Tricks For Small Space

When you have a small space it can be difficult to make certain areas to stand out without the room looking too crowded. Here are a few small space tricks that will add impact to certain items and spaces in your small room.

Artwork

Trick the eye into perceiving small rooms as more spacious by using wide mats and large frames for pieces of art like photographs and paintings. Use the artwork to create focal points in your room, but surround them with visual breathing space rather than crowding them together. You can still hang several pieces on a gallery-style wall, the large mats and frames will create the breathing space you need.

Sculptures

For those of you who have impressive or well-loved pieces, call attention to them by placing them on a plinth (a platform used to add height). Like artwork, don’t crowd them in with other items, but rather give them some breathing space. Alternatively, you can place them in a high contrast vignette. Take a look at the photo for example. It’s very dramatic due to the contrasting black and white and the collection of shapes.

Furniture

Give your small pieces of furniture some impact by accenting them with high-contrast details. One of the best ways is to cover an upholstered piece in a solid, pale fabric and then outline it with piping (or welting) in a high contrast color such as black. The piece will instantly assume a larger visual proportion.

Windows

Sometimes small windows are a fact of life, but you can give them a visual punch by making them look larger. Hang draperies outside the window frames and as high as possible to “fake it”. Keep the draperies the same color as the surrounding walls to increase the impact and make the wall appear larger.

Seating Area

If you want to call attention to a seating area (say if you live in a studio or open-concept loft) throw a graphic, patterned rug on the floor in the center of the space (under the coffee table if you’ve got one). A zebra rug for instance, will immediately draw the eye. Just be sure to use subtle fabric on the surrounding furniture to get the most impact.