1. Choose light furniture with simple lines
Houzz
There's only one thing I would change in this
room. With everything else so light , I find the darker wood of the
table somewhat harsh. Something lighter would be more cohesive
Choose furniture first and look for pieces that
are light in colour and have legs. Lighter colours occupy less visual
weight and legs provide an unobstructed view of the floor, allowing the
space to appear more open. Coffee and end tables in metal and glass
also allow the eye to move through the pieces consuming little visual
space while dark wood furniture has the opposite effect. The cow hide
ottoman above works because it is overall light and has great legs. It
also serves to connect the tones of the wood pieces in the room.
2. Choose a lighter colour scheme
Maria Killam
Neutral colours mixed with lighter shades of blue and green work
well in a small living area. Cooler colours recede thus giving the
impression of a larger space. . Use hints of brighter colors in accent
rugs or pillows. The golden accents above warm up this space. Small
spaces work best with a three-color (or less) palette as in the room
above. If you love texture consider using a monochromatic scheme.
Bare wood floors in lighter wood tones also add to a clean, flowing
feeling. Dark floors have the opposite effect. Unfortunately the
current trend for darker floors often causes many problems including
closing in a space. The dark mirrors at the end of this space enlarge
it. Which leads me to ...
3. Use mirrors effectively
Mirrors
can make a small space look larger but it's not that simple. They
function best by reflecting light. That can be the light colour of the
wall or refleced light. Be aware of what gets reflected in
your mirror by standing in different positions in the room. I have seen
mirrors actually decrease visual space because they reflect the wrong
things.
4. Emphasize vertical lines
We often forget that a room has a vertical axis. Add things to the space
to encourage your eyes to move upward from the furniture. Floor lamps,
large vases with tall twigs, full length draperies, long mirrors,
vertical paintings or stacked paintings, mantles, tables with multi-
layered arrangements etc. are possible choices.Did you notice the large
mirror on the end wall?
5. Match the furniture to the scale of the room
A.S.D. Interiors
If your room is small, choose smaller scale furniture. Armless chairs,
apartment size sofas, small sectional etc. will make the room appear
more spacious. Consider a bench rather than a conventional coffee table
or a glass or lucite table as in #4 photo. Don't get carried away with
this and end up with clutter by using too many small items.
6. Choose multifunctional furniture
Heather Scott Home & Design
One of the best ways to deal with limited space is to choose
dual-purpose furniture, e.g., a pair of ottomans can double as coffee
tables, with storage inside; coffee tables with a lower shelf can hold
baskets, books, covered boxes for storage; consoles with doors make tidy
hiding places, bookshelves used as a sofa table when you can't walk
around the sofa, etc.
7. Build in storage
Give a small space character and maximum function with a bank of
custom-built cabinets in a light colour. Built in cabinets and
shelving triple storage options. Keeping the colour of built ins light
will increase the visual space. Arrange objects on open shelves in an
artful way. Leave lots of open space and vary the sizes and shapes of
decorative objects.
8. Harmonize large pieces of furniture
11 eleven
If you have a sofa or sectional that you need to keep and it dominates
the room, paint the walls a shade that is just a bit lighter than the
upholstery . The eye will move across the room rather than sticking on
the sofa. In the room above a stone wall harmonizes with the sofa and
the warm yellow from the wall is picked up as accents.
9. Control clutter
Design Shuffle
Find interesting ways to store the objects that are
needed in a room, e.g., storage cubes, baskets, covered decorative
boxes, ottomans, etc. This room has a lovely wicker basket which serves
as an end table. On the shelf is a fabric covered box and the coffee
table has a lower shelf which can be used to store books, boxes, baskets
etc.Sometimes the more space you have the more objects you accumulate.
Keep shelving organized.
Cecile Lozano Interior
Lighting is important in any room but even more so in a small room.
Keep window
treatments light and airy so that the natural light can shine through
or have drapes that can be pulled back to let the light flood in. .
For evenings or when there is minimal natural light use additional
lighting to maximize each area of the
room. A dark corner is a great place for a floor lamp or an accent table
with a lamp for reading. Wall sconces take up little space and can be
used to highlight a certain areas of a room. Lights over artwork add an
additional layer of brightness and highlight the artwork. I try to
have at least four levels of light in a room- natural light, dimable
ceiling lights, floor lamp or sconces, and table lamps. Do a visual
check to see if the four corners of your room have adequate light.
Many of these ideas will work in much larger rooms too. The most
important thing to remember is to select furniture that is the right
scale for the space you are decorating.
