Furnishing a large property may be an expensive undertaking but in other ways it can be much easier than furnishing a small apartment or a single room. With so much space at your disposal, a large property offers a host of possibilities and very little in the way of limitations. A small space, on the other hand, requires careful planning and certain compromises if you are to achieve a pleasing result. In this short article, we are going to take a look at some of the tips and tricks professionals make use of when furnishing less capacious properties.
How the Professionals Tackle Small Spaces
Below is a short list of factors you should bear in mind when furnishing a compact property or room, along with some tips on how to cope with each one.
- Functionality – When you only have a limited amount of space with which to work, functionality becomes extremely important. This does not mean that you cannot include decorative items in your interior design but you should try to ensure that they are functional too. In the kitchen, for example, you can utilise the space underneath a small breakfast bar to store crockery or other items, rather than just leaving it unused. Dual-purpose furniture, such as sofa beds, is another great idea when furnishing a small property.
- Creating Separate Areas in One Room – Many small apartments have a single main room that serves as a kitchen, dining room and living area, and sometimes even a bedroom too. If you furnish such a space carelessly, it will end up looking cluttered and confused. The trick to making a studio apartment look stylish is to use pieces of furniture to mark out separate areas: to create distinct living, sleeping, dining and kitchen area without walls. For example: your breakfast bar will naturally separate the kitchen and dining areas and you can place your sofa at the foot of your bed, facing away from it of course, to draw attention to the centre of the living space rather than to the sleeping area.
- Colour and Its Effect on Space – When decorating and furnishing a compact apartment or house, it is advisable to use light colours that will create a more spacious feeling. Dark colours, unless used sparingly, will have the opposite effect: the walls and furniture will appear to crowd in on you, making you feel cramped and claustrophobic. If you have small children in your home, cream or white sofas and chairs may seem like an impractical choice but if you choose a suite with upholstery that can be easily washed or wiped clean, it could still work well in a family environment.
There are, of course, many more tips that you can follow when furnishing a small space but that is all we have room for in this article! If you would like some professional advice on how to furnish your property, or perhaps some help sourcing everything you need, please feel free to get in touch with us at your convenience.