In small homes, rooms will often be multi-purpose, so you’ll want to make sure you make the most of every inch.
Although small rooms can present many interior design challenges, there are several advantages to compact living. A well-designed byou space can feel just as comfortable as a larger space, with all the warmth and coziness you crave.
Increasing the sense of space in rooms that are small in stature is a design issue that everyone wants to solve. We spoke to some of our favorite interior designers, architects and decorators to find out their solutions.
How to make the most of a small space
As well as making a small room look bigger, it’s also worth considering how you organize each room in your home too. ‘The best way to organize a home and make use of the space is to write down how each room is used, says interior decorator Nicola Harding, founder of Nicola Harding & Co. (opens in new tab).’
Below, we show you our favorite ways to make the most of a small room – with tricks to help turn that awkward, small room into something sophisticated and functional.
1. Look at unused nooks and crannies
(Image credit: Studio Duggan / Mariell Lind Hansen)
Carving out room for a table where floor space is tight will often require putting one in the corner. For this to work, there are two rules: firstly, the table must be round to both contrast with the right angles of the corner, but also to prevent anyone from catching themselves on the edges of the table and secondly, to use bench seats .
“A breakfast nook is such a cozy nook,” says Tiffany Duggan, founder of Studio Duggan (opens in new tab), who created this scheme. ‘We’ve been designing a lot of these recently and tend to add a pendant lamp to make it more “hygge”. We often upholster the seat in a wearable material such as leather. We wanted this one to feel “loungey” so we kept the back low and rounded the edges.’
2. Think ahead when planning a children’s room
(Image credit: David Parmiter)
There is a danger when designing children’s rooms that as they get older they fall in love with a scheme. One alternative is to design a room that will stand the test of time, through teenage years into adulthood, and that’s what interior decorator Lucy Marsh was asked to do by her client.
‘It was difficult as the room is long and thin, so we created a design that was meant to be, adding shelves, cupboards and drawers to create a flow,’ she says. The paint is French Blue by Edward Bulmer Natural Paint (opens in new tab). “Blue is hard to work with, but this shade is warm and enveloping.” A vertical fabric pattern (Scrolling Fern Frond by Soane Britain) elevates the room while curtains add privacy and softness.
3. Negotiate a niche for multiple uses
(Image credit: Echlin / Nathalie Priem)
Nooks and crannies lend themselves to storage with style – and are perfect as a display area. But it is not only their content that is decisive, but also how they are decorated, which can elevate the interior of a small space.
Small built-in desk areas can act as dressing tables, workstations or areas to display objects. “In this space, the desk helped finish off the wardrobe and dressing area and the adjacent courtyard,” says Steve Clinch, lead architect at Echlin (opens in new tab)who designed this table.
4. Make sure that a compact space is well dressed
(Image credit: Sean Fennessey)
Decorating with mirrors has more benefits in a dressing room than just giving you a place to check your outfit. A wonderfully versatile design feature, mirrors are well known for maximizing the sense of space in your home.
Ideally, every dressing room should have good light and a full-length mirror. If space is tight, follow the example of decorator Tamsin Johnson (opens in new tab) and install mirror-front cabinets. To add a much-needed soft touch, Tamsin designed a custom windowsill seat.
5. Set up a seat in an alcove or corner
(Image credit: VSP Interiors)
Architectural features such as alcoves are ideal for storage or seating. Here, interior designer Henriette von Stockhausen of VSP Interiors (opens in new tab) made a feature of the alcove on a landing by placing an upholstered seat over the radiator and hanging a painting above.
‘Entrances and landings run the risk of being rather empty and full of hard surfaces; putting in a seat with an upholstered cushion breaks it up,’ says Henriette von Stockhausen.
6. Maximize the space under the stairs
(Image credit: Woodstock Furniture)
“Awkward spaces provide the perfect opportunity to be creative,” says interior designer Emma Sims-Hilditch of Sims Hilditch (opens in new tab). ‘We always make a point of coming up with intelligent storage solutions for our customers to help them get the most out of their home.’
One of the obvious underutilized spaces is the void under a staircase – especially at basement level where there is no basement to access. For a contemporary scheme, take inspiration from this design by Woodstock Furniture, which features floating shelves in walnut.
7. Bend the rules to create interesting architectural details
(Image credit: Maddux Creative)
Architecturally inspired curves are of the moment, with soft, rounded lines popping up everywhere, especially in small spaces where interest is often lacking.
The team at Maddux Creative (opens in new tab) had to reconfigure this small bathroom to create a more interesting flow. ‘The angled wall with a built-in curved niche was created to house the elliptical vanity and curved medicine cabinet,’ say founders Scott Maddux and Jo Le Gleud. The dynamic relationship between the room’s architecture and the shaped, curved sanitaryware hits a note here.
8. Use wallpaper to cover up doors
(Image credit: Anna Haines)
In recent years, many have carved out spaces for small home offices – and coveted ideal examples, including garden studios or rooms above garages. The truth is, provided there is good light and an internet connection, an office can be set up in almost any room, as this scheme by interior designer Anna Haines (opens in new tab) demonstrate. The bifold doors on one wall leading to the plant room of the house are almost undetectable thanks to the use of a beautiful wallpaper by Robert Kime.
‘The design creates depth and draws the eye away from the different levels,’ says Anna. Anna added an articulated wall light by Hector Finch and a desk light by Holloways of Ludlow. A kilim from Susan Deliss gives warmth and color.
9. Built-in seat
(Image credit: Barlow & Barlow)
Individual dining chairs will always take up more space than a sofa, but moving firmly away from furniture reminiscent of awkward school lunches is the best solution to embrace a banquette. This one was created by interior design studio Barlow & Barlow (opens in new tab). Tucked between the wall and a glass-encased pantry, it leads to a cozy corner that is a perfect place to eat.
‘Ringled upholstery adds coziness to a space – I always think that kitchens are greatly improved with a little softness and a lot of comfort,’ says Lucy Barlow.
10. Invest in custom carpentry
(Image credit: Kate Guinness)
Bespoke joinery is a great way to zone spaces in an open plan room. In this design by Kate Guinness (opens in new tab), bookshelves create a break between a small bedroom and dressing room, but the same technique can be used just as successfully to demarcate between a living room and a small dining room. Kate painted the shelves in French Blue by Edward Bulmer Natural Paint and sourced the Kantha bedspread from 8 Holland Street.
11. Create a magical environment with furniture
(Image credit: Kit Kemp / Simon Brown)
Built-in loft beds are one of the best space-saving options for a child’s room – and mean they can sleep over. Adding curtains to create bunk beds is also a perfect way to give siblings or friends their own space in the room.
Bespoke joinery is a big investment, but ticks so many boxes as a cool way to inject some style into a room. Create a magical environment with furniture that will get young imaginations going, as shown here. Making a smaller space sing with character, whimsy and fun was all part of this project, says designer Kit Kemp (opens in new tab).
“You’ll never want to grow up sleeping in this room with painted bunk beds, lyrical wallpaper and curtains inspired by The Bloomsbury Group.”
How do you make a small room more functional?
The best way to make a small room more functional is to customize. Space planning with a budget to spend on custom carpentry is the ideal solution to the small room conundrum. Ceiling-high shelves or shelves that run up and over a door provide useful extra space. Rooms with low pitched roofs also scream for smart joinery. Those that are too low to stand in, but high enough to accommodate a desk and chair, offer an opportunity to separate an office space from a bedroom, for example. When designing floor-to-ceiling cabinets, keep the top shelf open for baskets. This will contribute to a feeling of height. Instead, invest in low-lying drawers to hold shoes or bed linen.
Another option is to be creative with your storage ideas. Open shelving is a must for easily accessible and useful places to store everyday items – this is especially handy in a home office environment, where ideas for inspiration need to be on standby. But they must be kept tidy: an overflowing mess is the fastest way to make a room feel even smaller.
‘One of the best ways to make a heavily used busy room, like my small home studio, look less cluttered is to store things smartly but also creatively,’ says designer Molly Mahon (opens in new tab). ‘I use our hand block printed storage boxes to store smaller things – they’re cheerful to look at and can fit in smaller spaces or on work surfaces.’
