Small Space, Big Impact: The Top 10 Design Hacks from Our Interior Design Company
Do you live in a tiny apartment? Maybe you have a small home office or a studio space. It is easy to feel stuck. You might think you have to give up on beautiful design.
That is simply not true. We hear this from clients all the time. Small Space, Big Impact: The Top 10 Design Hacks from Our Interior Design Company will show you a better way.
We believe that great design is not about how many square feet you have. Instead, it is about how you use every inch. Our team works with small spaces every single day. We transform cramped, dark rooms into bright, welcoming, and functional homes.
We use smart planning and a little design magic. Therefore, you can have a home that feels open, airy, and totally you.
This guide shares our top ten secrets. These are the powerful design changes that make a huge difference. You can do many of these yourself right now. You can also hire a professional team like ours to handle the big changes.
- Embrace Vertical Space: The Power of Up
When you cannot build out, you must build up. This is the first and most important rule for small spaces. Think about the walls, not just the floor.
For example, do you need more storage in the kitchen? Stop buying another floor cabinet. Instead, install shelves that go all the way up to the ceiling. This draws the eye up, which makes the ceiling feel higher. In a living room, use tall, narrow bookcases.
These hold hundreds of books and still leave room for your couch. Furthermore, tall pieces of furniture do not make a room look cluttered. They make it look more organized and thoughtful.
- In short, use tall, narrow pieces.
- Also, install floating shelves high up on the wall.
- For instance, in a bedroom, a tall dresser is always better than a wide one.
- In addition, this simple trick changes the whole feel of the room.
We always advise our clients to look at the space above their doors. This is wasted space! We build simple, deep shelves here for storing linens, games, or seasonal items. It is space you never even knew you had.
- The Magic of Mirrors: Double Your Space
This is one of the oldest tricks in the book, yet it still works like a charm. Mirrors are amazing tools for small spaces. Clearly, they reflect light.
This instantly makes a room brighter. Beyond that, they create the illusion of depth. Your brain thinks the room keeps going into the mirror.
- Thus, place a large mirror on the wall opposite a window. The mirror will reflect the view and the natural light. This makes the room feel twice as large.
- Conversely, avoid too many small, framed mirrors. They can look cluttered.
- Rather, choose one very large mirror with a simple frame. This gives a clean, modern look.
- Specifically, look for floor-length mirrors. They add height as well as width.
We often use mirrored panels on closet doors or cabinet faces in hallways. A narrow, dark hallway suddenly becomes a bright, open walkway. In conclusion, a mirror is a window where no window can be.
- Choose Furniture with Legs: Give the Floor a Break
When furniture sits directly on the floor, it looks heavy. It makes the entire room feel heavy and full. Consequently, the room appears smaller.
- On the contrary, choose sofas, chairs, and cabinets that stand on visible legs.
- Therefore, when you can see the floor space underneath the furniture, the room feels lighter and more open.
- Simultaneously, this small visual gap tricks the eye into seeing more room.
Similarly, use nesting tables instead of one large coffee table. You can pull them out when guests arrive. Then, you can tuck them neatly away when you finish with them. This is the definition of flexible, small-space design.
- Double-Duty Furniture: The Secret to Efficiency
Every single piece of furniture in a small space must earn its keep. It needs to do more than one job. We call this “double duty” design.
- To explain, a storage ottoman is a stool, a coffee table, and a blanket holder all in one.
- Next, a daybed is a sofa by day and a guest bed by night.
- Clearly, a drop-leaf table works for dinner when it is up, and it functions as a console table when it is down.
Our favorite hack is a bed with drawers built into the base. This completely replaces the need for a separate dresser. Small Space, Big Impact: The Top 10 Design Hacks from Our Interior Design Company relies heavily on this principle.
Never buy a piece of furniture that does only one thing. If it does not fold, store, or expand, do not buy it.
- Master the Monochromatic Palette
A lot of people think they need a bright accent wall to make a small room interesting. However, a room with too many different colors feels choppy. It breaks up the space into smaller sections.
- Instead, try to use one color, or shades of one color, for the entire room.
- Specifically, paint the walls, trim, and ceiling in slightly different shades of white, gray, or soft blue.
- As a result, your eye flows smoothly across the room without stopping. This creates a sense of vastness.
Then, you can add interest with texture. Think about a fuzzy rug, a smooth velvet pillow, or a chunky knit throw. These textures bring warmth and depth without breaking up the color flow.
- See-Through Furniture: The Ghost Effect
What is the best type of furniture for a tiny dining area? Furniture that almost disappears.
- For example, a clear acrylic or glass table does not block your view of the floor or the wall.
- Hence, the room feels more open because your eye can travel right through the piece.
We use clear plastic or acrylic dining chairs all the time in our small-space projects. They are surprisingly comfortable. Most importantly, they take up zero visual space. This makes a huge difference in a combined living and dining area.
- Scale Down the Accessories, Not the Furniture
It is a mistake to buy a tiny couch for a tiny room. You still need a comfortable place to sit. However, you should scale down your accessories.
- In fact, small accessories are the main cause of clutter.
- Therefore, ditch the dozens of little knick-knacks, small frames, and tiny vases.
- Furthermore, choose a few large, meaningful objects instead.
A large piece of art on the wall is better than a gallery of 20 small pictures. One big, lush houseplant is better than five small pots on a windowsill. To summarize, a few big things feel purposeful. Many small things feel messy.
- Slide and Glide: The Door Solution
Doors take up a huge amount of valuable wall space. You cannot put furniture where a door swings open.
- On that note, consider replacing traditional hinged doors with sliding barn doors or, even better, pocket doors.
- Obviously, a pocket door slides right into the wall and vanishes. This frees up that whole corner for a dresser, a chair, or a standing lamp.
This is a structural change, but it is one of the most effective solutions a professional Interior Design Company can offer. If you want to make a truly big change, start with the doors.
- Zoning with Rugs and Lighting: The Open-Concept Helper
Open-concept living is great for small homes. However, it can feel messy if you do not define the areas.
- Specifically, use a large area rug to anchor a space. The rug tells the eye, “This is the living room area.”
- Likewise, a second, smaller rug under a desk says, “This is the work zone.”
Lighting does the same thing. Use a single, large pendant light above the dining table. Use a floor lamp and a table lamp near the sofa for the living area.
As a result, you have one big room with several distinct, functional zones. Small Space, Big Impact: The Top 10 Design Hacks from Our Interior Design Company will make your home feel both open and organized.
- Maximize Light: Ditch the Heavy Drapes
Dark, heavy curtains absorb light and make your windows look smaller. This instantly shrinks your room.
- First, choose simple, light-filtering roller shades or sheer white curtains. You still get privacy, but you let the light shine through.
- Second, make sure your curtain rod is wider than the window frame. Hang the rod a few inches above the window. This makes the window itself look much bigger.
This simple change brings in maximum natural light, which is always the best way to make any small space feel expansive and fresh. It is the final, essential piece of the puzzle.
Your Small Space Can Be Your Best Space
We have worked with hundreds of clients who felt frustrated by their small homes. They thought the only answer was to move. But, after applying these ten core principles, they fell in love with their homes all over again.
Remember, the goal is not to fill the space. The goal is to make the space work for your life. By building up, using smart furniture, and embracing light, you can completely change your home.
You can start small today. For example, try moving a piece of furniture onto a visible leg or replacing a heavy drape with a sheer one. Then, watch how the room changes.
If you are ready for a bigger change, our Interior Design Company specializes in solving complex small-space problems. We love turning the challenge of a tiny footprint into the triumph of brilliant design.
Small Space, Big Impact: The Top 10 Design Hacks from Our Interior Design Company is just the beginning.
