theSun Property September 2016

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BYALYSSA J. OON
WHEN it comes to
interior designing, a
bigger space is
naturallymore in
demand as many believe that a
bigger “canvas” allows room for
more creativity. But bigger living
quarters are not only expensive
these days, but limited in quantity
as many developers are, quite
literally, looking high and low for
answers to providing enough
housing for a growing nation, yet at
a reasonable profit.
This is where apartments and
studios come in. Despite their
usually smaller size compared to
condominiums and duplex
apartments (as well as whatever
fancy names given high-rise living
spaces these days), this type of
housing units are on a steady rise to
becoming the number one choice
for homeowners of the 21st century.
With living spaces that can top at
300 to 450 sq ft, they are just right
for working adults and small
families who are on-the-go, in and
out of their homes going about their
busy lifestyles.
While some see this limited
space and small confines equivalent
to depressing and cramped sardine-
box living, the reason their
apartments are left scarcely
decorated or as some say barren –
with only the bare necessities; living
small should not come with an
excuse for bare interiors and snow
white walls. Below are tips on
how to go about decorating big in
small spaces.
PREPARE YOURSELF
The first step before decorating
your newpetite-sized apartment is
to forgo all previous notions of how
to decorate a home. Small spaces
call for a whole different ball game
Big things for small spaces
>A home is what youmake of it, nomatter big or small
as most interior design principles
are catered to bigger homes. Having
said that, one should be unafraid of
implementing groundbreaking
ideas for small spaces.
SET UP ZONES
A home should be able to
accommodate various activities.
Identifywhich activities are
important and allocate zone sizes
accordingly. Most apartments
would have this sorted out
with rooms as a formof setting
boundaries, but open-
concept apartments
(otherwise known as
studio apartments) leave
the lines to be drawn by its
owner. Use a bookshelf,
large chest of drawers or
sofa as a “partition” or
“wall” that marks the zones
between a bedroomand
the living area for example.
DON’T SHRINK THE
FURNITURE
Just because your home
has a small space does not
mean the furniture should
follow in size. It is better to
have one large anchor
furniture piece than all tiny
pieces tomake up for it.
Toomany small pieces of furniture
will result in a home looking
cluttered or messy. In a piece by
MyDomaine, designer Trip
Haenisch said: “Big furniture could
work if you use fewer pieces.
Smaller furniture tends to be
uncomfortable and I am reluctant to
sacrifice comfort.” Go for pieces
that are sleek, narrow and slender if
you’re worried about them looking
too chunky or taking toomuch
space.
PURPOSEFUL PIECES
Furniture pieces that are carried
through that front door should have
more than one duty to carry out.
Save on space by using furniture
that has the additional perk of being
a hidden storage space. Themost
common pieces would be beds and
sofas, where they are elevated so
that boxes can be slotted
underneath and a skirt is placed to
cover themupwhile sporting a chic
look. Colourful or wicker baskets
are great additions to a country-
themed home as a decoration that
works as hidden storage. Instead of
armchairs, purchase ottomans to
serve as seating for guests or as a
coffee table when you are home
alone. For those not much of a TV
junkie, skip out on purchasing one
and go for a larger desktopmonitor
which can be used for bothwork
andmovie nights.
WANDERING EYES
Bring optical illusions into play by
drawing guests’ eyes upwards
towards the ceiling. This makes the
room “feel” bigger. Themost
popular trick in the book is to hang
ceiling-to-floor curtains by the
window, but there are also a host of
other options to try. For instance,
make use of bare walls and curate a
gallery of artworks or get tall
furniture pieces such as an armoire
(classic cabinets) in accent colours
so that they stand out in the room.
MyDomaine writer JuliaMillay
Walsh advises to add unique vases
or artworks on top of a bookcase or
mantel. On the other hand, one
could also gowith low-slung sofas
or beds. When seated down on low-
slung furniture, the ceiling appears
to bemuch further away thus
provides more white space on the
walls for a less cramped feeling.
SHINING BRIGHT
Probably themost important of any
home is the lighting. Natural light
for starters is important in
maintaining the airiness of a room.
Avoid restricting the natural light
sources such as windows with thick,
heavy curtains. When bringing in
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artificial lighting, do not conform to
traditional notions of lighting
fixtures. In a bedroom, for example,
night lamps are traditionally placed
on the bedside table. In a small
home, the space taken up by the
bedside lamp can be used for other
more important uses so opt for a
slim standing lamp or a hanging
sconce instead. When all else fails,
placemirrors opposite windows
and doors to reflect any natural light
that streams inwhile functioning as
a decorative piece.
A PART OF YOU
Lastly, never let a home be dressed
as someplace youwould not live in.
Always throw in personal touches
that represent who you are. Be it
bold accent walls made of bright
colours or striking wallpaper, even
mini succulents in geometric pots
or a ceiling-to-floor bookshelf – it
canwork even in a limited space.
According to interior designer
Christine Gachot: “Whatever
happens to be your personal style,
make sure you scale it to the space.
Not simply in plan, but in every
dimension. Whether you love Louis
XVI or mid-centurymodern, it’s
critical that youmake sure it all
physically fits.” So small living
spaces do not warrant only petite-
sized decorations, furniture and
fittings. There are a lot of big things
one can do tomake small spaces
attractive. One thing’s for sure,
home will be a lot cosier.
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20 theSun ON FRIDAY | SEPTEMBER 2, 2016