Have you got a small front room?Conventional wisdom says:put small furniture in there.Kit it out like a doll's house.Such a scheme is thought to create the illusion of space,and it kind of makes sense.But then you are stuck with tiny furniture that isn't quite big enough to eat a meal off or support the entirety of your bottom as you sit watching TV.
But Rebecca Tucker has some advice on how to make the most of a small space.She is the director of London-based boutique design consultancy Sundainteriordesign.com,so is often the go-to expert when kitting out rooms both large and small.Her advice?Flip it on its head,and fill your room with large,statement furniture.
"It is an'80s myth that show home designers use small-scaled furniture to make a room feel bigger,"she said."We don't,it doesn't work,it will make potential purchasers feel uncomfortable,even if they can't quite put there finger on why it is having that effect on them-and fundamentally-it just looks absurd."
Instead,it's vital to make your room comfortable,but also be brave-as Rebecca notes,it's important not to be scared of using deep,statement-making colours and bold textures when kitting out a smaller room.
"You can keep the moody colours,but if having a dark colour on all four walls scares you,chose the focal wall and paint it in the feature colour.Consider all the other walls too and don't just opt for white,but take the tone of the feature wall down a couple of notches for a more cohesive look."
So while you're painting your room with bold colours and filling it with normal-sized furniture,don't forget your lighting.You might be inclined to put modern ceiling lights in your room,but they can take up a lot of space:instead,flush ceiling lights will not impede your head space,and so make the room appear larger.
