Living in a Small Space

Something that I have been thinking about lately is living in smaller spaces. My husband and I bought a new home about a year ago. The housing market was awesome for buyers with ridiculously low interest rates and some great deals on houses that we would have usually not been able to afford. We ended up buying a 3,600 sq. ft. house to "grow in".

While I love our new house and all the storage space, I know it's more than we need right now. We do want lots of kids and we have entertained family and even had some live with us for a month. But even still, I sometimes wonder if we should have stuck to something smaller. 

A lot of times, we think that more is better, but that's not always true. Today, I want to show you some really fabulous rooms and give you some tips on how to decorate smaller spaces.

#1 Buy smaller scale furniture

This a very small room and these overstuffed sofas are way too big for the space. 

Consider using a love seat instead of a sofa like this picture. Also, since the side tables are smaller, they mounted swinging arm sconces to the wall to free up space on the tables. This a great example of how to make a smaller space look and feel fabulous. 

You don't even have to use a sofa. I love the way this space looks with just a couple chairs instead of a large bulky sofa. 

#2 Multi-functional 

Since you don't have as much space to have a room for everything you do, make some rooms dual purpose. 

Here, a desk in front of the window allows for some office space in this smaller room. 

A table behind the sofa can be a great eating area or office area in a smaller home. 

An office and eating area in one!

#3 Keep a consistent color palette

This is a smaller living room with a lot going on but because there is a consistent color palette it doesn't feel small or too demanding.

This picture shows what you can do with small space! Smaller scaled furniture, a consistent color palette and multi-purpose. Also, the clear coffee table is great because it adds function without taking up too much visual space. 

#4 Large art or a mirror can make the space feel larger

This is another great example of doing everything right in a small space. The smaller furniture, the large mirror, the color palette and even the vertical striped rug make this space feel a lot bigger than it really is. 

The large art in the space gives a focal point and makes the room appear larger. 

#5 Get Creative!

I love this idea for a small entry. Paint a table silhouette on the wall and add a floating shelf with some fresh flowers!

The bed takes up almost the whole space so there's no room for bedside tables. Instead, they mounted a small shelf on the wall and instead of lamps, hung scones behind the bed. Even though there is a lot of pattern going on here, it works because it's all in the same color palette and the rest of the walls are white. 

Take over a closet and turn it into a library! I love this idea but I don't know if I would be willing to part with the closed storage.

Any other tips you have to add? Do you think you could get away with a smaller home?

~Jessica