Correct decor can make downsized home spacious
Make the room feel bigger by using consistent colours and furniture with open lines
Designer Brian Gluckstein has mixed feelings about small spaces. On the one hand, his large, beautifully appointed Toronto home allows him to endlessly indulge his penchant for collecting.
“I love old silver,” he explains, “so when I see a piece I like, I get it — knowing I can always find a spot for it in a cabinet.”
He concedes, however, that accumulating pretty things has a downside. “Every so often I consider moving or renovating. Just the thought of packing up that house, though, makes me shudder. I can’t face it.”
On the other hand, a small apartment in New York has revealed the virtues of small spaces to Gluckstein, who admits that he’s learned how little you actually need to live well.
These days, when Gluckstein spies tempting home decor in New York, he simply tells himself that “the apartment is done and I really don’t need anything else. It takes discipline and you have to have a different approach to possessions. But it’s very liberating,” he says.
That sense of freedom has been one of the many drivers of the explosive condo growth Toronto has experienced over the past few decades, suggests Gluckstein, who is in high demand as a designer for both model suites and private clients with condos.
“We’re seeing an interesting mix of buyers. It’s not necessarily an economic issue — it’s a lifestyle issue. You’re getting younger people who will never be able to afford a house in the city and who want to live downtown, but there are also empty nesters, or seniors who have a place in Arizona or Florida for the winter and who just don’t want the trouble of a house year-round.”
Added to that, he says, are growing numbers of international buyers — along with well-heeled types who keep permanent residence in places like King City or Caledon — who want a pied-á-terre in town.
Whatever the motivation, buyers are becoming accepting of smaller and smaller spaces. “It’s shocking,” says Gluckstein. “I have done luxury apartments where the closets are as big as some of the apartments on the market today.”
The biggest design challenge for these homeowners, says Gluckstein, is that traditionally scaled furniture doesn’t fit — physically or aesthetically. Small-footprint condo owners are just now “starting to understand the scale of the spaces they are buying,” he adds.
That’s why small spaces were very much on the radar when Gluckstein created new ranges of Gluckstein-Home furniture, which is available at Hudson’s Bay.
“The urban condo market is very large,” he explains, “but it’s often under-served in terms of well-scaled furniture. We definitely had that demographic in mind.”
Because storage is at a premium, pieces for small spaces should do double duty wherever possible, says Gluckstein, whose new collection includes, for example, a bed with pullout storage underneath. As an added touch, the base is upholstered. “In a small space, it means you’re less likely to hurt your ankles when you are moving around it.”
Bedside tables for small spaces must have drawers, he insists. To that end, his Davenport bedroom suite includes a sleek three-drawer night table with rounded edges.
In a living room, clean-lined nesting tables from his Mercer collection offer flexibility, especially for entertaining. “You could use one table for a lamp, and have another to pull out to put drinks and nibbles on. Add candles and it’s a lovely, casual, intimate way to entertain.”
Gluckstein also likes slim legs for tables, sofas and chairs in small spaces. “There’s a lightness to them. It’s an architectural approach but it is still comfortable, because you are really just opening up on the bottom of the piece.”
Touring model suites is a great way to see how pros solve small space design puzzles, suggests Gluckstein. “For the designer, the whole concept is to make the space look airy and bright and spacious. So you can pick up those cues,” says Gluckstein.
A camera and a tape measure should always be brought along, he adds. “Sit on the furniture. See if it’s comfortable, which is the ultimate test. I don’t want anything in my house that is not comfortable. If it is, measure the depth and size. It will really help you figure out what will work.”
His other tip for small space design is to stick to a monochromatic palette. “If you want a sense of calmness, use it throughout the apartment, from the hard surfaces to upholstery to paints. You can have variations and certainly add pops of colour here and there, but you really don’t want to cut the space up with big colour changes or, for example, bold carpets.”
Of course, elegantly neutral palettes are a Gluckstein design leitmotif. “I think the world is hectic and busy enough,” he explains. “I love spaces that have a sense of calm and serenity — regardless of the size.” Vicky Sanderson is also the DIY editor for Reno and Decor magazine. Follow her on Twitter @vickysanderson or email her at vswriter@sympatico.ca.
“The urban condo market is very large, but it’s often under-served in terms of well-scaled furniture.” BRIAN GLUCKSTEIN DESIGNER