7 Simple Rules for Designing a Small Space
Make the most of your compact rooms and be super-stylish with these tips and tricks
Victoria Harrison
26 February 2021
Editor, Houzz UK and Ireland
Small spaces demand careful thought and clever ideas, but they can also be incredibly rewarding if you get the design right. Follow these rules to make the most of your mini room.
1. Have one showstopper piece
In a small space, each design decision needs to be carefully considered. But a tiny pad also offers you the opportunity to make a statement, as colour, texture and pattern will all shine if the rest of the room is kept neutral and neat.
In this little flat, the owners decided to make a splash with a beautiful mint green kitchen, which is the ‘showstopper’ element of the open-plan living space.
They invested in a small number of handmade glazed tiles in a colour they loved, and carried the shade across all the units to create a shining green jewel of a kitchen at the heart of the space. It instantly takes the focus away from the small dimensions of the room, providing a focal point as well as a talking point.
In a small space, each design decision needs to be carefully considered. But a tiny pad also offers you the opportunity to make a statement, as colour, texture and pattern will all shine if the rest of the room is kept neutral and neat.
In this little flat, the owners decided to make a splash with a beautiful mint green kitchen, which is the ‘showstopper’ element of the open-plan living space.
They invested in a small number of handmade glazed tiles in a colour they loved, and carried the shade across all the units to create a shining green jewel of a kitchen at the heart of the space. It instantly takes the focus away from the small dimensions of the room, providing a focal point as well as a talking point.
2. Think bespoke
Off-the-peg pieces don’t always work in small rooms, where every inch of space needs to be considered carefully. This is where bespoke solutions, such as cabinetry, really come into their own.
This sloping ceiling, for example, means a regular wall cabinet wouldn’t work. Instead, a smart, angled cabinet, which also serves as the bathroom mirror, has been designed to fill every inch of the space, and is a design feature in its own right.
Find a renovation professional in Singapore
Off-the-peg pieces don’t always work in small rooms, where every inch of space needs to be considered carefully. This is where bespoke solutions, such as cabinetry, really come into their own.
This sloping ceiling, for example, means a regular wall cabinet wouldn’t work. Instead, a smart, angled cabinet, which also serves as the bathroom mirror, has been designed to fill every inch of the space, and is a design feature in its own right.
Find a renovation professional in Singapore
3. Don’t be afraid of the dark
When faced with a small room, the instinctive response can be to paint it in a pale colour to boost the feeling of space. But in a tiny area, it can actually pay to try the opposite technique and paint it dark, to make a virtue of the small size and create a snug bolthole.
This little living room corner, for instance, feels warm and intimate thanks to the rich, enveloping colour of the walls, curtains and furnishings, and shows how being bold can be really effective.
It’s sometimes easier to be brave with colour in a small space, too, as it can feel like less of a commitment to experiment with paint on a small wall area than to cover a large room.
Making deep shades look great for the home
When faced with a small room, the instinctive response can be to paint it in a pale colour to boost the feeling of space. But in a tiny area, it can actually pay to try the opposite technique and paint it dark, to make a virtue of the small size and create a snug bolthole.
This little living room corner, for instance, feels warm and intimate thanks to the rich, enveloping colour of the walls, curtains and furnishings, and shows how being bold can be really effective.
It’s sometimes easier to be brave with colour in a small space, too, as it can feel like less of a commitment to experiment with paint on a small wall area than to cover a large room.
Making deep shades look great for the home
4. Make mirrors your friend
Tricking the eye into thinking a space is bigger than it is with mirrors is a simple design tip that shouldn’t be underestimated.
You don’t have to cover a wall in one large piece of mirror to get the effect, either. Slivers can be just as effective, whether you fit them behind a kitchen worktop, as shown here, tuck them into an alcove, or run them up a vertical wall.
By reflecting light and creating the illusion there’s a view beyond, mirrors can make a small, boxy room feel instantly more airy. Position them opposite windows and light sources for maximum impact, and play with finishes, such as foxed or tinted, for a more decorative effect.
Tricking the eye into thinking a space is bigger than it is with mirrors is a simple design tip that shouldn’t be underestimated.
You don’t have to cover a wall in one large piece of mirror to get the effect, either. Slivers can be just as effective, whether you fit them behind a kitchen worktop, as shown here, tuck them into an alcove, or run them up a vertical wall.
By reflecting light and creating the illusion there’s a view beyond, mirrors can make a small, boxy room feel instantly more airy. Position them opposite windows and light sources for maximum impact, and play with finishes, such as foxed or tinted, for a more decorative effect.
5. Organise every inch
There simply isn’t room for clutter in a small space, so you need to be regimented when it comes to storage and organisation. Take an inventory of everything you own in each room and try to carve out a space for each item, so it can be placed back in its nook or on its shelf whenever it isn’t needed.
Extend shelving as high as possible to make the most of vertical space, and subdivide shelves and cabinets into smaller areas to suit your own needs for greater control of how you use the space.
Some units have adjustable shelves to allow you to do this easily, but if your shelves are fixed, you can buy storage dividers or add hooks, as shown here, to squeeze out every inch of functionality.
There simply isn’t room for clutter in a small space, so you need to be regimented when it comes to storage and organisation. Take an inventory of everything you own in each room and try to carve out a space for each item, so it can be placed back in its nook or on its shelf whenever it isn’t needed.
Extend shelving as high as possible to make the most of vertical space, and subdivide shelves and cabinets into smaller areas to suit your own needs for greater control of how you use the space.
Some units have adjustable shelves to allow you to do this easily, but if your shelves are fixed, you can buy storage dividers or add hooks, as shown here, to squeeze out every inch of functionality.
6. Invest in luxury
In a small space, it’s more likely you’ll be able to splash out on luxury materials, as you’ll need a much smaller quantity than for a larger room. It can sometimes have a bigger impact than the same material in a larger space, too.
In a bathroom or kitchen, this could mean treating yourself to marble tiles, as shown here. Elsewhere, you could invest in a small piece of beautiful fabric to dress a petite window, or a richly detailed rug for a small living room.
Looking to luxe up your bathroom?
In a small space, it’s more likely you’ll be able to splash out on luxury materials, as you’ll need a much smaller quantity than for a larger room. It can sometimes have a bigger impact than the same material in a larger space, too.
In a bathroom or kitchen, this could mean treating yourself to marble tiles, as shown here. Elsewhere, you could invest in a small piece of beautiful fabric to dress a petite window, or a richly detailed rug for a small living room.
Looking to luxe up your bathroom?
7. Be flexible
Furniture has to work extra hard in a small space, so consider multi-functional pieces that can be adapted to different social situations.
Sofa-beds are great for transforming a living room into a guest bedroom, while modular sofas with movable sections are useful for compact spaces, as they can be moved around and reconfigured to clear some floor space if required.
Tell us
What are your top ideas for small spaces? Let us know in the Comments section.
Read more stories about small spaces
Furniture has to work extra hard in a small space, so consider multi-functional pieces that can be adapted to different social situations.
Sofa-beds are great for transforming a living room into a guest bedroom, while modular sofas with movable sections are useful for compact spaces, as they can be moved around and reconfigured to clear some floor space if required.
Tell us
What are your top ideas for small spaces? Let us know in the Comments section.
Read more stories about small spaces
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@cassandrascott24: Update - away visitng family last week; get home to find a letter from the hospital "rearranging" my surgery for 18th August !!!!! No explanation, and no apology, really. Phoned this morning - seems to be that the surgeons are starting to take more time off, and they give minimal notice, so the rest of the staff have to pick up the pieces ... Very unsatisfactory. Looks like I'm stuck in "my small space" until much later in the Summer. The bathroom in No. 6 looks very stylish, but the bath would remain pristine: NO WAY could I climb into or out of that !!
Little Jem
Sorry to hear that, LJ. I doubt, however, it is *only* the surgeons who are needing after almost two years non-stop to take postponed annual leave, but support staff too – from cleaners to porters to ambulance drivers and paramedics, admins and nurses. Many of them are leaving the profession, completely burnt out and fed up. Most were redeployed to work on C-19; then there's illness, plus EU health professionals who no longer feel welcome... Most of my family on my side and also ex-husband's side works/worked in the NHS and care sector so I've lived with it up close and personal for 65 years. I do hope, though, that your rescheduled surgery now takes place and goes as smoothly as possible. I couldn't climb into a bath tub either, even more perilous than a bar stool. Keep your spirits up!
Coming late to reply LJ... Sorry to hear your news... Not much you can do about it either; just wait till August... :-(