Interior design for small spaces

Some readers may remember that I shared about growing up in a smaller home.  When I was younger, I think I wanted many things about our house to be different, however when I entered college, I realized that the entire experience really was the turning point for me into a career in design, even if I didn’t know it at the time.  I loved re-imagining our space to make it more beautiful and peaceful, and to help it be the best it could be for us, because there were times it seemed we were literally on top of each other.

Designed well, a smaller space is beautiful and useful (pinterest)

Even now, when I encounter small or difficult spaces, I still feel a certain fondness for them because it is natural for me to want to re-purpose most any space into a well-designed area.

Proportion and color are key in a smaller space (Elle Decor)

This dining room is actually a very small space, however because it was designed properly,  your eye is drawn upward with the color on the chandelier and the line created by the drapery.  The light wall color helps open up the space visually.

The primary color of this white kitchen helps open up what could otherwise be a dark, closed in room in the home (pinterest)

Where we live now, there are still some smaller, strangely shaped, unique spaces in the older homes, particularly along the coast or in the hills and foothills, and I think in general, people are somewhat afraid to work with these smaller, unique spaces.  It’s OK to ‘go big’ in a smaller space, just in doses!  It’s all about balance, you just may want to refrain from doing the entire room in pattern and texture!  I remember the lady that lived next door to us actually designed a room entirely in red flocked wallpaper, similar to this bathroom below, and I would get dizzy if I spent too much time in there.

Too much pattern?

Big color and pattern work best in small spaces in doses, broken up by neutral resting points

(apt therapy)

How about you? What are your challenges with your small spaces?  Do you find them easier to work with or more difficult to design?