Decorating Small Homes

Living in a small space is tough, especially when you have to abide by the rental rules formulated by your landlord. Moreover, decorating options are very less, since you cannot experiment much with the limited space. However, you can make a small apartment look as beautiful and spacious as its larger counterparts. All you need is to create the illusion of space by arranging the furniture and knowledge about the appropriate lighting, color of the walls etc.

• Furniture plays a pivotal role in every home Decor. The choice of home furnishings can either create or occupy space.

• Do not go for bulky sofa sets, because they are difficult to move, occupy a whole lot of space and make the room look cramped. Small pieces of furniture such as an ottoman, an armless, open chair, low table will open up the space. A frugal option is sofa-cum-bed, which can be unfolded to serve as a bed during the night.

• The arrangement of furniture is another thing to consider. Make sure that you place the largest piece of furniture, probably the couch, against the longest wall of the room. Keep the furniture away from the walkways, so that people do not stumble upon it while coming or going out of the room.

• Lighting is another important factor in determining the look of the room. For a small apartment, the rooms should be illuminated in such a way that space is opened up. Ceiling lights are a strict no-no in this case, because they tend to cut off the height of the room. Soft lighting is preferable. Go for recessed lighting. Install more lamps in your home. Eliminate shadows at the corners of the rooms by placing soft incandescent lights at strategic locations.

• Apart from artificial lighting, natural light also plays a pivotal role in creating the illusion of space. Open the windows of your room during daytime, so that your rooms are illuminated with sun's rays.

• Soft, monochromatic color schemes create the illusion of more space. Hence, choose colors that are light, such as white, cream and off white. You may also opt for cool colors. Select soft tones of blues and greens for the walls.

• Match the walls with a monochromatic color scheme for the fabrics of the furniture and drapery. You may choose light and airy fabrics for the throw pillows and curtains. Cotton is the best bet. Laced curtains are good, because they provide good ventilation as well as allow the light to pass through, during the day.

• Mirrors can open up a considerable amount of space, because they reflect light. Use large decorative mirrors for the purpose.

• Use minimal number of accessories for your rooms, because they create clutter. Stick to small sized throw pillows, wall hangings and framed photographs or artwork.

• Last but not the least - keep your home free of clutter. Organize things on cupboards, closets and drawers. When things are neatly arranged and out of sight, the space in the home is opened up automatically.