SIZE UP YOUR HOME
When designing small spaces, don’t let scale weigh down your vision for a beautiful home
Add a big feel to small spaces
New York interior decorator Nick Olsen lives in a small one-bedroom apartment, which gives him an intimate relationship with the special challenges posed by space limitations. But cramped spaces don’t need to mean limited vision, says Olsen, who advocates putting scale into perspective by not letting it intimidate you.
If your budget is also size small, then think paint, which is both cheap and transformative.
Q Do you have any tricks or advice for designing small spaces?
A I live in a one-bedroom, which is perfect for me but small by non-New York standards. My main advice is not to be too respectful of scale: a nine-footlong sofa might fill one entire wall, but it will anchor the room. I’d opt for wall lamps instead of table lamps to save space and a higher-than-average coffee table instead of a formal dining table. Also, go big and bold with artwork.
Q What are your thoughts on the best white paint colours? Do you have favourites?
A It’s hysterical to hear my decorator friends debate shades of white, but they’re all so different! I love Benjamin Moore’s White Dove (warm, not too yellow), Seapearl and Super White for crisp bathrooms and laundry rooms. Also, Farrow & Ball’s All White is very clear, not too grey.
Q My sisters and I love to get together to spruce up our spaces on a budget, and we’ve got another family project coming up. We’re renters and we’re stumped on how to approach the hideous fluorescent box light standard in so many builder-grade kitchens. Any suggestions on how we could disguise or improve it? It’s a small, dark galley kitchen, and unfortunately, swapping out the fixture is not an option.
A I’m with you — can’t stand those fluorescent light boxes. I’d research the absolute softest/ warmest bulb (tube?), option for them and switch those out. You could also cover the plastic with a pale tinted cellophane. I think yellow and pink are the most flattering.
Q I noticed you used floral chintz in your room. How can you use a flowered fabric yet keep your space modern?
A I think a little granny chintz goes a long way, and many of them have beautiful colours to pull from in other parts of a room. A single floral chintz throw pillow could set the colour palette in an otherwise modern space and add an element of surprise.
Q Do you think roller shades are OK if you can’t afford custom window shades or curtains?
A Absolutely. My first rental apartment after college had the standard white vinyl roller shades, so I took them down and painted black cabana stripes over the white. But even the plain white ones basically disappear.
Q I live in an older home with baseboard heaters, often under the windows. Although I’d love to use floor-length curtains for the living room, family room and/or bedrooms, my understanding is that any furniture and fabrics should be kept at least four inches from the heaters. I have a valance with roman shades, but the area next to the windows looks bare. It’s particularly frustrating because it’s only a problem in winter, when the heat is on. I have thought about seeing whether drapes that can be pulled up from the floor like a blind exist or can be made. Any suggestions for dressing up these windows?
A Baseboard heat can really make curtains (and furniture arrangement) difficult. I’m no expert, but I have never heard of the four-inch rule. My last two apartments have had fabric right next to heating pipes, and it was never a fire hazard. But, if you’re still concerned, I’d rehang the existing valances pretty high on the wall and make a longer shade to give the illusion of height. I don’t think pull-up curtains are an option.
Q I need to repaint the concrete front porch of my little brick Cape Cod. The front door is bright blue and the trim is white. The brick is orange-red, and the roof is light brown, though someday I hope to paint the brick white and re-roof in either grey or dark blue. Is there a colour that would work with both of those schemes? If not, I’ll go with what looks good now and repaint the porch when/if the house gets painted. I’d prefer a light colour rather than a dark one.
A I’d paint the concrete porch white to match the trim or a very pale grey, and I definitely encourage you to paint your brick white (when the budget allows, of course).
Q I love the look of black paint in a room. But it can be overwhelming, obviously. Can you give any hints for decorating with black?
A I have an all-black kitchen at home (floors, walls, ceiling, cabinets) but realize that’s not for everyone. I obviously don’t cook! But I love painting doors black and leaving the casing/baseboard white. Regardless of what’s on your walls, the black doors can be a unifying thread through any house or apartment.
Q I have a 1930s black-andwhite bathroom that I can’t afford to renovate. How can I make it seem stylish?
A Black-and-white 1930s anything sounds extremely stylish. But my go-to budget solution is paint: paint the doors black and paint the ceiling black or a contrast colour. Maybe paint six-inch-wide stripes on your walls above the tile? Also, I’m not against hanging artwork in a bathroom — just nothing too precious that will suffer from humidity.
Q What is your go-to affordable sofa?
A I love the Piazza sofa by CB2. It’s low and loungey, so perhaps it’s not for everyone. But years ago my designer friend Michael Bargo had one in his apartment, and I found it extremely chic. It’s easily dressed up with pillows or a throw blanket tucked over the back and cushion.
Q When you do a kitchen, how do you decide what kind of counter material to install? There are so many choices.
A I’m a bit of a purist when it comes to kitchen surfaces. Calacatta gold marble is the industry standard but costs a small fortune. I used 1.25-inch-thick Absolute Black granite (square profile, honed finish) and love it. A solid colour Corian can be fun and less expensive in a kids’ bath or laundry room but maybe not for a kitchen. Mainly I just stay away from speckly granite, coloured marbles or solid surfaces made to look like stone.
Q We removed the wall between our living room and dining room, and the light fixtures seem horribly mismatched. I think I want to still have chandeliers in the same places (one above the dining table and one in the centre of the living room), but do you have any advice for making them work together? Should they match or just complement each other?
A Without seeing the space, I’d consider using a pair of lanterns — the kind you might see on a covered porch — in the same finish. They’re more casual than chandeliers but still give off decent light. I’ve done this in older homes where the living room has a wide cased opening to the dining room and both fixtures are in plain view.
Q Do you have a favourite alternative to sisal? I’m sick of that look.
A Do you mean just sisal or all-natural fibre rugs? I love jute because it’s softer, but any woven wool is a nice alternative to sisal (and much easier to clean).