Working in the field of residential interior design, I have a few tricks for making a small space look and feel bigger. Here are my top seven tips:

• Use a color palette that’s light and neutral, that will enlarge your space visually.

• Incorporate some furniture in the same color as your walls, that way it basically blends into the walls which helps widen your space.

• Use multifunctional furniture, such as storage ottomans, which can be used as both a coffee table, extra seating and storage, all at the same time.

• See-through furniture—like glass tables and Lucite chairs—do a great job of tricking the eye into thinking there is more space than there actually is.

• Resist the temptation to fill up every exposed shelf in a room. Leaving some black spaces will give your small space an airy look.

• Ignore the old rule that small furniture in a small space is the way to go. Fewer, larger pieces of furniture in a small room will often make it look bigger.

• Just because a room is small, doesn’t mean it can’t be amazing and dramatic. Big pieces of art can add a ton of a lot of drama to a small space, and make the room seem bigger.

Moving into a new apartment and for the first time in my post-college life, not furnishing it exclusively with things I find off Craigslist. Any tips on how to approach designing a room? Do I pick a theme first (wood, all-light colors, etc.)? Do I buy one object that “anchors” the room and buy other pieces of furniture that complement it? I’m totally clueless in this arena…

How to start the design of a room is a great question! As a professional interior designer offering online interior design service (https://www.interiordesignserviceonline.com/), starting a room design has become science for me and I’d love to share my insight.

If you plan to bring in an area rug, this is typically where I suggest starting a design. The reason is twofold. First, area rugs can get expensive and can be an agonizing decision. Therefore, start the rug selection first so you have less constraints to work with. I often tell my clients “there are limitless paint color options but limited rug choices.” Make the hardest decision first and then work the room around the rug.

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No rug – no problem. You would then start with the largest piece of furniture in the room. In a Living Room, this most likely will be your sofa. Select a sofa that you love! It needs to be comfortable, visually appealing and must fit the scale of your room. If you have a blank canvas and find a sofa that meets these criteria, then make the purchase.

As you then proceed to fill in the room, work from larger items to the smallest items. This takes some restraint! It is certainly much easier (and often more fun) to buy some amazing throw pillows before you have anything else such as side tables and accent chairs. Resist the temptation. You don’t want to box yourself in by needing to design an entire room around a $30.00 pillow.

When it comes time to accessorize your room, keep in mind two things. One, find pieces you love. Often I find that it is the smallest items in a design that bring my clients the most joy. Secondly, use accessories to finish the design. Small details can finish the look and make a house feel like a home.

Finally, consider enlisting in a little professional interior design help. Many designers, like me, have online interior design service at a very affordable rates. The cost of a little professional help can far outweigh the cost of design mistakes! If I can help you specifically with your new apartment, please email me at Info@InteriorDesignServiceOnline.com.

Dueling focal points in a room can create a challenge when placing furniture! Each item you mention (the fireplace, the TV and the exterior view) has its own importance and therefore we need to highlight each in its own way.

Interior design help online is here! Below is an example of a room I recently designed for a client:

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She had room with very similar focal point concerns. In this room, the fireplace took up one entire wall.   Because of the size, the fireplace became the number one focal point. I oriented a sectional sofa to face the fireplace. As well, the fireplace was flanked by a pair of comfortable chairs. While the chairs have their backs to the fireplace, they still visually highlight this architectural element.

The TV was the next focal point. While I would prefer to focus more on the lovely outside view, the reality is the most people use their televisions a lot more often than they actually stare out the window. Thus, we needed to be sure the television had good viewing. I placed a corner TV cabinet adjacent to the fireplace for comfortable viewing.

Finally, we addressed the exterior views. Part of our sectional faces the window. For the second window (and the one with the best view) I used a low bench in the window. Not only does the bench draw attention to the view but it gives another spot to sit and enjoy.

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