Home Decorating For Smaller Spaces
By Bonnie P. Carrier, Fri Dec 9th

“Big Things Come In Small Packages” We’re all familiar withthis quote, it’s normally associated with gifts not homedecorating, but it should be.

A one or two bedroom house, apartment, condo or townhouse can bejust as impressive and grand as something with fifteenbathrooms, Wow, imaging having to clean all those, I have enoughtrouble with two.

One interesting thing I have found from past experience is thatdecorating a smaller place is actually easier, not to mentionless expensive.

Whether your currently living in a small space or downsizing –that’s another one of those trendy “buzz” words, which simplymeans your moving into something smaller – planning how yourgoing to decorate or redecorate is a good idea.

You may think because it’s smaller, having large pieces is outof the question. Not true, having oversized furniture is notgoing to make your rooms appear smaller, what it will do is givea warm inviting feeling. Of course the layout and size of a roomwill determine how many pieces can comfortably go into it. Afterall, you may be looking for drama and comfort, but you stillneed to be able to maneuver around.

This also applies to accessories, it’s better to have a fewlarge dramatic pieces as opposed to a lot of small items, whichcan tend to turn into clutter and dust collectors. The exceptionto this would be with collections. But again you want to haveplaces to showcase them like glass front hutches, cabinets,bookcases or shelves.

Another decorating challenge can be in warming up your newplace. This normally can easily be achieved by adding color withpaint. Now that’s all fine and good unless you happen to berenting and your landlord say’s “Paint, oh no”. That’s ok; colorcan 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 justnever seems to be enough. If you’re buying new furniture ordeciding on which pieces to bring from your current home, lookfor ones that can perform double duty.

For example:

·Instead of the standard coffee table, look for one with a fliptop or shelves underneath. Cedar chests, blanket chests ortrunks can also be substituted.

·Place an armoire intended for the

bedroom in the living roomit’s the perfect storage place for remotes, magazines, extrabedding, kitchen linen or any of those pesky little things youjust can’t seem to find a place for. ·A small floor cabinet youmight have used in a bathroom can become an end table. Most ofthese come with drawers, shelves or both. ·Decorative stackingboxes or even old suitcases not only make for great storage, butthey also become terrific accessories.

·Plastic storage boxes come in a variety of sizes, colors andare inexpensive. They can be stacked on shelves in a closet orcabinet, even into drawers. Clear smaller sizes are perfectstorage for shoes, winter gloves, pictures or how aboutextension cords, nails, packages of hooks or hand tools. Largersizes can keep extra winter coats, blankets, odd season clothesor seasonal decorations neat and in one place. ·Baskets andhampers are another option.

·Kids rooms are always in need of extra places for all theirtreasures, plastic milk crates are perfect for them. They comein many bright brilliant colors. One suggestion, if you areplanning on stacking the crates and have small children it wouldbe beneficial to secure them to the wall. ·Plastic shelvingunits, which can be found in most discount stores, are perfectfor mounting on the backs of doors or on the wall in closets.These come in especially handy in the kitchen for holding extrasoda bottles, canned goods, paper towel etc.

Well, I think you’ve gotten the idea, look around and use yourimagination, you will be surprised with what you can come upwith.

Moving into and decorating a small space can be challenging, butwith a little planning it can be just as beautiful as any largehouse. And in the end size really doesn’t matter, if it’s filledwith the people and things you love, then you have successfullycreated a home.

This article is shareware. Give this article away for free onyour site, or include it as part of any paid package as long asthe 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. Sheis the mother to two grown daughters and a very spoiled 4yr oldBlue Merle Sheltie named Toby. Having been a homemaker for over23yrs has provided years of experience in budget decorating andorganization. Stop by Savvy Home Decorating-www.savvy-home-decorating.com - for ideas and tips on budgetdecorating: