Decorating Small Spaces

Sometimes, apartments or homes, although quite large, can seem chaotic and disorganized. Yet a small spaces that are well organized, can seem so much bigger.

There doesn’t exist the house that’s so bad it can’t be converted into something well worth it

-Elsie Wolfe-

This shows that the problem is not a lack of space, but rather one of organization. We’ll show you some solutions for making a space seem larger, including some very original ones.

What to take into account when decorating small spaces

You should study the space available. You can always use space well, even when it seems too small to do anything with.

Have you noticed that sometimes we surround ourselves with completely useless objects? You should think about what you really want to keep.

You could also try reallocating the space you have. For example, remove partitions to make two rooms into one. It’s true that by doing this you’re losing two rooms, but you’ll gain a sense of openness.

It’s advisable not to have too much furniture. Size doesn’t matter so much as the quantity of furniture.

On the other hand, you can’t forget the importance of natural light inside the house. The more light, the airier and open it will feel.

You can increase this sense of airiness by choosing a light color for the walls. This applies to curtains or blinds as well.

If the ceilings are high, you can take advantage of this and build a small attic.

You could use it as a storage space (for example in a small corridor, with the storage running the length of the wall) or even as a sleeping space, as long as it’s wide enough.

If you have stairs, you could use the free space below them. The best use of space could be putting up shelves or hanging boxes for storage.

Try to maintain continuity in the flooring materials. Also, some living spaces have more than one use.

Sometimes we have multi-use spaces, such as a living and dining room, living room/kitchen, living room and bedroom. You should maintain the same style throughout in these rooms.

Make furniture to size. Do this so you can really utilize all the available space you have.

You could use each pillar or column in a room to hang shelves or install fitted cupboards. Don’t see them as something that’s in the way; they can be very appealing and useful.

The objects and furniture to use to decorate small spaces

Boxes below the beds

You could use boxes to store shoes, sheets, tablecloths… Also, as they won’t be on show, the boxes don’t need to be particularly pretty. You could buy them with wheels, so it’s easier to pull them out when they’re full.

Use bunk beds

If you do this, you will be able to take much better advantage of the space available in the room. Traditional bunk beds consist of two fixed beds. They can be either directly on top of each other or at a 90° angle.

Apart from traditional bunk beds, you could choose a bunk bed that allows you to fold both beds against the wall when not in use. Or you could just fold one bed against the wall. You can do this with individual beds too. A folding bed or couch always helps when optimizing small spaces.

Sometimes, a bunk bed has a bed on the top part, and a table, desk or even a sofa on the bottom.

Use a sofa bed

This is ideal for when you have visitors, but don’t have a spare bedroom.

Choose sliding doors instead of swinging doors 

You could look for doors of the same color as the wall which can make a room seem larger. You could also take advantage of the free space above these doors to hang shelves.

Folding chairs, stools, and tables.

We recommend that you fix tables to the wall. You could also hang chairs or stools on hooks on the wall, for example behind doors. That way they’re out of sight when they’re not in use.

Use extendable tables or a set of nesting tables

Extendable tables have an extra bit you can pull out when you need more space. Nesting tables are different sizes that fit inside each other.

If there isn’t sufficient space for bookcases or cabinets, opt for individual shelves that are easier to hang and relocate.

Choose wall sconces. That way, you’ll be able to light up your bedside table or desk without taking up space.

Hang a mirror to give the impression of greater space.

If possible, hang radiators or heaters below the windows. By doing this you can save more space.

A final word about decorating small spaces

As you can see, having a small home is no excuse to not organize your space well. Remember that the most important thing is to study the space you have available and work out the ideal placement of the objects and furniture.