STYLING SMALLER SPACES

What tips and tricks should you focus on when decorating a compact home or apartment? Let's dive in.

Petite homes can be just as stylish as bigger ones. With urban living and population on the rise, more and more people are opting for less spacious dwellings and a more minimalist lifestyle, but that doesn't have to mean sacrificing on aesthetics. Here are seven clever design principles that will help you get the most out of cosy spaces.

GOOD LIGHTING

A common quirk of small properties is a lack of bigger windows, leading to rooms that feel dark or boxy. It’s always important to consider proper lighting and the flow of natural light in interior design, but this principle is even more essential when decorating bijou places. Light can transform the vibe of any area. Maximise your natural light by skipping heavy blinds and ensuring bulky furniture is housed away from the window frame, and make sure to add plenty of extra light sources to evoke a warm, cosy atmosphere. It’s best to especially focus on good lighting in cramped spaces, such as a bathroom with a tiny window or a dark kitchen nook. If you don’t want to take up unnecessary area with floor or table lamps, try elegant wall sconces, pretty pendant lights or rustic string lights. These fixtures can be striking and add a wonderful character to your home, leaving valuable real estate for other furniture.

When considering the flow of light, it can be smart to remove some internal walls and use a partial glass wall instead to define different zones, opening up views and connecting zones in a modern, light-filled way. Pocket doors with glass windows can also make a great replacement for solid doors as they allow light to move throughout multiple rooms without compromising on separation. What’s more, they also slide right into the wall when opened, saving much more area than usual swinging doors.