The right lighting sets the mood in any room
Cover The right lighting sets the mood in any room

Living in a small space is quite a challenge, but with the right furniture pieces and accessories, you can easily make your little nook more stylish. Get some tips from FTA Design’s principal designer Nix Alañon on how to make those small spaces look luxurious

What are the elements that should be taken into consideration when designing a small space?

Whether it’s a light and airy or a dark and dramatic mood you are going for, I would recommend to stick with a limited colour palette. There’s not a lot of things that you can fit in a small space so it’s best to keep things at a minimum. Give ample breathing space between pieces so they do not look crammed together. Less is more when designing  small spaces so be careful about accumulating clutter.

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FTA Design principal designer and Phoenix Home’s founder, Nix Alanon
Above FTA Design principal designer and Phoenix Home’s founder, Nix Alañon

Your recommendations on Lighting:

Great lighting makes any room appear more luxurious. You can put floor lamps to create more height, or any lighting fixture at the farthest sides of the room so it draws your eyes there, making the space appear larger than it actually is.

Colours:

Use a monochromatic pattern. This helps create a more natural flow within a room with less obstruction, creating an illusion of a larger space.

Wall Treatments:

Use white or if you must use colour, even a bold one, then choose only one for all the walls so it doesn’t define the space too much.

Fabrics and Textures:

Select fabrics or colours that blend well together. You can use patterns but I would recommend it to be tone-on-tone, or textured but monochromatic. This is to create more balance and harmony.

'gallery right' 'gallery right'
'gallery right' 'gallery right'
Photo 1 of 2 Balance and proportion play an important role in styling small spaces.
Photo 2 of 2 Avoiding clutter makes a space—big or small—look more luxurious

Is art important? What kinds of art should homeowners look and invest into?

Choosing art still depends on each person but I would recommend playing with scale. Choose big art and regular-sized furniture and have fewer pieces overall.

Any tips on selecting furniture for small spaces?

Opt for pieces that do not take up too much space. Always select slimmer, sleekier furniture or those with thinner bases and stay away from chunkier ones. Even if you do play with scale, make sure that your pieces are proportional to each other to create balance.

Any other tricks that you would like to share?

Mirrors always do the trick in making the space look bigger. Consider installing a large mirror on one wall to create an illusion of space through reflections.

 

Credits

Interview  

Maritess Garcia Reyes

Images  

FTA Design

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