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Decorating for Smaller
Spaces
Home Decorating For Smaller
Spaces
by: Bonnie P Carrier
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for Smaller Spaces: |
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“Big Things Come In Small Packages” We’re
all familiar with this quote, it’s normally
associated with gifts not home decorating, but it
should be.
A one or two bedroom house, apartment, condo or
townhouse can be just as impressive and grand as
something with fifteen bathrooms, Wow, imaging having
to clean all those, I have enough trouble with two.
One interesting things I have found from past experience
is that decorating a smaller place is actually easier,
not to mention less expensive.
Whether your currently living in a small space or
downsizing – that’s another one of those
trendy “buzz” words, which simply means
your moving into something smaller – planning
how your going to decorate or redecorate is a good
idea.
 You
may think because it’s smaller, having large
pieces is out of the question. Not true, having
oversized furniture is not going to make your rooms
appear smaller, what it will do is give a warm inviting
feeling. Of course the layout and size of a room
will determine how many pieces can comfortably go
into it. After all, you may be looking for drama
and comfort, but you still need to be able to maneuver
around.
This also applies to accessories; it’s better
to have a few large dramatic pieces as opposed to
a lot of small items, which can tend to turn into
clutter and dust collectors. The exception to this
would be with collections. But again you want to
have places to showcase them like glass front hutches,
cabinets, bookcases or shelves.
Another decorating challenge can be in warming up
your new place. This normally can easily be achieved
by adding color with paint. Now that’s all
fine and good unless you happen to be renting and
your landlord say’s “Paint, oh no”.
That’s ok; color can be added in a number of
other ways. Several examples:
* Window treatments
* Furniture fabric
* Accent pillows
* Area rugs
* Wall art
* Plants & Flowers
Storage can be another issue in a smaller space,
there just never seems to be enough. If you’re
buying new furniture or deciding on which pieces
to bring from your current home, look for ones that
can perform double duty.
For example:
* Instead of the standard coffee table, look for
one with a flip top or shelves underneath. Cedar
chests, blanket chests or trunks can also be substituted.
* Place an armoire intended for the bedroom in the
living room it’s the perfect storage place
for remotes, magazines, extra bedding, kitchen linen
or any of those pesky little things you just can’t
seem to find a place for.
* A small floor cabinet you might have used in a
bathroom can become an end table. Most of these
come with drawers, shelves or both.
* Decorative stacking boxes or even old suitcases
not only make for great storage, but the also become
terrific accessories.
* Plastic storage boxes come in a variety of sizes,
colors and are inexpensive. They can be stacked
on shelves in a closet or cabinet, even into drawers.
Clear smaller sizes are perfect storage for shoes,
winter gloves, pictures or how about extension cords,
nails, packages of hooks or hand tools. Larger sizes
can keep extra winter coats, blankets, odd season
clothes or seasonal decorations neat and in one
place.
* Baskets and hampers are another option.
* Kids rooms are always in need of extra places
for all their treasures, plastic milk crates are
perfect for them. They come in many bright brilliant
colors. One suggestion, if you are planning on stacking
the crates and have small children it would be beneficial
to secure them to the wall.
* Plastic shelving units, which can be found in
most discount stores, are perfect for mounting on
the backs of doors or on the wall in closets. These
come in especially handy in the kitchen for holding
extra soda bottles, canned goods, paper towel etc.
Well, I think you’ve gotten the idea, look
around and use your imagination; you will be surprised
with what you can come up with.
Moving into and decorating a small space can be
challenging, but with a little planning it can be
just a beautiful as any large house. And in the
end size really doesn’t matter, if it’s
filled with the people and things you love, then
you have successfully created a home.
This article is shareware. Give this article away
for free on your site, or include it as part of
any paid package as long as the entire article is
left intact including this notice. Copyright ©
2004 bonnie carrier.
About The Author
Bonnie P. Carrier is the creator of Savvy Home Decorating.
She is the mother to two grown daughters and a very
spoiled 4yr old Blue Merle Sheltie named Toby. Having
been a homemaker for over 23yrs has provided years
of experience in budget decorating and organization.
Stop by Savvy Home Decorating - www.savvy-home-decorating.com
- for ideas and tips on budget decorating:
bonnie@savvy-home-decorating.com |
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