Making the most of smaller spaces

LITTLE ROCK — Small may be in when it comes to homes, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to decorate.

A few simple guidelines, however, can turn a small space from dilemma to de-lovely.

Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan, founder of the decor blog Apartment Therapy and author of The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces (Clarkson Potter, 2010), thinks it’s all about light.

“The single most powerful influencer in a room is the lighting,” he says.

Every room should have three sources of illumination, which will bounce off walls and create a visual expanse, Gillingham-Ryan says. Track lighting is a good alternative to free-standing fixtures if space is a problem.

Gillingham-Ryan suggests limiting the color palette of a small room. He likes off-white in all its iterations, with bright white on ceilings. “Keep floors dark - they’re calming and grounding, and will make the walls seem higher,” he says.

Use accessories, such as a great rug, to add color. “You can’t change your square footage, but you can change the way the space feels,” he says.

Elaine Griffin, a New York based designer and author of Design Rules (Gotham, 2009),says a welcoming foyer is near the top of her list for small spaces.

“It’s an important part of the psychological experience of coming home. I like to create a ‘faux foyer’ by sitting a decorative cube or box adjacent to the door with a tray for mail, and perhaps a shelf above for keys, a flower and a fragrant candle. Mount a mirror above the shelf,” she says.

In the living area, “avoid the temptation to put your sofa on the long wall. Put it on the short wall, and you’ll have more room to create decor zones,” Griffin says. Love seats - popular purchases for small apartments - are “a no-no. Truthfully, they only sit one. Go for the better-proportioned 72-to-76-inch ‘apartment-size’ sofa.”