SMALL SPACE SOLUTIONS Ways to make the most of your rooms
Top designers reveal how they work with and enhance modest-sized interiors
‘IN a small space it’s best for things to feel generous. This will need to be tailored to your home, but ideas include a vibrant wallpaper in a bathroom or box rooms with luxurious floor-to-ceiling curtains, or an oversized sofa in a compact living room. Do at least one thing with gusto to make the space feel less mean.’ TOM BARTLETT, interior designer, Waldo Works ‘DUAL-PURPOSE furniture is key. In compact single bedrooms we often design beds that can function as daybeds when they’re not being slept in. In a child’s bedroom we designed recently there wasn’t even space for a bedside table, so we included an alcove and bookshelves behind the headboard to ensure that favourite bedtime storybooks were close at hand.’
SARAH PEAKE, creative director, Studio Peake ‘MAKE bold wallpaper your friend. Spacechallenged rooms are often the perfect places to make the boldest design choices, plus you will need far less wallpaper to cover a small downstairs loo or guest bedroom than a whole sitting room, so you can afford to spend more on something really fantastic.’ KATE GUINNESS, interior designer,
Kate Guinness Design
“DON’T BE AFRAID TO EMPHASISE
SMALLER SPACES LIKE HOME OFFICES WITH DARK COLOURS.
ADDING DRAMA CAN HELP IN CREATING TRANSITION BETWEEN ZONES WITHIN THE HOME. EMBRACE EVERY NOOK AND CRANNY, BUT ALWAYS BE CLEAR ON HOW YOU WILL USE THE SPACE” NICOLA HARDING, interior designer,
Nicola Harding & Co
‘WHEN creating an intimate dining area in a tight space, look at a built-in banquette or bench seating combined with an extendable table or a pair of tables pulled together. Individual chairs can then be added or taken away, according to the number of guests, providing a simple way to embrace both casual and formal entertaining in one. It’s also important to consider the spaces between main rooms in smaller homes. Lobbies, landings and corridors can be designed to become something special, enhancing the journey as you move from one place to another.’ HENRY PRIDEAUX, interior designer,
Henry Prideaux Interior Design ‘CHOOSING the right type of flooring, in terms of the pattern it creates, can go a long way to making a space appear larger. I like to use wood on a diagonal – the room will seem bigger than it is. When it comes to tiling, I prefer tiles where you don’t obviously see →
where one tile starts or stops, making the entire floor appear seamless. Mosaics, large marble slabs or quirky geometric shapes can all be used to achieve this – especially when using bright colours like a powder blue. Whatever you do, try to avoid standard 60x60cm tiles as they visually divide the room into squares, accentuate that not too many of them fit.’ IRENE GUNTER, interior designer and founder,
Gunter & Co Interiors
‘THE use of white paint does open up a room, however there are a vast number of options to choose from and some are more successful than others. I have used Pearl Colour by Edward Bulmer in many projects and it has a depth and slight tint of colour which reflects the light beautifully back into the room.’ NATALIA MIYAR, architect and interior designer,
Natalia Miyar Atelier
‘IN a tiny bathroom where there is no space for a storage unit, create niche shelves in pretty tinted glass for towels and products.’
ANNA BURLES, interior designer and founder,
Run For The Hills
‘I like to keep it monochromatic and tonal. That doesn’t mean that it can’t be colourful, but that does mean to stick to a tonal palette, whether that be cool tones like blues and greens, or warmer tones like terracotta, beige and rusts. By keeping things within the same palette, the space will feel larger and more cohesive, which will allow it to feel less disjointed. In a smaller space, we usually like to use a matte finish to help hide imperfections in the wall, which will make the dark colour feel more expansive visually.’ BOBBY BERK, interior designer
‘THINK about how people are going to pass through the space and ask if you really need each and every door (you must always consider building regulations, of course). Where possible, remove doors and architraves to improve the flow.’ VICTORIA WORMSLEY, interior designer, French-brooks Interiors
“WHEN IT COMES TO DESIGNING A SMALL KITCHEN, I LOVE PRACTICAL STORAGE. USE LARDER SHELVES THAT PULL ALL
THE WAY OUT SO YOU CAN GET TO THE BACK OF THEM, WHICH IS USUALLY IMPOSSIBLE. PLUS, TRY MAGIC CORNERS FOR LOWER CORNER CUPBOARDS WITH THE SHELVING MECHANISM THAT ROTATES. I USE HAFELE”
BEATA HEUMAN, interior designer, Beata Heuman