10 Simple Ideas For Small House Decorating

Feb 13, 2020 ♦

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When living in a small home, you have to make the most of every inch of space available. Sadly, when it comes to thinking up creative ideas for small home decorating, many homeowners think they will have to sacrifice style over space.

We’re here to tell you that you can absolutely create a dazzlingly decorated small space; you just need to practice some restraint and use carefully-curated multi-functional pieces. Think about bright, colourful ottomans; if you purchase the right item, they can be used for storage, as extra seating, as a table or a footrest, as well as looking amazing.

We’ve compiled our top list of creative ideas for small home decorating. Never feel limited in your small home again; we’ll show you that even the smallest spaces can become fabulous and functional with just a few clever styling choices and select home décor pieces.

1. Light-filled rooms

Working with a small home is all about giving the illusion that your rooms are bigger than they are. To achieve this look, you’ll need to make use of an abundance of light and light colours, like white, neutrals or light pastels.

If you’re loving your dark walls in a small home, you can always brighten them up with space-saving lights and wall art.

Our small house decorating tips:

Use hanging lights to maximise space or a series of bright downlights
Add a statement chandelier or beaded hanging light which will reflect more light as well as looking fabulous
Hang a dreamy pastel wall art piece to brighten a dark space
Add mirrors to create the illusion of more space. A large mirror with an ornate frame can serve as a way to make a statement while creating the illusion of more space. Ideally, your mirrors should be positioned opposite or right next to your windows to reflect the maximum amount of light
Add a fresh coat of paint in light colours, like whites, sand, or various shades of pastel, to make your spaces appear larger

2. Ditch the clutter

Make like Marie Kondo and discard erroneous items which don’t bring you joy. Many of us don’t realise how much our clutter can cause unnecessary stress and frustration. After all, no one wants drawers bursting with clothes or a cupboard set to explode outwards with an excess of shoes and in a small home, this becomes more relevant than ever.

An excess of mess can make it that much harder to find things in your home and useless items could be taking up valuable room for beautiful plants, ornaments, seating or even extra-useful pieces of furniture. For instance, perhaps by moving up that useless stack of suitcases in the corner you could add a quaint window seat or extra seating for guests?

Our small house decorating tips:

Choose a weekend to de-clutter. Depending on the size of your space and the amount of clutter you have, you might need to set aside an entire day!
Throw out old papers, books and unused candles
Throw out, sell, give away or place into storage any appliances you only use a few times a year
Ditch multiple clunky photo frames, and create a photo collage using a collection of only your favourite photos. That way, you won’t need bookshelves, you can simply use your existing wall space for decoration and remove useless bookshelves that are used purely for ornaments

3. Start with a neutral colour palette

Having a small home doesn’t mean it can’t look chic without looking cluttered. You can achieve a harmonious balance between the two with some clever small home decorating ideas.

A neutral colour palette is key to creating a small space that still looks open and calming, yet has enough in the style stakes to impress your guests.

Our small house decorating tips:

Use neutral paint colours on the walls, and save your crazy colourful pieces for cushions, wall art, smaller furniture or ornaments
Try to stick to the same tonal colour palette. For instance, start with a slate grey wall and use cool colours like mint green and emerald, or shades of lilac, grey and blue.
Keep larger furniture neutral if possible, but add a pop of colour with a smaller, jewel-toned armchair, ottoman or a brightly-coloured table or chair
Add neutral floor-to-ceiling curtains to elongate your walls

4. Make your walls work for you

Once you have your neutral base and your room appears larger than it really is, work up from there, adding colour where you can. Create more display space if you can, adding floating shelving and nightstands or fold-away desks for more space to display and store your items.

Our small house decorating tips:

In a small space, every piece of wall art counts. Choose meaningful wall art which has a story behind it; perhaps it reminds you of a favourite trip or a place which has meaning for you.
Use the vertical space by purchasing tall bookshelves or installing floating shelves

Display your wall art cleverly. Perhaps you want to create a large wall display or a split canvas print for impact on a larger wall. Or, use a corridor to create a smaller grid configuration
No spare wall space? Invest in an assortment of photo cushions to place on your couch or bed. Cushions are great in that they are almost like miniature artworks, perfect within your neutral base. Use them to surround yourself of your favourite trip, your significant other, or even your most-beloved pets.

5. Embrace drama

Even though you started with a neutral colour base, don’t be afraid to create dramatic design moments in your small spaces. Utilise over the top chandeliers, crazy furniture and brightly coloured wall art.

As long as your pieces are carefully curated, you can make anything work in a small space, no matter how colourful or crazy your pieces are.

Our small house decorating tips:

Use statement pieces that draw the eye. A large rug can make your floor space appear larger and can add intrigue to the room
Play with scale; use a combination of smaller and larger-shaped furniture and work on different levels, too. Move from wall art on your walls to the coffee table, down to the floor with colourful rugs
Mix different textures to create intrigue; whether that’s linen curtains mixed with a velvet armchair and satin-feel cushions

6. Choose multi-purpose pieces

In a small home, every item needs to work for you. You want multi-purpose items which can be moved around from room to room and be made to be fashionable as well as functional.

Our small house decorating tips:

Open up your spaces; for instance, instead of having separate zones for dining and living and closing off areas with furniture, aim to open them up with your furniture configuration
Only purchase multi-purpose items. For instance, invest in ottomans that work as additional storage space for blankets as well as working as a coffee table and extra seating for when you have guests.
Ensure your couches and beds also have additional storage space underneath to stow away linen, blankets and cushions.
Do you really need a TV unit? Consider mounting your TV onto your wall instead, in order to free up more floor space, or installing a dedicated floating shelf; just ensure that it’s purpose-built to accommodate the weight of the TV!

7. Add colourful accents

To make your rooms more interesting, add some intrigue with pops of colour here and there. This will give your spaces multiple dimensions.

Our small house decorating tips:

Add colourful photo cushions which can be fully personalised to your liking. Perhaps you want a photo cushion with images of your favourite place; a mountain landscape, a beach, or a favourite holiday destination
Add a piece of wall art; you could create wall art in a number of different designs; bold, modern art, or funky retro art.
Choose a large, area-sized rug to make your space appear larger. Most of your furniture should sit on your rug.

8. Use smaller, more versatile furniture

Instead of larger pieces, fill your small spaces with versatile furniture that can be adapted to suit any situation.

Our small house decorating tips:

Mix and match multiple smaller coffee table sets instead of one large table, so they can be placed together, or separately in two different spots.
Incorporate in-built seating/storage hubs, like near your windows. These can also act as a place to add extra cushions or magazines.

9. Strict colour themes

While you still want to make an impact in a small space, too many colours and patterns can be an assault on the eyes. Having a limited colour scheme can help make your spaces look less chaotic.

As long as you stick to one colour theme, you can create a cohesive, stylish space. You don’t need to opt for a light, bright space, as long as your colour scheme is consistent, whether you choose to go with navy and white, cool green tones or neutral naturals.

10. Smart lighting

Like your colour palette, lighting can help to open up a small room and make it feel more alive. That said, colours, mirrors and natural light can only go so far. A clever lighting scheme can work wonders in a small space.

Our small house decorating tips:

Install lighting from above or add hanging lamps or chandeliers, to save on floor space
Install sconces on your walls, which can even be used to highlight wall art