A small home is often a challenge to decorate. Squeezing in all the essential furniture, leaving room for smooth flow around the house, and trying to curate an aesthetic, Pinterest-worthy interior—sounds nearly impossible, right?
But what if we tell you there are actually tons of affordable small-space solutions that can unlock all your dreams, even in the tiniest apartments? Yup, you heard that right—let’s discover how!
Pick the Right Color Palette
Light, monochromatic color schemes tend to reflect more light and give the illusion of a spacious and airier room. When decorating a small space, interior designers recommend looking into a toned-down palette composed of colors like whites, creams, and beige. For a pop of color, use cool shades like powder blue, lavender, light green, and baby pink to stay consistent with the overall soothing ambiance.
Maximize Lighting
Whether artificial or natural, nothing opens up a room like good lighting.
A well-lit interior is made of two parts: layered lighting and sizeable windows. Install ambient, task, and accent lighting to curate a complete artificial lighting scheme.
Ambient lighting – chandeliers, ceiling-mounted fixtures, and recessed lighting.
Task lighting – Table and floor lamps, pendant lights, and clip-on lights.
Accent lighting – Track lighting, picture lights, uplights, and LED strips.
Tip: Purchase multifunctional lighting fixtures. For example, shades that cast light for reading while creating pools of light for the atmosphere. Similarly, wall lights that cast shafts of light up and down will make the room look taller yet create an inviting ambiance.
To maximize natural light, replace walls with floor-to-ceiling windows wherever possible. Remove obstacles that block light and leverage the reflective properties of mirrors to capture and bounce optimal illumination. For compact living rooms where windows aren’t possible (like the basement), you can DIY the project and replicate the feel of natural light by installing an LED window covered with sheer light treatments.
Invest in Multipurpose Furniture
Tiny house living is all about making maximum use of every inch—and space-saving furniture does the job wonderfully. Here’s a list of some unique ideas to create an aesthetic multi-functional design in your small apartment decor.
- Bedroom wardrobe with TV unit
- Staircase with built-in shelving
- Murphy bed with integrated table
- Floor lamps with attached tables
- Storage ottomans with built-in trays
- Loft bed with workspaces
- Lift-top coffee tables
Apart from dual-purpose furniture, look for stowable pieces, such as folding chairs, nesting tables, and stackable storage bins. Items with low heights and sleek lines will also create the illusion of cleaner spaces and higher ceilings. Examples include slipper chairs, cocktail tables, and a low-profile TV stand.
Double the Space with Mirrors
One of the smartest small space solutions is to double the footprint by strategically placing mirrors. You can try leaning a large decorative mirror against the wall of the living room to visually double its small size. Bonus points if you place the mirror beside a lamp or opposite a large window to bounce off extra light.
Mirrored furniture (like coffee tables with mirrored table tops) and mirrored closet doors are also great ideas that serve as appealing small room decor.
Get Creative with Artwork
Embracing minimalist living in compact living spaces is the easiest small space design tip. While the color scheme and furniture design are major aspects, minor features like the artwork play an equally important role.
Multiple art pieces in different corners can create a distracting atmosphere that sometimes looks cluttered. For tiny house living, look for simple ideas like a single oversized statement piece or a complementary set of three hung over a living room sofa.
Tip: Rely on artwork to bring in pops of color—these small pieces can create a huge impact!
Look for Smart Storage Solutions
Storage, especially in tiny house living, is a real struggle. The built-in wardrobe storage is often too little, and the limited square footage doesn’t allow for chunky cupboards and cabinetry. So what’s the solution? Maximizing small spaces with creative storage ideas.
Start by utilizing vertical storage with floating shelves on the walls, hooks behind cabinets, and over-the-door organizers. Built-in bookshelves, lazy Susan cabinets, and a recessed shower niche are also innovative storage solutions to tuck away the essentials.
Still got clutter piled across the house? Try these small space organization tips.
- Invest in storage baskets. Look for visually appealing options, like wicker or rattan.
- Use ladders to present decor, magazines, and books.
- Find double-duty furniture, like ottomans, with built-in storage.
- Hang plants from the ceiling instead of filling the already limited footprint.
Plan the Furniture Layout
Got space-saving furniture on hand? Good thing. Now it’s time to decide the layout that will sit perfectly in your small room decor. While your first thought might be pushing the furniture against the walls to save maximum space, such layouts actually make the room feel closed. Instead, bring the furniture to the center of the room for a cozy conversation area.
Tip: Smart furniture picks will go a long way in maximizing small spaces. For example, ditching a three-seater for a two-seater, replacing a rectangular dining table with a circular one, and installing a wall-mounted work desk instead of a traditional one.
Minimize Visual Weight
As much as you may be tempted to fill your compact living space with colors and prints, embracing minimalist living is a better idea when opening up a small space—but don’t worry, that doesn’t mean you can’t get creative with the decor.
The key is to stick to a coherent scheme throughout. For example, if you want to introduce a bold shade, opt for an option complementary to the primary color in the room. When playing with prints, focus on one large-scale pattern and introduce smaller designs through soft furnishings.
Tip: Paint the woodwork and window trims the same color as the walls. This helps them “disappear” and minimizes visual weight.
Choose Rugs Strategically
A bare floor is one of the simplest small space solutions that create an open feeling. A smooth wood surface, for example, will make the room look much larger than a busy rug.
However, if you can’t let go of the plush feeling of rugs, make sure to choose the right size. Look for a piece at least 5 to 6 inches wider than your sofa on each side. Similarly, in a bedroom, the rug should extend beyond the edges of the bed. Remember, a small rug will bring more attention to the room’s tiny size.
Tip: Keep the rug simple with designs like solid color, natural fiber, or flatweave rugs.
Fake Taller Ceilings
Feeling boxed under the low ceilings of your small home? Let’s cheat the claustrophobic interior with smart tips to give your roof the much-needed height.
- Focus on a carefully crafted lighting scheme. Use recessed lighting everywhere you can. For areas that require pizzazz, install chandeliers (preferably see-through) at least 36 inches above the table to make the ceiling appear farther away. For pendant lights, make sure not to let them hang more than 30 inches from the ceiling.
- Install full-length curtains. Instead of limiting yourself to the top of the window frame, install the curtain rods right beneath the ceiling.
- Go for tall doors to enhance the height of the room. For a budget-friendly option, try installing ransoms over the door.
- Paint strategically. Color the walls and ceiling in the same color to blur the boundary between the two.
Final Words
Where small homes have their charm, they are sometimes difficult to decorate—but not with smart small space solutions. There’s no reason why a tiny home can’t be as functional and aesthetic as a big one!
