6 minute read
Home = Castle
Make Any Space Beautiful
Decorating a small space can be tough. Fortunately we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve that will have you decorating anything from a dorm room to a breakfast nook with bravado.
Now, there’s a myth out there that to make a small space feel bigger you should only use white on your walls. Totally not true! By painting your wall a lighter version of your favorite hue and adding some small brighter, richer highlights (on the baseboard or curtain trim for example) you can achieve the same benefits of a white walled room without the super boring color palette.
While we’re on the subject of color, pick a single one that fits in well with your scheme and make sure all of the furniture in the room is that color. This will really bring the room together from a visual standpoint, creating an effect that plays on your sense of sight. The continuity of color causes the eye to glide over the room with ease.
Another furniture tip you might consider: If you have large pieces of furniture against the wall, paint or slip cover them the same color as the wall they are against. This will cause them to almost “melt” into the wall.
Of course when following these tips, you need to decide for yourself exactly what you’re trying to accomplish. You might not necessarily want your room to appear to be larger than it is. Sometimes a small space should be exactly what it is: a small space. It’s a great chance to create a room with a very cozy appeal. In these cases, use earth tones with lighter accents and white to keep it from becoming too dungeon like. Unless of course that’s what you’re going for… And in that case, have at it!
LEARN ALL ABOUT the EXPERT
Now if your entire home is a small space you’re likely plagued by the eternal scourge of (insert ominous music here) Storage Space. Fortunately, we’ve got some tips for that too.
The most important thing to remember here is to utilize walls and ceiling. Things like pegboards, hanging laundry bags and pot racks can be invaluable in saving some much needed space. Wire baskets in the kitchen and bathroom can hold small items with ease and hanging shoe rack can free up a lot of closet space. And if you get really desperate? Cover a large storage box with a sheet and you’ve got yourself an ottoman!
You might be wondering if there is anything you should avoid when decorating a small space. Great question! Trust me, there are a few danger zones. One thing you should avoid is the area rug. This is tough to do as most area rugs are pretty boss looking and you’re probably going to want one. Resist the urge and keep your floor as clean and open as possible.
And as long as you’re simplifying your floor, you might as well do the same thing to your windows. A small space is simply not the place to put your fancy puffed out lacy window treatments as fabulous as they may be! (Save those for your wow-rooms, like the dining room, living room or formal study.) Keep them pretty simple and the same color as your walls.
Andrew Beckman, Esquire is a self-proclaimed expert in the Art of Home Living. He credits his ability to make homes “shine” to his three-month studio residency in Amsterdam, and of course to his two muses, a pair of black labradoodles named Poochy and Sneezer.
Finally, I’d like to leave you with a tip you won’t find anywhere else: Buy a goldfish. Watching him swim around in that tiny glass prison will make your cramped room seem like a banquet hall in comparison. Not to mention giving yourself the illusion of superiority. That’s it gentle reader. Now, you get out there and make that small space ab-fab (absolutely fabulous)! A cockroach only needs 1/16 of an inch to get in your home. Call TERMINIX at 1.866.767.2401 to save 10% on a subscriptions start at $90 tickets
214.443.1000 dallasopera.org facebook fan profile // Kessler Park resident Debi La N g is founder and president of Caring For The World Films, a nonprofit production company that produces documentaries about relatively unknown but successful international humanitarian aid organizations.
What’s a little known fact about you?
I dream in foreign languages. Usually French, Spanish and Russian. I speak Russian, a little Spanish, but not French.
What’s your most embarrassing moment?
I am never embarrassed — I always call myself out and laugh about it. However, if I were to be embarrassed, I am certain it would involve a bodily function, and would be at a really classy place like the Winspear Opera House.
What’s the one thing you wish you could do but are reasonably sure you never will?
Summit Everest. However, I will get close base camp for sure.
What makes you laugh out loud?
When my hubby and I do “Song Speak”. It’s when you speak completely with song lyrics or song titles. It helps a lot if we have a glass of wine or a Mi Cocina Mambo Taxi.
What’s your strangest or most random Facebook friend connection?
[The page] “Overheard in The Control Room”. I could have written every post on it. Sooo funny to see that other people in the biz view TV the same as I do.
You said it
“The zoning issue is a smokescreen for the real issue of having the mentally ill in the neighborhood. I live nearby and I’m happy to welcome them as neighbors. To assume there will automatically be problems is to express a prejudice I find intolerable.”
—KAY on “L Awsuit LiKeLY in CLiff MAnor dispute”
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Marine fighter pilot, with a close second being a war reporter. I’ve wanted Walter’s (that would be Cronkite) job ever since the first time I watched him from my high chair. (My childhood nickname was Debi Wa Wa, as in Barbara Walters).
What’s one question you think other Facebook fans could help you answer?
What is the sugar-free recipe for those Mambo Taxis they serve at Mi Cocina? Actually, the regular recipe would be good to know as well!
How would you explain your neighborhood to someone living in, say, Newfoundland?
Hilly, green, eclectic, diverse, funky, close to everything, beautiful architecture, but make sure you wear your Kevlar coming into our area it’s a joke, calm down
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I have lots of love for The Happy Bullets. —KELLY JARRELL HARRIS
The Lupners! —VERNON MONZINGO
I love the Backsliders and all of the Chris Holt bands. I love RTB2. I love Trey Johnson. (You know darn well there are too many mega-talents in this town to single out just one!) —SAMSEQUENZIA
Oliver’s Army —CARRIE HUNNICUTT
Clay Pendergrass of Morning Elephant —TORI WEBB PENDERGRASS
Monte Montgomery! —CHASKA NORWOOD
Lovie —STEVELUCAS
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