Small House, Big Style

In an age of overstuffed, oversized furnture and expansive Victorian-style McMansions, it's easy to feel bereft when you live in a small house or apartment.

But small dwellings definitely have their charms. After all, you never hear a large house described as "cozy" or "intimate."

And besides, adds Paula Marshall, editor of Small House, Big Style (Meredith Publishing), "Nature abhors a vacuum, so ‘extra’ spaces simply fill up with stuff. And, you have to heat, cool, and clean all that extra space."

Nevertheless, small spaces do present their own decorating challenges.

"Decorating small spaces is a matter of learning to color inside the lines, and that can require more forethought and creativity than working in larger spaces," she says. Measuring is a must, she adds, as is arranging furniture so that there are paths for people to easily move through rooms.

Creating the illusion of space is top-of-mind for some small-home dwellers. If this is your goal, try repeating the same color or pattern throughout a room or rooms. Remember that cool colors appear to make space expand, while warm colors achieve the opposite effect. Use glass tables and shelves rather than more solid-seeming varieties, or try sofas, chairs and tables with longer legs that don’t break up floor space rather than squat ones. Mirrors and windows open up a room—just make sure the view or reflection is one worth looking at.

However, Marshall comments, "Making the room look as large as possible isn't necessarily the best decorating goal. Making a small room work as well as a large room is a better plan."

Here are some tried-and-true tips for getting the most out of small spaces.

° Rather than having a separate kitchen, dining room and living room, consider one large open or "great" room. Conversely, in a small apartment, screens can be utilized to temporarily separate living and sleeping areas.

° Taking command of clutter is especially important in diminutive dwellings. Shelves are a must: Freestanding shelves are less expensive and can be moved to another location; custom built-ins make maximum use of available space. Grab extra storage opportunities by hanging hooks from the ceiling or upon any bit of extra wall space.

° Make furniture do double duty. A sofabed, daybed or futon sofa can serve for both seating and sleeping, or forego a coffee table in favor of a storage ottoman that can stash bedding or magazines as well as serve as additional seating.

° Think small for furniture. Choose smaller-scaled sofas, chairs, tables and other furnishings. Although queen-size beds rule in the majority of master bedrooms, a full-size bed is a space-saving alternative. Take advantage of under-bed space with a captain’s bed or loft bed.

° Make sure your living room can take the heat. In many small homes and apartments, the living room doubles as family room, dining room, guest room or home office. As such, choose durable pieces that can withstand wear and tear.

° Go with the room. Austere, minimalist decor is still very much in vogue right now, and this lack of excess furnishings and accessories works perfectly for smaller homes. If you're a pack rat, think of how cottages and cabins are cramped yet cozy and full of character, so play up this theme with a country cottage, rustic lodge or beach-house motif.

Most importantly, have fun, and don't discount the power of a small home to make a statement.

Marshall remembers that when in Rome, "Amongst all those grand and glorious monuments, two small buildings, the Tempietto and a small wedding chapel, just made me melt. Both have marvelous classical architectural elements in spaces small enough to be a home. Life is a grand thing; our homes should reflect it." Even small ones.