Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Videos
  • Sweeps and Contests

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 40 Favorite Comfort Food Recipes

      Macaroni and cheese, Amish apple dumplings and chicken pot pie are among our Midwest comfort food favorites. Read More Next
    • 50 Romantic Midwest Getaways

      Romance, of course, can be wherever the two of you are. But wonderful surroundings help. We found some of the most romantic places anywhere in the Midwest—in the city and country. All you have to do is get away together! Read More Next
    • 50 Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes

      Chocolate lovers, these are for you: 50 of our best rich-and-gooey chocolate dessert recipes, including pie, pudding, cake, cookies, fondue and brownies. Read More Next
  • Travel

    Travel

    See all Travel

    50 Midwest Resorts We Love

    Our favorite Midwest resort destinations range from cozy lakeside lodges to indoor water park behemoths. Dive in to check out our top picks for a fabulous Midwest getaway.
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Around the Region
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See all Food

    Midwest Living November/December 2020 Recipes

    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See all Home

    50 Quick and Easy Holiday Decorating Ideas

    Give your home holiday style in a flash with these simple yet creative decorating projects.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See all Garden

    14 Cheerful Winter Container Gardens

    Create bountiful outdoor winter arrangements with a little help from Mother Nature.
    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays & Entertaining

    Holidays & Entertaining

    See all Holidays & Entertaining

    40 Easy Christmas Crafts

    Decorate your home, make a gift or create an ornament with our 40 ideas for fun and easy Christmas crafts.
    • Christmas
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
  • Videos

    Videos

    See all Videos
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
    • How to Make Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake
  • Sweeps and Contests

    Sweeps and Contests

    See all Sweeps and Contests

    Warm-Weather Getaways Sweepstakes

    • Winter Getaways Sweepstakes
    • Warm-Weather Getaways Sweepstakes

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow us

  1. Midwest Living
  2. Homes
  3. Decorating Ideas
  4. Secrets of Small-Space Decorating

Secrets of Small-Space Decorating

June 01, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Pin
How do you make the most of limited space? Here are 31 ways to decorate your small rooms with style.
Start Slideshow

1 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Furniture: Less is more

Choose larger furniture pieces for their design interest, but use fewer of them. One large piece of furniture makes a small space feel grand; lots of small pieces create visual clutter.Buy quality furniture. It may cost more up front, but good furniture will last longer.Skip the trends. Look for traditional furnishings that blend with a variety of styles. When you're in the mood for change, switch out inexpensive accessories instead of furniture.Have a plan and purpose. Don't fill your home with impulse buys. Make sure every piece of furniture fits in an overall plan.Pictured: An oval table takes up less space than a rectangular one, and the pedestal style allows more legroom. A mirror and large window add lots of light to this dining area.

1 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Keep patterns to a minimum

Use fabrics with texture rather than pattern on larger upholstered pieces, such as this couch.Add throw pillows to inject dashes of pattern and color without overwhelming the space. But don't overdo it; it's better to have one or two oversize pillows on a bed or sofa than several smaller ones.Pictured: A large sofa and mirror give big impact to this room. Muted colors on the upholstery and one large patterned pillow keep the overall feel simple but dramatic.

2 of 12

3 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Go light

Abundant natural light transforms a room's feel. Create the illusion of larger windows by hanging curtains higher than the window frame. Extend drapery rods well beyond the width of the window, so curtain panels don't cover any glass. Lightly dress windows with sheers or tailored panels that avoid a heavy, confining effect.White, neutral or pale wall colors reflect light, visually "pushing back" walls. A flat paint recedes more than gloss.Light-colored fabrics unify furniture, which prevents your rooms from feeling jumbled and crowded.Pictured: Light colors allow the bedroom furniture to blend into the subtle background. Curtains hang well above the French doors to add height and maximize light.

3 of 12

Advertisement

4 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Multitasking rooms and furniture

Share space. One room can serve several purposes with the right assortment of furniture. A long sofa, for instance, can provide seating as well as extra sleeping space.Gain reserve seating without taking up space by stowing an ottoman under a tall coffee table or sideboard.Pictured: The ottoman under the coffee table can be a seat or, with the addition of a tray, double as an extra table.

4 of 12

5 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Keep colors simple

Use just a couple of colors per room for visual simplicity that expands a space.Try similar colors in adjoining rooms to visually unite them. The color harmony will blend two small rooms into one larger area.Pictured: Brown and white are the dominant colors in this elegant loft home living room.

5 of 12

6 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Draw the eye up

Expanding the vertical space of a room gives the illusion that it's much bigger than its actual square footage. You can:Open up attic space. If you live where you can push up the ceiling, your small room will look larger with vaulted space and light-giving transom windows or skylights.Hang a sparkling chandelier or ceiling fan. Either will draw the eye up to the vertical volume of a room.Use one tall piece of furniture. As with a chandelier, it draws the eye up.Pictured: The living room in this ranch home gained height and light when a vaulted ceiling was created from attic area.

6 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Storage solutions

Look to furniture for storage opportunities. If at least one furniture piece in a room doesn't have drawers or shelves, get creative: Skirted beds and floor-length tablecloths over round tables provide easy stow zones.Hide small clutter such as mail inside china vases, pitchers, boxes or baskets.Pictured: A glass-front pine cabinet in a bath stores towels and toiletries.

7 of 12

8 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Accessorize sparingly

Limit collectibles. Display your collection with space around it, or choose one favorite piece, as opposed to 10, and allow it to become a focal point.Simplify live displays such as a huge vase of flowers or a group of houseplants. Instead, set out a bowl of apples or a single-bloom orchid.Use see-through, pale-colored or reflective accessories that blend into the background to keep your eye traveling smoothly around the room.Pictured: Just two accessories top this table. Their color blends with the surroundings but also provides a texture contrast to the rough rattan chair.

8 of 12

9 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Bring the outside in

Create virtual windows. Nature-theme artwork or vases brings the idea of the outdoors in.Use mirrors to expand visual space by reflecting other parts of the room, as well as bouncing light around.Pictured: A large mirror and pitcher of greenery brighten the small bath, as do the light-filled windows and white color scheme.

9 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Airy style

"Open" furniture can fill a small space without overwhelming it. Slim-design chairs, tables and bed frames won't obstruct views or light.Paring down the amount of furniture in a bedroom puts the decorating focus on the bed. Put drawers and shelves in closets to eliminate the need for a chest or armoire.Pictured: The canopy bed's sleek metal frame adds height and drama without visual weight to the bedroom.

10 of 12

11 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Art tricks

Don't center your artwork as expected. Pictures hung off-center make the eye focus on something other than the size of the space.Pictured: A stack of two prints leads your eye up to the vertical volume of the room.

11 of 12

12 of 12

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Kitchen helpers

Try a mirrored backsplash to get the appearance of more space.Limit countertop items to those you use every day. Store once-in-a-while appliances in the pantry or a drawer. Consider a pegboard or rack to keep utensils within reach but off the counter.Contain clutter. Don't let your kitchen counter become a drop zone for everything that comes into your house.Consider a re-do. Remodeling an older kitchen won't be cheap, but you'll benefit from new cabinet and appliance styles that make great use of every inch of space.Pictured: Tall cabinets lend height to the small kitchen. The combination of light wood and reflective stainless steel also make the room seem larger.What are your favorite ideas for small-space decorating? Share your tips in the "Comments" section below!

12 of 12

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 12 Furniture: Less is more
2 of 12 Keep patterns to a minimum
3 of 12 Go light
4 of 12 Multitasking rooms and furniture
5 of 12 Keep colors simple
6 of 12 Draw the eye up
7 of 12 Storage solutions
8 of 12 Accessorize sparingly
9 of 12 Bring the outside in
10 of 12 Airy style
11 of 12 Art tricks
12 of 12 Kitchen helpers

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Midwest Living

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Contact Us
  • Help
  • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Renew this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Affiliate Program
  • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
  • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
  • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
  • Video
  • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Midwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

View image

Secrets of Small-Space Decorating
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.