The art of designing a small room
We reveal the trickery of eight designers who have worked their expertise on small spaces...
You may also like: Small space ideas | Small bathrooms | Small bedrooms | Small kitchens | Small living rooms | Small flat decorating ideas | Storage solutions for small spaces
'Everything makes a difference in a small space', says interior designer Beata Heuman, whose compact Earls Court flat featured in a recent House & Garden issue. The feature is packed with savvy __design ideas that make imaginative use of her small home.
'Getting the scale right is key', says Jane Churchill, who downsized from a four-bedroom house in Belgravia to a two-bedroom terrace. She designed two slipper chairs to harmonise with the narrow proportions of her drawing room. 'As long as the seat is wide enough for a man's large bottom, they are comfortable!' Jane also added a slim-backed sofa to balance the room's proportions. 'This may be a small house,' wrote Teresa Levonian Cole in the October 2011 issue, 'but it packs a hefty punch - hitting the mark with an elegant precision that betrays this designer's hand'.
'Mirrors have to be one of the most effective ways to combat a poky space,' says House & Garden's decoration editor, Gabby Deeming. 'They bounce light into dark corners, can create the illusion of a door where there isn't one, and appear to double the size of a space. Seminal architect John Soane used mirrors to magical effect in his house in Lincoln's Inn Fields. Both Gabby and Olivia Gregory cleverly used mirrors to maximise space in a 17-square-metre studio apartment, which featured in our September 2011 issue. The reflecting surface was cleverly poised to mimic a doorway, creating the illusion of a grander arena.
Ann Boyd also incorporated mirrors into her small London flat in Chesil Court. Within seconds of viewing the space, Ann, inspired by the original Crittal windows, envisaged the walls to echo the square __design in mirror-glass panelling. 'Some small flats shriek 'space-saving solution' at every turn,' wrote Judith Wilson in the November 2010 issue, 'but this cool, calm living space just looks effortlessly elegant'.
The transformative ability of light can work wonders in a small space. A former artist's studio in Chelsea - measuring just 90 square metres - was transformed by Eve Mercier into a two-bedroom pied-à-terre for a family of five. 'There were times when I had my doubts', revealed Eve in the April 2012 issue. But she persevered, with two priorities: 'the space had to be right and the light had to flow'. Advantageously, the property boasted a high, arched Perspex roof, which stretched the length of the building, funnelling sunlight. 'It is a feature that makes possible an illusion of space', wrote Teresa Levonian Cole in the April 2012 issue. 'An illusion Eve has cleverly exploited'. The architectural firm, Studio 29, suggest using uplighters to illuminate ceilings and expand space in a small room.
Margherita Thuminger, partner and co-founder of Studio 29, recommends 'theatre wings' to enlarge an open space. 'When a client wants an open space, we always suggest breaking it up with open bookshelves or screens; they act as wings in the theatre and give the illusion that the space is much bigger than it is in reality'. Designer Andrew Winch used screens to great effect in his compact Kensington flat, which deputy editor Hatta Byng described in the January 2011 issue as 'a veritable essay in space-creating devices and clever trickery'. Influenced by the simplicity of Japanese design and 'its use of sliding screens to open or privatise spaces', Andrew introduced a shoji-like screen into his sitting room, which slides across when the room doubles as a bedroom for his son. The screen flanks a floor-to-ceiling mirror to create the illusion of another room beyond.
See more top tips for tiny living rooms
Emily Todhunter has injected cunning decorative elements into a 482 square-metre pied-à-terre in Knightsbridge, which she has recently converted as a base for when she and her husband are in London. 'The kitchen is no more than a sort of bar in the sitting room', which Emily has cleverly disguised in a bookcase to blend with the rest of the room's aesthetic. The bathroom, meanwhile, has been designed to feel 'entirely appropriate' in the bedroom: the vanity unit has been designed in the style of a chest of drawers.
See all our small kitchen ideas
Louise Glyn, co-partner at Studio 29, used height to created more space in her studio flat in west Hampstead, which she bought because of its 'incredibly high ceilings'. Louise built a mezzanine for her bedroom and underneath fitted a 'kitchen, utility cupboard, tiny dressing area and a bathroom complete with walk in-shower and full-size bath'. No mean feat.
Sparse space often demands rooms to have more than one function. 'We wanted a versatile space that could easily be converted into a study, if necessary,' said Eve of the two-bedroom pied-a-terre. She introduced two broad, wall mounted benches to the children's bedroom, which could easily be transformed into beds. For Emily Todhunter's small-scale setting, an L-shaped sofa in the sitting room cannily metamorphoses the space into a bedroom, providing two beds for when her twins come to stay. Duvets are stored in large black Chinese boxes by the sofa.' It's all quite well organised,' explains Emily. 'It has to be!'
Storage options can be a real snag in small spaces. But, in Ann Boyd's bedroom, custom-made open shelving, tucked discreetly behind the bed's oversize mirror-glass headboard, provides ample storage for her favourite white, grey and black clothes. Emily Todhunter increased the storage space of clothes in a small flat in London by adding a second level to the cupboard. Meanwhile, in a bid to reduce clutter, Eve Mercier introduced jib doors to conceal everything from washing machines and under-stair storage.
See more small bedroom ideas
Gabby Deeming refers to wall space as a crafty space saver. 'There are some ingenious devices for hanging vacuums and bikes up off the floor and lots of wall mounted storage is modular, so that you can create something unique that works with your own space'. Margherita Thuminger, says that storage is essential in the three-bedroom maisonette she shares with her husband and two children under five. She designed a utility cupboard under the stairs to house all the cleaning products, while IKEA Kallak units store toys, books and clothes in the children's bedrooms. Andrew Winch uses an ottoman to hide a duvet and pillows in his living room.
Margherita Thuminger also recommends polished plaster as an effective guise to create the illusion of space. 'It can have a very subtle sheen or be very glossy and in reflecting the light helps the space feel more spacious'. The walls of Jane Churchill's hallway were decorated in broad stripes of polished plaster to evoke a wider impression. 'It's all about creating an illusion of space', said Jane in the October 2011 issue.
Colour was used in the hallway of Margherita Thuminger's maisonette. The wall behind the staircase has been painted a dark shade to evoke a sense of depth, while the staircase was transformed with a bold yellow. 'The hall seems so much bigger', enthuses Margherita 'and the cheerful colour put a smile on the face of anyone entering my house'. Gabby and Olivia similarly injected colour into the studio apartment seen in the September 2011 issue. A dramatic orange - Farrow & Ball's Charlotte Locks - gives the walls a shock-factor; slices of the colour threads through the apartment, providing a bold backdrop to a monochrome scheme.
Interior designer Ebba Thott introduced pattern into the cloakroom of a two-bedroom flat in west London. A collage of handmade 'Blueware' tiles by Tim Simpson and Sarah van Gameren at Glithero deck the walls. Eve Mercier similarly added print to 'what must be the tiniest cloakroom in London', lining it with red ikat wallpaper. Both Ann Boyd and Andrew Winch incorporate wall hung basins to their bathrooms as a space saver.
Still short on space? Heal's has recently launched a stylish new space-conscious collection, Ambrose. From sofas and beds to a clothes-drying rack, the range has been designed to specifically address the space restrictions of contemporary urban living. A report by RIBA caught the eye of Heal's creative director, Carmel Allen, and inspired the collection: 'Most new housing has living spaces that are 10 per cent smaller than RIBA recommends'.
From the flair of mirrors to smart lighting, savvy storage to polished plaster, 'everything makes a difference in a small space', explained Beata Heuman in our September issue and she certainly was right.
Like this? Then you'll love Huge inspiration for small spaces
Written by admin
