Whether it's a narrow hallway, a bijou living room or a tiny kitchen you're dealing with, small spaces are often seen as a challenge best avoided if you don't want to end up feeling cramped and overcrowded. But tackled the right way, small rooms can be just as stylish and characterful as larger spaces, and they're a great opportunity for a little creative lateral thinking.
"The advice for small rooms is often to choose smaller furniture, but the key is to be selective with scale,' says Sallie King, founder of Urbansize, which specialises in designing furniture for smaller spaces. 'Keep your hero pieces big to maximise the A function of the room: in a bedroom, choose the largest bed that will work in the space, and the same goes for the sofa in a living room.' These can be paired with smaller-scale items, and if you maintain some space around the furniture, the room will feel more spacious.
Multi-use furniture is another key to making the most of your space; sofa beds, storage benches and drop-leaf or extending tables are among the pieces that will maximise the function of a room. Likewise, folding furniture, which can be brought out as and when it's needed, is great for rooms that are tight on space, while clever storage is vital in keeping clutter to a minimum. Even the smallest details can make a difference. 'Avoid chunky handles where possible,' says Sallie. 'Not only can they be a bump hazard, but opting for recessed handles will provide a smooth, clean finish that enhances the feeling of space.'
Think about the space above and below your furniture. 'Furniture on slim legs, where you can see the floor underneath, gives the illusion of depth and so generates a feeling of spaciousness, Sallie advises. Making use of vertical spaces will also keep floors clear, so shelving, hooks and hanging storage are excellent accessories to work with.
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48 hours in FUNCHAL
Jenny Oldaker discovers Madeira's capital to be an elegant, artistic place with wide open spaces, verdant beauty spots and a picture-perfect sea-facing location...
LUKE HONEY'S Enthusiasms
On an autumn day in 1783, a sheep, a duck, and a rooster became the first living creatures to fly in a hot air balloon.
Collecting NUTCRACKERS
Not just for Christmas, these nostalgic keepsakes come in an abundance of novelty shapes and styles, offering character and affordability for budding collectors
WHY I COLLECT Medals
Oliver Miller, managing director of Bishop & Miller Auctioneers and Valuers, is fascinated by medals - for him it's all about the preservation of stories for future generations...
Fashionably CURATED
Roni Lang's home in Deal, situated above her clothing store, is every bit as creative and stylish as you'd expect from a fashion designer
Work life balance
Lucy and Guy Rutter - a ceramicist and artist respectively - have found the ideal place to live and work: a Victorian property in Faversham attached to a once-neglected studio...
Farm FUSION
A farmhouse near Cape Town has been given a rustic-meets-industrial makeover, using found materials and objects, as well as treasures brought back from afar
SAVVY Sophistication
Affordable and intriguing charity shop and eBay finds are teamed with statement pieces in this impressive Victorian home in West Yorkshire
DARREN APPIAGYEI
The wood artist talks to Dominique Corlett about seed pods, creative reinvention and the life-enhancing feeling of turning a lathe
Collecting Dioramas MINIATURE WORLDS
From elaborate taxidermy museum displays to humble folk art creations, a diorama can transport us to another time and place