How to Decorate Small Spaces

For many of us in our mid 20’s, small space living is a fact of life. Apartments never seem to have enough storage or maybe certain rooms in your house are just a bit smaller than you prefer.

Learning how to decorate these small spaces and still keep them entertaining ready can be a challenge – one that I face regularly! My fiancé and I recently moved into the most beautiful little apartment in Dallas with gorgeous floor to ceiling views of downtown. Although we absolutely love it, I must stress the LITTLE part of it. Condensing two people’s furniture and lives into one 700 SF apartment has proven to be tricky, so we have been extremely focused on how to maximize every inch.

I know we are not alone in this, so I have compiled our 12 key tricks to decorating and maximizing your space while keeping it entertaining ready.

12 Tips and Tricks:

1. Increase Kitchen Storage – It’s not uncommon, for apartments or older homes to have minimal pantry space or none at all. Get creative, and turn your hall closet into a pantry. Add some simple storage racks from Home Depot or the Container Store to serve as additional shelves for your pantry items.

2. Lighting – Keep it light! To make your space appear larger, use pale colors such as whites, beige, blues and greys. Neutral colors help create a nice flow to the house that isn’t overwhelming to the eye. You can then add a few pops of color here or there to add some personality. We went for a beige and white color palette and added hints of aqua in the living room to give it a serene and calming environment. We also added little pops of color in our decor, specifically in our design books. We used the same white and beige palette in the master bedroom, but instead of aqua we used navy and gold as our accent colors to give the room a little extra pop!

3. See-through/lighter furniture – Incorporate “see-through” furniture that feels lighter and doesn’t take up visual space. I love incorporating acrylic as well as glass pieces. The transparency of them makes the room seem larger, so there isn’t so much visual clutter. Also consider opting for furniture that is raised on legs. This gives the room an airy and open feel.

4. Account for traffic – When designing a smaller living room, it’s important to consider the flow of the room and traffic patterns. You want to make sure you balance seating with the flow and traffic of the room. While you may technically have space for a second couch, consider adding a prominent arm chair instead, so there is more space to move within the room. 

5. Add mirrors – Adding larger wall mirrors visually helps expand the space by reflecting the light. You can also use mirrored furniture pieces or decor to help create a larger space. This is one tip that I have not taken lightly and have filled our apartment to the brim with mirrors. Of course we have the large mirror over the couch which perfectly reflects the sunlight from our floor to ceiling windows, but we have also incorporated a standing floor mirror in the bedroom, and mirrored furniture and trays in the living room.

6. Large living furniture – Instinct tells us to use smaller furniture when decorating a smaller space. However, in reality, a few larger pieces in a small room will often times make it look larger.

7. Window treatments – The hands down easiest way to make a room seem taller and therefore more spacious is floor to  ceiling window treatments. Place the drapery rod two to three inches down from the ceiling and at least four inches on either side. This will make the window appear larger and let in more light. It can be difficult to find longer window panels that fit your space perfectly (and affordably), so I highly recommend having them custom made.  Avec Dieu Couture Home is one of my favorite shops on Etsy that creates custom drapes. 

8. Paint the ceiling – Consider painting your ceiling a bright color to make it pop! This will draw the eye upward and give the illusion of a taller ceiling.

9. Use multifunctional pieces – Find furniture that is dual purpose. An ottoman or trunk with built in storage is a good way to hide blankets and store some of those extra items to create a clean space.  We are using this adorable silver bar cart as an end table, and then when we need a good place to serve beverages, all we have to do is roll it out!

10. Creative eating areas – Consider adding bar stools to your countertop if you don’t have space for a full kitchen table or eating nook. Since we didn’t have space we used these bar stools from CB2 and then invested in a nicer outdoor table so we still had seating on our balcony.

 11. Delineate with rugs – Rugs are a great way to separate spaces and give each living area some structure. I personally love Fab Habitat’s indoor and outdoor eco-friendly line of rugs, as well as Sheepskin Country‘s rugs if you are looking for a cozy sheepskin rug!

12. Declutter! One of the best ways to open up a space is by decluttering! If you haven’t used something or worn something in over a year, get rid of it!

Shop the post:

Pantry Shelving Unit: The Container Store | Pantry Labels: Clementime Mercantile | Sheepskin Rug and Pillows: Sheepskin Country | Bedding: Ballard Designs | Painting: Jenn Thatcher | Glass Console Table: All Modern | Dallas Skyline Print: Synplus | Winnie Table Lamp: Joss and Main | Glass Coffee Table: All Modern | Mirrored Bar Cart: Joss and Main | Custom Drapes: Avec Dieu Couture Home | Outdoor Rug: Fab Habitat | Bar Stools:CB2 |

Photography by Beckley & Co.

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