Decorating small spaces can be a seemingly impossible puzzle. You want to fit everything you want and need to the space, without it looking cramped and cluttered.
Colour Scheme
Brighter, softer colours instantly make your space feel so much bigger. Neutral tones are a great place to start. This doesn’t necessarily mean paint everything white. A feature wall can be a great edition, to draw the eye through the room and make the space feel even bigger.
Small spaces tend to open spaces, so it is important that your theme is cohesive. This doesn’t mean that everything has to match, thinking about shades, colour pallets and materials so the eye can flow through the space, as often many rooms are visible at once.
Add greenery
Adding greenery makes your space feel so much more homely. Utilise all the space you have available. Display plants on windowsill, hanging from the ceiling or on top of shelves. Even the smallest plant can make a big difference to the feel of your room.
Create the illusion of height
By styling your room with curtains with vertical stripes, you create the illusion of height. Light and airy fabrics, such as cotton or linen are the best to allow natural light through and keep the room bright and airy.
Focus on lighting
Small spaces can often feel dark with small or sometimes non existent windows. Add extra lighting in every room to compensate for the lack of natural light. Include ceiling fixtures, table and wall lamps for a cosy bright atmosphere. Try to avoid floor lamps in small spaces to avoid cluttering up the floor space.
Mirror mirror on the wall
If you haven't got many natural light sources, mirrors are a great way to increase the natural light by reflecting it around the room. Mirrors also help to make the space feel larger by giving the illusion of a larger space.
Choose the right scale furniture
You don’t need to fill every inch of a room, embrace negative space to give the illusion of a bigger space and allow somewhere for the eye to rest. Make sure the furniture you choose is the right size for the space you have available. A giant corner sofa is not necessarily the best way to utilise less space in a small living room. It can look out of place and cluttered.
A general rule of thumb is that your sofa should not occupy the full length of your wall. There should be around 18 inches of space either side of your sofa. Nobody wants to be clambering over furniture every time you want to make a brew to watch Love Island with.
Choose functional storage
Opt for an ottoman or bench with hidden storage to fully utilise the space you have available. This will also double up as extra seating when you have a guest visit. Choose a bed with built in drawers or an ottoman style bed for lots of extra storage underneath
Add storage into your decor, if you have open shelving, add a couple of decorative baskets into your theme, this is not only visually pleasing, but practical too.
Less is more
This is a rule I live by in whatever size house I live in. However in smaller spaces it is even more important. It’s far too easy to overdo it with decor in small spaces and make it look cluttered.
Think about what you REALLY need in the space, and remove anything that is unnecessary and just cluttering up the room.