El Residente
36 Design Wise by Shelagh Duncan
Decorating Tips to Maximize Small-Space Living
J
ust purchased or moved into a new home? Finding furnishing and decorating a bit challenging because it’s a smaller space than you are used to? Remember, bigger is not always better. Lovely as they are, large homes are more expensive to furnish and maintain. Here, in this tropical paradise, where we spend so much of our time outdoors, do we really need all that interior space? Probably not. Whatever size home you have, you still want to make the most of it. In this article we will be looking at maximizing small-space living. There are decorating challenges of course, but the key is to always make the most appropriate choices for the space you are living in. So, here are a few tips you can try to help your condo, house, or room appear larger and more spacious.
FURNITURE FOR SMALL SPACES One of the biggest mistakes people make when decorating a small room is to fill it with overstuffed or large-scale
furnishings. Smaller rooms and homes require smaller, or more lightly-scaled, furniture. One large item, a sectional for example, will make the room seem more open than a sofa and two chairs.
Try to avoid pushing all your furniture up against the walls. Leave some “breathing space” behind your sofa; just 6" to 12" will do it. Create groupings, place a couple of chairs at an angle to add interest, and float your sofa in the room if space allows. Small changes can make a big difference.
In any small space it’s important to not to feel boxed in, so keep colors light and choose furniture with a low profile and clean lines. Pieces with exposed legs add to the open feel, as do sofas and chairs with low, slim arms. It is harder to get condo-scaled furniture here, so look for multi-use pieces to cut down on the amount of furniture you need: nesting tables, an extendable dining table, sofa sleepers, and even stacking or folding chairs are all very practical.
