Decorating Small Spaces

Create big impact in compact quarters with our 10 tips using furniture, mirrors, storage, flooring and more. Plus, get more decorating tips from hundreds of exhibitors at the National Home Show presented by RE/MAX, which runs from February 19 to 28, 2010. Advance discount tickets are available now.

1. Create double-duty spaces

Make rooms multi-purpose by delineating areas with the use of seating, tables, rugs and artwork. Creating distinct zones for relaxing, working, entertaining or eating within a room will give it an expansive feeling, even though it may contain more furniture.

2. Set a dresser outside the bedroom

Choose a slim dresser or bureau as a hallway catchall piece. It will provide a tabletop surface for a lamp and a few decorative accessories, while drawers offer lots of extra storage.

3. Keep work hidden

Create a workstation with a small secretary-style desk that can be closed up to hide clutter when not in use. The Pulaski desk from Alta Moda Furniture—a  National Home Show exhibitor— is the perfect solution to limited home office space, for example.

4. Choose leggy furniture

Make a compact living room appear more open and airy by choosing a sofa and coffee table with visible legs.

5. Add storage up high

Maximize vertical space by installing kitchen cabinets up to the ceiling. You’ll gain storage space while creating the illusion of height. Adding a shelf around the top of other rooms can also help, says Ty Pennington, spokesperson for the National Home Show. Get more little-project tips from Ty, and get advance tickets to enjoy his one-day appearance on Friday, February 19th. 

6. De-clutter bedside tables

Opt for wall-mounted lamps to free up precious bedside tabletop space for a book, water carafe and alarm clock.

7. Store with style

Add a custom look to big box bookshelves by adding moulding to the top and caulking and painting visible seams.

8. Keep flooring consistent

Using the same flooring and rug style throughout a small space will help create a sense of flow. For great flooring ideas, visit the Metropolitan Hardwood Floors booth at the National Home Show.

9. Expand with mirrors

Use large mirrors, either wall-mounted or leaned up against a wall, to create the illusion of a larger room.  Find out more about made-to-measure framed mirrors from Positive Space Interiors at the National Home Show.

10. Use convertible furniture

A cube storage ottoman does double-duty as seating or a coffee table, a wall-mounted flip-down dining table frees up floor space when not in use, and a pull-down murphy bed can be hidden away during the day. The stained beech veneer wall bed from B.O.F.F. Wall Beds—a National Home Show exhibitor—looks just like a refined cabinet, for instance.

Get advance tickets online for the National Home Show and save $5 by using the promo code: house. Plus, get more solutions to your home decorating dilemmas in our Little Projects Guide.

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