How To Make A BIG Statement In A Small House

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Recently I was given the opportunity to design a small apartment at a local assisted/independent living facility.  This little apartment is going to be used a model/virtual tour for future retirees.  I was so honored to take the project because several months ago I staged one of the independent cottages affiliated with the same company, for a Realtor who was referred by another Realtor...talk about a long list of referrals!!!  That was what made it such an honor and so exciting!  

Anyhow, this cute one-bedroom apartment was so much fun to design, but there was just one issue...it was small.  So how do I make the space look functional for future resident's?  That was my biggest challenge going into this project.  

Starting with the living and dining area, these two rooms share the space; that there wasn't a lot of.  I wanted to use a regular sized sofa and oversized accent chair, but what about the small dining area?  Well the good news is there is a restaurant inside the facility for it's residents- so the dining area wasn't something I really wanted to play up.  I used these fun gold barstools and a small bistro table and chairs set, allowing for at least 4 guests to sit comfortably in the dining area. Without having to sacrifice the living area, I added the ottoman that functions as a coffee table and storage- because yes, the top comes off!  This piece serves 3 functions!  

SMALL SPACE PRO DESIGN TIP- Adding texture to the room helps create dimension in a small space

That oversized wall art above the sofa- one wouldn't think incorporating something really big in a small space would be right.  Wrong!  Texture gives the eye something to investigate, something to sink its teeth into, something that makes the whole space feel a lot bigger.  ​

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I think texture is something most people forget when designing a small space.  They focus more on storage solutions, often it’s intentionally overlooked for fear of cluttering up an already small space.  

You can add some small extra home décor pieces to add textures to your space. Focus on the finishes of your existing furniture pieces too. Like the faux fur rug I draped over the ottoman, the gold side table and  gold hammered lamp. It could even be a simple fabric couch with wooden arms and legs. The key to achieving visual balance and to keep visual clutter at bay is to have one or two pieces of furniture in similar textures.  The faux rug on the ottoman ties into a larger faux rug under the dining table.  

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Another way to work in texture in small spaces is through adding texture to walls. Textures on walls make a big impact and they don’t take up any floor space. You can do so through a variety of ways including wallpaper, textured paint like Dulux’s Ambiance Paints (the paints can offer up anything from a rustic linen feel to a luxurious marble finish), wall cladding or wall moulding.  In the living room I added a hanging ladder to a decorative hook then folded some textured throw blankets.  An easy and unique way to not only store extra blankets, but also adds texture!  

FINAL SMALL SPACE PRO DESIGN TIP: When adding textures to your space, use juxtapositions e.g. metallic vs matte, weathered vs smooth, see-through vs opaque. Keep in mind that textures don’t have to be felt to be sensed; they can also be visual to make an impact