Decorating A Small Space

My daughter Lexie is moving into a new apartment. As she and I begin the process of figuring out how to decorate this new home, I thought I would bring you along to share some tips on how to best decorate a small space.

Tip #1: White (or light) walls reflect light. Here is a photo showing the light gray walls of the apartment. Light colors reflect light and lighten a space. It allows the light to bounce around a room versus light being saturated into a dark wall and stopping. Another thing to notice in this room is the dark floors. Anytime you have light and dark elements together, you create "high contrast". Simply meaning that there is a strong contrast between the two. This creates interest. So the light walls and dark floor will already open up the space before we do any decorating.

Tip #2: Think vertical. Go up when you are decorating to create height. Have your drapes hang from the very top of the wall versus right above the window. Or go vertical with floor-to-ceiling shelves (as seen in the photo above). Have art hung so that it goes up versus being low. Going vertical does two things: it tricks the eye into thinking the space is taller than it is and it also utilizes every available inch so that you are maximizing the space.

Tip #3: Layer so that you create interest and contrast. Layering a mix of colors and prints can give depth to your space and make it seem airy. Since we haven't decorated Lexie's apartment yet, above is a photo to give you an idea of what mixing colors and prints can do in a small space. The white walls give the perfect backdrop for pops of color and for mixing of different textures and prints. It makes this room interesting . They also went up on the wall with the art, and have shelving that is higher on the wall. This all creates vertical height.

Tip #4: Add lighting. Lighting makes a room feel warm and welcoming. Several lamps will create a warm glow. It makes the room feel bigger. If you only have one overhead light, it will make the room feel stark and cold (and small!).

In the photo above, they have done several things that are great in small spaces. They went vertical with the art to create height. They have light walls with pops of color. They have different textures and different prints to create interest. And they have several lamps. Each space has it's own lighting. I can imagine this room at night with the lamps on and I am sure the lighting creates a cozy glow.

Tip #5: Ruthlessly declutter. A small space will not feel light and airy when it is full of clutter. Only bring what you really need and love into your smaller space. I know this is a hard one, but your small space will feel even smaller if every surface is covered with clutter.

One last photo to show you some of the tips for a small space. They have painted the walls white, have pops of color, have different textures and patterns, they have brought the lighting down and have brought the art up. They have floating shelves higher on the wall. All of these help create an airy space that feel bigger and brighter.

I will take you along on the journey to decorate Lexie's apartment. In the meantime, I hope these tips on decorating a small space help you with your home.