Designing Small and Medium Size Rooms

When I am hired to decorate the interiors of older homes, condos or apartments, one thing I am almost always faced with is smaller size rooms. The truth is you can still have stylish, elegant and comfortable spaces regardless of their size. Here are some guidelines: 1) Select a light monochromatic palette, less saturated colors reflect more light and give a greater sense of spaciousness. 2) Try to place furnishings close to the perimeter walls, this will give openness to the center of the room and create visual openness. 3) Using a monochromatic palette doesn’t mean a room has to be dull or boring, select fabrics with different patterns and textures. In this Living Room I selected a dozen different fabrics. 4) Limit yourself to one large piece of furniture, for example one sofa or one large armoire and complement that piece with smaller ones. 5) Don’t be afraid to use an eclectic mix of furnishings, monochromatic palettes tend to unify them and harmonize the look. 6) Another optional trick is to make ceilings look higher by using vertical stripes on your wall-coverings and painting the ceilings in a glossy finish that reflects more light. Remember:"Small is beautiful". Ernesto Garcia, ASID