Where you live often determines
size of your living space. Having lived in many different states I know that size of average home in California is very different from size of average home in Texas or Arizona. But you don’t have to feel trapped by your limited or excessive living space. With a few clever decorating tricks you can make a small space appear bigger or you can scale down a large space. To begin, acquire pieces of furniture that appropriately reflect a room’s proportions. Furniture should either fill in dead space or echo shape of room.
SMALL LIVING SPACES
Small spaces don’t have to be confining; make them cozy instead. Here are a few decorating tips for small spaces:
1. Choose Right Furniture - If your room is small but frequently needs to accommodate plenty of people, fill it with a few large pieces that offer ample seating. This will give room a well-organized, uncluttered look that is also functional.
2. Use Lighter Hues - Cool colors like blue and green make smaller spaces feel larger.
3. Decorate Monochromatically - Soothing tone-on-tone paint techniques, fabrics, and patterns can open up a room. Creams and whites, icy blues, pale greens and butter yellows are just a few of colors that will work.
4. Eliminate Obstructions - The farther you can see into and through a space, larger and more open it will seem. Arrange furniture to open up areas of floor. Avoid blocking views to windows and doors by using low benches, ottomans and armless chairs.
5. Match Furniture to Wall Color - Are your walls a pale golden yellow? If so, consider painting some of wood furniture to match. Even large chests and armoires will begin to melt into background when finished in a color that's close to wall tone. Add tone-on-tone stencil details to doors for added interest.
6. Add More Light - Banish shadows by uncovering windows and adding light fixtures. Consider cove lighting, uplights, rope lights, bookshelf lights, and any other of myriad of light fixtures available.
Soft upholstery, dramatic lighting and proper use of color can turn a tiny nook into an intimate and wonderful corner.
LARGE LIVING SPACES
Bringing a sense of warmth to a large room is as much of a challenge as giving a small room appearance of spaciousness, but there are ways to bring expansive spaces into friendly proportion. Here are a few decorating tips for large spaces:
