Decorating Small Spaces
Whether you’re moving into your first apartment, moving into a smaller space, or otherwise downsizing your home, you can have everything you want in a small space — all you need is a little creative thinking to maximize your square footage. From choosing a color palette to finding the best furniture, our guide gives you the tips and tricks you require to make your small space feel big, bright, and beautiful.
Small Room Color Palette Ideas
Painting with light, neutral colors is not your only option in small spaces. In fact, a small space should not stop you from using vibrant or saturated colors if that’s what you love. However, you may find it helpful to base your color choices on whether your space has more or less natural light.
More Natural Light: More sunshine in a small space is a good thing, especially if you want to paint with more vibrant colors. Balance bright wall colors with softer, neutral colors on the trims around windows and doors.
Less Natural Light: Light, non-white neutrals will help a room with less natural light to shine. However, cool, saturated colors will also naturally brighten a room. Try semi-gloss or satin-finish paints to help reflect light back into your space, but stay away from high-gloss finishes as they tend to show more brush strokes.
Preplanning & Downsizing Ideas
Preplan Room Layouts
Preplanning in detail may save moving-day surprises, and you’ll get a better idea of how much storage you’ll need to create in your home. Knowing the exact measurements of each room in your home will help you make sure all your furniture, art, and odds and ends will have a place. Carefully measure each room then use a piece of graph paper to draw the room to scale. Measure each item of furniture you’re planning on putting in the room, and draw it to scale within your room layout. To make everything fit, you may wish to sell or donate some items you already own or replace larger items (like couches or kitchen tables) with smaller versions.
Take Inventory
When you take a detailed inventory of what you own, you’ll better know your storage needs and if you’ll have to downsize any belongings. Plus, the list will come in handy if you plan on investing in homeowners or renters insurance. If you’re going to downsize any belongings, start by asking yourself the following: Have I used the item in the last three months, or will I use it in the next three months? Am I actually getting value out of the item, or have I stored it for months or years “just in case” I need it? If you’re not using an item within a six-month span, you probably won’t miss it. Additionally, many “just in case” items are easily replaced or borrowed if you do find you require them in the future.
Organize With 3 Boxes
Once you start deciding what will stay and what will go in your home, you can sort it into boxes to make the elimination or moving process easier and more organized. Label the boxes “sell,” “give away,” and “throw away.” Give yourself a time limit of when you’re going to sell items with the idea that if you don’t sell something within that time, you will give it away. Before you donate any items, do a little research on what charities will take which items in your community. Not every charity will take everything, and most charities won’t take items that need repairs. However, some charities will pick up items from your home, saving you time and effort.
Go Paperless
One way to eliminate extra stuff in your home is to go paperless as much possible. Most companies have electronic billing options, so you’ll never receive a paper bill that you have to file or throw away again. Think about what catalogues and magazines you receive; then cancel those that you don’t read or browse regularly. Additionally, consider scanning bills and receipts as well as photographs to store them on the cloud instead of storing physical copies.
Small Living Room Ideas
Your living room is where much of your home life happens. From cozy reading sessions to weekend entertaining, your small living room will need to be as versatile as your lifestyle. As you start planning your design, the most important thing you can do is make sure your largest pieces of furniture, like your couch and coffee table, are in proportion to the size of the room. Creative storage then comes into play. Floating shelves keep your floors open while giving you places to store books and hang art. Hollow ottomans help hide extra blankets and remotes when not in use.
Small Living Room Essentials
Mirrors
Using several mirrors in a small room gives the illusion of more space in two ways. First, it reflects more light into the room, and more light means the space feels bigger and more airy. Second, reflections in general add more visual depth to a small room. Strategize where you hang mirrors to achieve specific effects. For example, if you hang a mirror opposite to a window, you’ll bring a little bit of the outside indoors, and if your mirror is near a lamp, you’ll reflect more light into the room.
Wheeled Carts
When your furniture is moveable, your space becomes more versatile. That’s why a wheeled bar cart is a perfect addition to a small living room. Wheeled carts are not limited to home bars. You can also use them as movable side tables decorated with home accents or as a handy serving tray during parties or movie nights.
Curtains
Curtains can make a huge difference in a small space. When you’re choosing window treatments, find a set that matches your wall color. When there are few or no “breaks” in color on the walls of a small space, the eye perceives a bigger space. Plus, the resulting simplicity of monochromatic walls and drapes means you have more control over what the visual focus of the room will be. When installing curtains, hang them as close to the ceiling as you can and make sure they’re long enough to hit the floor. This trick will make a small room look taller.
Glass Coffee Table
Clear sightlines in small spaces are always a plus. Anytime you can make a choice that keeps storage off the floor, your space will look more airy and clutter-free. A glass coffee table has a similar effect because it takes up less visual space than a traditional coffee table. Of course, this method also works for side tables and bookcases.
Shop the Look
Tap to view product details
Small Bedroom Ideas
A homey and comfortable vibe is the name of the game in bedroom decor, which is easy to accomplish in a small bedroom. That being said, it’s also important to have plenty of storage for clothes and other personal items that you keep in your bedroom. A few easy tips will help you get all the comfort and storage you need in one bright and beautiful small-space package.
Small Bedroom Essentials
Storage Beds
When decorating a small space, multipurpose furniture is your best friend. Using your bed as storage is a great place to get started. It’s easy to find all styles of bed frames that also include drawers or other storage solutions. Alternatively, there are plenty of under-the-bed storage options like baskets and bins that can be easily hidden with a bed skirt.
Vertical Dressers
Neatly folded clothes take up less space than any other way of storing clothing. That’s why having plenty of drawer space may be your best storage solution in a small bedroom. Choose a dresser that is tall rather than wide. Decor elements that are taller draw the eye up, making small spaces appear larger and more open.
Wall Lamps
A well-lit small space is a more open, airy, and happy place. Plenty of lighting is important, but doesn’t always feel practical when floor and surface space is limited and precious. Enter mounted wall lamps. Wall-mounted lamps and sconces come in every design style. They are perfect for bedside lighting because they keep your nightstand free for books, plants, cell phone chargers, and whatever else you need to make your space personal and cozy. Single lights set over each nightstand or a series of lights placed over the headboard are both perfectly elegant lighting solutions.
Bedding
The bed in your small space is likely to be the focal point, so it’s important that the bedding speaks to your style and sets the mood. Bedding in cool, light colors will work with a similar overall palette to make a bedroom feel open and bright. Choose dark and bold accent colors within this palette to add depth and interest to the room. Use bedding in deeper, richer colors for a cozier feel and visual effect. Balance out a more saturated color scheme with soft, neutral accents.
Small Bathroom Ideas
A bathroom may be the smallest room in your home, but that doesn’t mean it can’t handle big ideas. Using space creatively and efficiently will give you easy access to all your toiletries and towels while reinforcing a clean and uncluttered aesthetic. Using the walls as real estate for storage will give you all the space you need. From storage hooks on doors to floating shelves, there’s a small bathroom decor solution for you.
Small Bathroom Essentials
Mounted Cabinets
The wall space above your toilet is the best place for extra storage in a small bathroom. Floating shelves is a great fix for storing prettier items like towels, extra soaps, and hair products, but there are some bathroom items you’d rather keep behind closed doors. A mounted cabinet above the toilet gives you the same amount of storage but with a little more privacy. They come in several different sizes and styles to fit a variety of needs. Also, consider the iconic over-the-sink mirrored medicine cabinet for extra or alternative storage.
Shower Storage
With the right organizational items, your shower can become as uncluttered and zen as any room in your home. Inner shower curtains with mesh pockets make keeping almost any amount of shampoos, loofas, and body washes organized and within easy reach. Showerhead caddies, corner caddies with tension bars, and caddies and hooks with suction cups are also easy solutions for keeping every item in your shower in its place.
Floating Vanities
If you have the luxury of revamping all aspects of your bathroom, consider keeping your bathroom looking light and airy with a floating vanity. Unlike a pedestal sink, a floating vanity will keep all the plumbing hidden as well as give you a little extra storage. Decorative baskets or bins under a floating vanity can up your decor game and give you even more storage.
Shower Curtains
Sure, a shower curtain is a practical necessity, but that doesn’t mean it can’t shine as a centerpiece of your decor. With endless patterns, themes, and color schemes available, a shower curtain can lend a personal touch to your small bathroom. If you have a window in your shower and want to avoid obstructing the natural light, consider using a clear shower curtain — or a shower curtain with a clear top — to add depth and to keep your bathroom light and bright. A coordinating bath mat will make your bathroom decor complete.
Share this guide
Leave a Reply