Last week I shared a post I did for Jaime's new website
Postmodyrn about how to design with kids in mind. This week, I'm sharing another recent
Postmod post I wrote about maximizing your small space:
The unfortunate part of living in a cool city like New York or San
Francisco -- or even living in the surrounding suburbs -- is that you
pay a high price for space. Often, we are stuck living in a space that
works but isn't our "dream home", so to speak. So we make do with what
we have. A question that I often get from friends and clients in
high-rent areas is,
"How do I make my space feel bigger?"
Today I'm giving you a couple of tips I've learned along the way, and
next month I'll reveal a little more on how to make your small space
feel larger.
Use appropriately scaled furniture: So much of the
furniture out there these days is huge and overscaled. A giant
sectional with huge roll arms might be great for the double-height
suburban great room, but in a San Francisco high-rise condo or a 1927
cottage outside of New York, one has to be a little more concious of
scale. The good news is that many brands such as Pottery Barn or
Restoration Hardware are carrying "apartment-sized" furniture these
days. Aside from seeking out items that are specifically labeled as
apartment-sized, there are a few key things to look for, scale-wise. As
mentioned above, large roll arms take up a huge amount of real estate
but don't increase the seating area on a sofa. Look for sofas that have
tailored square arms, tight backs and are not quite as deep to maximize
your floor space. Same goes for appropriately scaled coffee tables,
dining furniture, etc. There is something trendy going on with
bar-height tables, but they don't work well for families (have you ever
seen a high chair that works with a bar-height table?) and they take up a
lot more visual space than a normal table. A large china cabinet might
work in your parent's formal dining room but consider a lower slung
buffet that is open above so you can display some artwork and stage the
top like a bar.
Tailored appropriately scaled furniture keeps this space from looking cramped. Source
Think of how you experience a space: Divide your
space into zones even if you don't have dedicated rooms. In my house
you enter directly into my living room (my dream home one day has an
entry foyer
and a mud room). I especially hate this part of my
house in the winter time when we have coats, boots and snow that gets
tracked in. I was able to carve out a space in the living room that
feels like an entry. How so? I delineated the space with a rug, and
made sure there was a coat closet, a place to sit and a console for
dropping sunglasses and keys. Similarly, in a small condo without a
separate dining area, carve out a dining space behind a sofa or in a
corner. Often times a bench or banquette tucked up against a wall works
better than using chairs around all sides of a table because it allows
the table to sit closer to the wall (because you don't need the space to
pull a chair out).
In my own home, we've created an entry space in the living room.
Use furniture that does double duty: In a small
space, double duty is a key word (or words). Use an ottoman with a tray
on top of it instead of a coffee table. This works as a footrest,
storage (if you have a storage ottoman),
and is much more
child-friendly than a table with sharp corners. In carving out spaces
within a room as per the above recommendation, consider a bench or day
bed between two spaces. It doesn't block the view, adds seating, and can
even function as a guest bed in a pinch. Places like West Elm have a
slew of small cocktail tables that can double as stools for seating and
tuck nicely under consoles and next to sofas.
Storage ottomans along with mirrored frames add space to stash stuff and bounce light around. Source
Use Mirrors: I'm not saying that you should turn
your home into a Vegas lounge -- no mirrored ceilings please! But it's
true that mirrors expand the view and double the feeling of space.
Consider mirroring your kitchen backsplash (mirror is a low maintenance
surface, easy to clean as a backsplash and allows you to see the party
when you're facing the wall chopping crudites). Adding a piece of
mirrored furniture gives a touch of sparkle and doesn't feel as heavy as
its wood alternative (although please don't buy the entire mirrored
bedroom suite). And strategically placing a mirror so that it reflects a
view of the outdoors is a great way to make a space feel airy and
open.
A mirrored back splash expands this tiny kitchen.
Source
Stay tuned for more space expanding tips in next week's
Postmod post.
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