I love interior elements and design that serve more than one purpose. I find this sort of problem solving to produce such clever designs. Here are some examples from Small Spaces. Cube storage that provides privacy, under the stair bar, 360 degree rotating TV, shelve steps, insulating roof garden and a computer desk with a bed as the chair.
Futaba is both table and love seat and fabulous for small space dwellers who are big on style. Made of renewable bamboo, it's also eco-friendly. Futaba means double leaves sprouting from one seed. Perfect for this product. Comes in several colors.
The Bisonte stool by Michele De Lucchi not only looks like a cubist Bisone with horn and makes for great seating, but is stackable for space saving and creating a clothing rack.
Furniture on wheels is easy to move out of they way or use in another room.
Keep your furniture away from the walls even in small spaces.
Find creative ways to divide spaces.
Don't skimp on light fixtures. They finish a room, draw your eye up and make a room feel larger.
Buy the right sized furniture for the space. Not too big not to small, just right.
Keep accessories neat and organized and if you rent remember that when you design with accessories you can take them with you when you go.
Talk about thinking outside the box. Create your own storage with a sculptural, decorative purpose. This is such a wonderfully fun design. It's not of the minimal/hide it behind a door school. Instead it highlights the pattern of the wood and paper in the round unit for a great art piece look. Small Spaces.
Not what you would usually think to do, but these are great examples of how color in small spaces works well.
Whether it's a bold mixed palette,
or splashes of color on a white background,
or variations on a color theme through out a room;
The color choices in these room add a great deal of personality and variety.
For those who tend to be color shy, let these interiors be an inspiration. HGTV
From time to time I will be doing posts from Small Spaces on HGTV. I find the show and the site truly helpful for several reasons. The obvious is every square foot costs and not all of us can afford to or choose to live in large domiciles. The less obvious reason is it's a resource for ideas and interior design that are a more natural way of living than most designed spaces. When looking at the spaces you get the feeling a homeowner with taste put them together, as is sometimes the case. Now I'm not bashing interior designers, but it's nice to see spaces that were or look like they were organically created, over time. It ends up being a very different look. I hope you will enjoy these interiors. Out of this I would love to be able to begin to feature some interiors of Design Mind viewers. But we'll talk about that another time.
