Small Condo – Big Style
“We would like a small house with big rooms and lots of them”
While I’ve always loved that Howards End passage uttered by house-hunter Margaret Schlegel, the reality of small-space living comes down to careful planning, unleashing your creativity, and understanding the importance of a bold visual statement. “Safe” maxims like painting everything beige or white and keeping it “tidy” actually turn your space into a boring emptiness that also happens to be a little box, not the end result anyone wanted. The key to successfully designing a small space is to maximize its best features—your view, architectural details, or a spectacular piece of art or furnishings—and then carefully and thoroughly plan seating, colors, textures, lighting, placement, and the funcionality. Inspiration for your space should come not only from who and how you live now, but also from how you want to live in your space. Design your small space to act as a setting for the life you want to lead. This sounds trite, but the reality is that our environment affects not only our mental well-being but also our relationships and how we perceive ourselves. Small spaces don’t have to be a constraint on the way we live, they just have to be conceived with care and creativity.
I always recommend starting by creating a “house book.” This means printing/creating a copy of your floor plan to scale and then collecting images of the elements that appeal to that space, such as lighting, furniture, art, rugs, architectural details, color swatches, fabrics, etc. Start with the empty space in mind and think about how you need to use each area and space within your small condo. Think about how you can add multifunctionality to each area, such as a dining space that doubles as a library with an office hidden in a bureau or closet; or a living room that has a pullout sofa bed (albeit a sexy, clean-lined version that you’d never know is a sofa bed and not the one in your great-aunt’s basement with the bar in the middle that wrecks your back) ); or a guest room that acts as a study/reading room and craft corner. There are no limits to how you use your space and how many creative layers for that use you determine. Once you think about how you need to use the space and how it works best with your floor plan, you’ll need to think about the scale of your furniture and whether you need to have some pieces custom made for your space (or a possible DIY project for yourself or a useful relative). At the same time, you need to think carefully about the ever-present and crucial issue of storage. Just when you think you’ve planned “enough,” add a little more and try to find furniture that has hidden or creative storage, like ottomans with storage or furniture with hidden storage. One of the best solutions for storage as well as creating a stunning focal point is to have a floor-to-ceiling shelving built into your space for books, art, collections, a bar (with a drop-down front), as well as having cabinets for Closed storage along the lower course.
Another critical aspect of small condo design is color. Don’t be fooled into thinking that your only option for a small space is an all-white palette. While this can be a beautiful look depending on your architecture and view/natural light, don’t think it’s the flavor of a small space, as it surely isn’t. While having an overall softer neutral tone as your main flow color (your predominant wall color overall) will work beautifully, be sure to tone it down with some color-blocked walls of a rich, dark, vibrant color that will add visual depth, interest and personality. For a recent small bedroom, I had the walls with the windows, doors and closet painted in a pale raffia shade and the head wall painted by Martha Stewart’s Francesca Black with Benjamin Moore’s Oxford White painted trim work. This actually made the black colored wall recede and added a sophisticated New York feel to the space. This was then dramatically enhanced with a tall headboard of black leather and a rich mix of pale fabrics. All the other items were very small scale and I opted for modern square glass lamps, a clear acrylic chair and small dark wood side tables with hidden storage. The end result was a space that was sexy, fresh, and most importantly, inspiring for the owner. Not once does one think “gosh this condo is small” what everyone always says is “wow that’s a sexy bedroom” and what else should a bedroom be but sexy and relaxing.
When planning your space and figuring out what you need and where things will go and how to maximize your storage and functionality, DO NOT forget the need to add Drama and Grandeur to your space. Oversized artwork or large upright mirrors will add grandeur to your condo (one can never have enough oversized mirrors). The great design element they add is a feeling of space and airiness without taking up any crucial floor space as it is the entire surface area of the wall, maximizing your actual square footage. Remember that while we want our furniture (sofas, chairs, dining table, side tables, sideboards) to be efficient, small-scale, and well-designed, we need our few accessories to be BIG, bold, and bright. Never go with a small group of little “things”, go for the biggest and best you can afford to make an emphatic statement of who you are and what your space symbolizes. Whenever possible, go for the best quality items your budget allows so that your pieces are not just for now, but also for any space you move into in the future.
One thing that trips many people up when it comes to designing their small space is window coverings. Be sure to keep them simple, efficient, and always in the background. Window coverings in a small space should never be the focus of your room or design. The view is important and your overall design is important, but by doing something that is very direct, you are actually compartmentalizing your home and your view, making it feel and appear smaller and boxier, something we never want to do with our little one. condominium. I prefer to go with a simple roman blind (similar to the general wall color) or wood blinds painted with our trim color. This will ensure that they are in the background and that the overall design has a beautiful, clean flow and sense of line.
Some other design elements to include whenever possible are things like:
– Add shelves over the doors for storage or visual displays
– Add additional lighting fixtures and update existing lighting fixtures to ensure an overall, uniform light source that is controllable and styled to match your design
– Place glass shelves in recessed windows for both storage and impressive displays of glass or artwork.
– Place low shelves along the back of the sofa.
– Always make sure to keep the floor in an equal small space for visual continuity
– Place low shelves under windows
– Line of aisles with shelves
– Create shallow display spaces between wall studs for open or concealed storage
– Always make sure to select sofas and chairs with smooth or textured upholstery rather than vibrant prints
– Always bring the shelves up to the ceiling
– Whenever possible, replace swing doors with sliding doors to free up more floor space and give a fresher, more modern feel.
Remember that inspiration comes in many forms and to keep and open your mind and eye as you design your small space. Don’t be afraid to try something new or challenging. A small space The design must have a beautiful combination of functionality, organization, visual presentation, beauty and, for me, above all, a strong dose of personality.
