The trend these days in housing is towards smaller spaces, whether you live in a rural area, the middle of the city, or somewhere in-between. While lack of funds is always a good reason to try to do more with less, there are also lifestyle benefits to both yourself and the community around you that come with living in smaller spaces.
As a result, micro-dwellings and tiny houses have become hot topics everywhere. While the benefits of living small are obvious – less cost, more diversity in neighbourhoods, less complicated lives – they do come with extra challenges. One challenge that stymies people is how to decorate a small space like a studio apartment, a micro-dwelling, or a tiny house. One mistake many people make when trying to answer this question is to run away from colour when colour’s exactly what you need.
Marking Out Spaces
No matter how small your space is – and some tiniest micro-apartments in places like San Francisco and New York can top out at 16 or 17 square meters – the idea that colour will make it feel smaller is outdated and simply incorrect. In fact, one of the best ways to create specific areas in a small space is by painting the walls different colours. It’s one of the most effective ways to decorate a small space.
For example, in a studio apartment that’s really just one large room, painting the walls different colours can create specific, colour-coded areas: Something warm and welcoming in the entry area, something vibrant along one wall where the seating and dining will be, something calm and cool in the sleeping area, and something more neutral along that final wall to help tie it all together. The key to using colour to make your small space come alive is simple: Stick with a palette, but don’t be afraid to use it. White walls and white everything do not make a space feel larger!
Drawing the Eye
When working with colour we have a tendency to think in simple terms: This wall will be red, this wall will be blue, etc. If you have a smaller space it’s a good idea to draw attention to all of the space you have at your disposal – which includes vertical space. The answer: A gradient.
A gradient is a wall colour technique where the colour starts off deep and darker towards the floor then gradually lightens into another shade at ceiling height. It requires some patience and planning to pull off, but it draws the eyes ever upward, making people aware of the space above their heads. This has the effect of making the smallest room feel much larger.
It’s Okay to Go Dark
A final note on how to use colour within a small space: Don’t believe it when someone tells you that you have to use lighter colours. Dark colours, when used well, don’t make a space feel small and tight. They have the same effect in smaller spaces that they do in larger ones: Intensity.
And don’t forget the art on the walls! Even if you choose to go with lighter walls or a more neutral colour scheme in your small space (or it’s a rental and you can’t get permission to paint) you can add dramatic colour with some wall art – and we’d be happy to help you with that, just click here.
