In that case, fine pieces like an ornate chest of drawers should become your focus. Remember college? Think of your life in the dorms: you had a bed and a desk. If your space is as slight as your dorm room was, check out some stylish and functional dorm room ideas at sites like OCM. Matching furniture tends to work best in small rooms as well. Don’t forget you can always repaint furniture to help it flow with the room.

 

Don’t skimp out on well-placed art

One of the best ways to make a room feel more like home is to add art that you find beautiful. Generally, you’ll want to have one or two large pieces of art on the wall instead a collage of smaller pieces. Be careful to not clutter your coffee table, dresser, entertainment center or any other surface with keepsakes, candles or decorations. The trick to decorating the room is to use a few statement pieces. Remember, you can always swap out different pieces of art to keep your room looking fresh but remains stylish and open. Another wall hanging to invest in is mirrors that will naturally open up the space.

 

Personalize with pillows and lamps

Two items that can really make or break a small living room are pillows and lamps. This might seem like an odd pair but they bring focus and can really tie a room together. Decorative pillows on a couch or chair make a room more inviting – not to mention comfortable! It also gives you another opportunity to personalize your room in a functional manner. When it comes to projecting room size, lighting is so important. Try to find lights that will bounce the light off of the ceiling and project it back onto your room. Not only will lamps help with opening up a room, but they’re also super easy to show off your personal taste. Lampshades can be swapped out (or DIY made) easily if you wish for a different look after a few months.

 

 

Living in a small space can be a very rewarding. It might be a little tricky to decorate these rooms but it certainly isn’t impossible. Focus on banishing clutter, opening up the room to make it appear larger and choosing few statement pieces. Don’t forget to develop an organizing and storage system that you will stick to.

 

 

Josephine Flaska is stay-at-home mom based in Utah. A mother of 6, she has seen and experienced it all. When she’s not rounding up her crew or helping her local church, she loves to plan and perfect her garden.

Alisha

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