May 15, 2015

Smart Ways to Spruce up a Small Space

Spring time is the perfect opportunity to freshen up your home’s décor, but if you live in a small space or have a tiny room in your house that needs a facelift, it may seem challenging.

Spring time is the perfect opportunity to freshen up your home’s décor, but if you live in a small space or have a tiny room in your house that needs a facelift, it may seem challenging. Luckily, you can easily make the most of every square inch with these creative small space solutions that offer big results.

Create a Focal Wall

In general, light walls make a small room feel larger, but, if you’re looking to add some color, there can be exceptions to this rule. Whether it’s a small office or cramped living room, an accent wall can bring definition and scale to a tiny space. The first step is to choose the right wall to paint. Depending on the room, it’s typically a fireplace wall, one that anchors a key piece of furniture, an interesting nook or a bookcase wall. If you do choose a wall that features a stationary object like a fireplace or built-in shelving, it can be easy to get professional paint results thanks to FrogTape® brand painter’s tape. All FrogTape products are treated with patented PaintBlock® Technology which makes it easy to achieve sharp paint lines by forming a micro-barrier against paint bleed.

Next, it’s all about color. If you’re going for a dramatic look, try a darker shade, like dark grey or deep blue, to help add depth to the room. However, if taking this route, be sure to keep furniture and adjacent walls lighter to prevent the room from feeling cluttered. If you already have a medium color on your walls, a bright color or fun pattern on an accent wall will help enliven the room. After you’ve painted the walls, also consider repainting your trim a bright white – not only will this make the accent wall stand out, it will give the entire room a fresh look and feel. 

Let in Light

There’s nothing a small space needs more than natural light. Help bring the outside in by hanging curtains beyond the window frame and near the ceiling to open up the room and let in more light. This drapery placement frames the window, making it look twice as big, and adds to the perceived height of the room as it creates an optical illusion. If you don’t have large windows in a room, you can use a mirror to your advantage. Adding a large decorative mirror on an adjacent wall will help reflect every sliver of available light. The bigger the mirror, the more light you can capture in the room.

You can also use windows to your benefit when trying to perfectly position furniture. While conventional decorating wisdom doesn’t recommend placing furniture in front of a window, in a small room such as a bedroom, it makes sense to use windows as the focal point and center furniture in front of them. In tiny bedrooms, options can be limited, and it's often better to create a strong focal point with a bed than to awkwardly push it to one side.

Get Creative with Storage

If you don’t have a large living room, choosing pieces that have multiple functions is a must. Look for storage options that also serve as décor. A creative way to do this is with repurposed finds; and since spring is the start of garage sale and flea market season, it’s the perfect opportunity to find special pieces that will personalize your space and make it more functional.

Find an old trunk or suitcase during your hunting? You can easily perch the suitcase on a base for a fashionable and functional side table, or transform a trunk into a coffee table. Not only will these pieces look great, they’re an excellent way to hide odds and ends. Customize these gems to coordinate with your current décor by adding a unique painted design using FrogTape painter’s tape. If you’re looking to preserve the item’s vintage appeal, make sure you tape off any latches or distinctive details to help prevent paint bleed.

Be Smart with Shelving

There's plenty of valuable real estate all over your home, not just on the floor. Shelves, cabinets and even simple pegboard racks can get your belongings organized while keeping them from taking up your limited floor or counter space. Bring a cozy kitchen to the next level with a shelving unit that reaches the ceiling – this will help make your walls seem sky high. These open shelves keep dishes neatly organized and are the perfect spot for storing small appliances. For even more efficiency, have electrical outlets installed within the shelving unit so you don't have to move the appliances to use them.

Floating shelves are also a great option, as they allow you to show off your favorite accessories while boosting storage capacity. Get creative with your shelving by repurposing old barn wood for a rustic look or utlize plumbing pipe to suspend shelving for an industrial and modern design. These shelves can be used to display cookbooks, attractive serving bowls, stemware, vases or baskets.

Next time you’re looking to spruce up a small space, look at it as a chance to get creative. Often the best design solutions are born of necessity; and with a little imagination you can create eye-catching, functional rooms throughout the entire house. For more information about FrogTape® brand painter’s tape, visit frogtape.com.

# # #