Designing Small Space

Leonardo Da Vinci must have been ahead of his time when, rather than advocating the joys of a sprawling palazzo, he wrote: “Small rooms or dwellings set the mind in the right path, large ones cause it to go astray.”
In design for small space, storage is vital to keep visual clutter to an absolute minimum. In very small spaces, such as studio or one-bedroom apartments, as much furniture as possible should be custom-designed and built in: for example, the bed and side tables, wardrobes, an entertainment unit in the living area and even the dining table (which could be designed to fold away into the kitchen benchtop when not in use). Living room seating, also, could be a low built-in platform with drawers beneath and comfortable foam cushions on top and propped against the wall.
A bed will be the largest piece of furniture so needs careful thought. A low futon or platform bed will look visually less imposing, and can be placed against a wall with cushions at the back to double as a laid-back lounging place instead of a sofa in an open studio space. Higher beds, however, offer valuable storage space beneath.
Look for flexible, multi-use furnishings. Many furniture retailers, from upmarket to mass market, are delivering adaptable, multi-function furnishings and storage solutions specifically for compact modern dwellings, from beds that fold into the wall to coffee tables that lift up to dining height.
Keep the floor space as clear as possible – make the walls work hard with carefully arranged shelving for books, CDs etc and a swivel-arm wall mounted stand for the television. With the floor clear, any available storage space must be used to it’s potential: under the bed, behind doors, inside ottomans that also act as additional seating, under stairs.
Generally, wall colours, finishes and flooring should be light in colour to give a feeling of space, though darker colours in a small space can be cocooning and may be suitable, especially if the client is rarely there during the day.
Don’t place a large piece of furniture, such as a sofa, opposite the door where it will visually dominate the room.
If you keep this advice in mind, you should have a firm grasp on the fundamentals of design for small space living.