How to Decorate Your Small House

1.- Focus on the potential. The distribution

Avoid that your attention is diverted only to the number of square meters. You have to see it as a whole, and for that you will need to make a small sketch of the house. Two tips:

• If the sketch – plan you do it by hand. Use a squared sheet (DIN A-4 – Folio size) to represent it as real as possible and not to be out of balance. Add the measurements!… You don’t have to be super detailed.
• You can use some free online tool to make a plan. For example Planner5d (No need to register and although it is in English, it is very easy to use)

If you are going to practice works. It is likely that by redistributing the walls or eliminating unnecessary walls you will obtain a greater feeling of spaciousness and you can create an open concept, which automatically expands the range of decorative options.

Perhaps you may end up discovering other options; that the entrance hall to the kitchen, for example, is used to place some stools to eat or work.

Once you have the plan, you should ask yourself some questions about the house. This way you will be clear about the objective of the stays:

• With what objective and function is the space that I am going to decorate used and what activities are going to be practiced.
• How are we going to enjoy that space in the home and what usual activities are we going to practice.
• How many people will participate in that space. If the whole family will be there, if it is a work area, if it is a room only for sleeping, etc.

First it is to understand the functionalities, and then to practice the decoration of a small house .

2.- Less is more and useful

This is the basis of the minimalist concept and the secret to creating a space that gives serenity instead of seeming like chaos. The reality, over time we increase the “junk” in the home and distort a specific style.

Mountains of objects that will only manage to distract your attention and stun you with the mixture of styles that you will obtain.

Our advice: keep only what you think will lead to a better lifestyle. The useful, it is accepted, the objects that do not have a real utility, in the decoration of small houses , have no place.

3.- Have fun with color

The trend invites you to use soft colors and pastels. For a couple of years the recommendation has been to decorate with one or two colors and keep those shades. Of course, dose the emotion and focus on the goal: create a haven of peace that has your personality.

Colors greatly influence our mood and body temperature, we must decide the color of each room according to its use. Look at the following infographic of colors and their effects. It is very useful!

Color quick tips for small flats:

• Dark colors give the feeling of reducing space. At most, use it on a single wall.
• Light gray always comes in handy in kitchens in small-sized homes .
• Soft grey, white, green and soft blue. They are perfect for the bathroom as well as transmitting cleanliness.
• In small houses with low ceilings. Paint the ceiling white, it will give a feeling of higher altitude, especially in dining rooms and corridors.
• In small houses with very high ceilings. Paint the ceiling two shades darker than the walls. The effect convinces anyone

Remember that there will be days when you will be elated and flashy décor will reflect you, but other times you just want to rest and breathe.

Preserve the color relationship that you use in the paintings, the dining room, the floor and use the textures in your favor to give touches of color with the furniture, the cushions, the lamps and the curtains, it will be the best choice you can make.

4.- Functional furniture

Many brands are focused on proposals for furniture and accessories that play with the double function. This is great!

Beds with storage space (so-called “wardrobe beds”), kitchen bars that work as a dining table or even small tables that are easily collected without taking up space when not in use. These are just some of the options you will have on the market.

Remember that the more free space you have, the greater feeling of spaciousness and well-being you will generate. So use “multifunctional” furniture, we know that they are not cheap if you have a reduced budget, but they are very useful.

The separation of spaces sometimes comes in handy, use shelves as in the previous image.

The theme of the kitchen is delicate, the best in small spaces is that it is hidden in the style of a closet. That they have folding doors to hide both the utensils and the sink, faucet, etc.

5.- The boxes to organize are perfect

The problem of a small house  is to be organized. Here the boxes play a vital role and they are the ones that will keep the house in order, not only from an object perspective, but also from a visual of order and free of objects.

Nowadays, the market offers us all kinds of boxes, with all kinds of materials and decorated in a thousand ways, take advantage of it! These, without a doubt, are practical elements that will make your home look better.

And do not forget that there are also baskets of a thousand colors. Look at the different options to combine with the interior of the home or your tastes.

6.- Pay attention to lighting

Like color, lighting also plays an important role in the interior design of  small houses , which is also coupled with the intensity of color used on the walls.

Useful decoration tips in a small house to consistently illuminate the spaces:

• The curtains are not good allies in the decoration of a small apartment . In any case used, they must be transparent and allow light to pass through.
• The lamps to be used must be small in size. We don’t want it to be the center of the space or the room.
• Also consider using appliqués. Nowadays they sell them with cool designs and clean lines.
• With lighting you can differentiate spaces. It is a good choice in decoration that has nice visual effects.
• There are also lamps that are multifunctional. That is, the same lamp has two functions, such as one as a desk and another as an auxiliary light in the living room.
• Remember that, on the wall, you can also place lighting. Sometimes we forget it, and actually aesthetically it looks very good.
• If possible, use dimmable light bulbs. You can change or separate the environments in an easy way.

Light bulbs are important when decorating, but the use of natural light is also important. A bright space looks lighter and therefore larger. As a reminder we leave the following image about the lighting needs according to zones:

In fact, natural light will fill you with life, joy and will help make the space healthier. If the place does not have a good passage of light, rely on indirect lighting to create different environments that add movement and fun to the home.

7.- The furniture in height

As strange as it may seem, choosing “aerial furniture” for the television anchored to the wall, or with light legs that raise it a little from the ground, will make you visually see the floor and this will give you a feeling of spaciousness.

The same happens with the tables in the dining room and the bookcases. Think about it! It will also be easier to keep clean and will minimize dust accumulation.

And remember, we have an excellent article on how to decorate an apartment or house with good ideas and tips.

8.- Use vinyl or wallpaper

When we practice decorating a small house on a budget , we have to keep in mind that objects that have a lot of volume can easily become an unwanted center of attention.

The use of vinyl such as wallpaper is a way of avoiding other decorative objects that can take up too much volume; vases, pictures with voluminous frames, decorative shelves, etc. Look at our articles:

• Wallpaper in decoration
• wall decals

When decorating, a photo-style wallpaper, for example, of a landscape, can give a much greater feeling of spaciousness in a small room.

As a piece of advice, if you are going to use wallpaper, do it only on one part of the wall in a small apartment (if you can between pillars) and that it is not a visually important area. There are excellent drawings, but they can also cause a feeling of ‘visual excess’.

9.- Floors in small houses

If we are going to carry out a reform in which we have to change the floor, several points must be considered:

• In a long room or room. The park slats must go in the longest direction of the cabin. If you use ceramic tiles, try to make them rectangular and lay them like the park. You will have a feeling of spaciousness!
• Forget about using a park floor with narrow strips (herringbone type) or small ceramic paving pieces.
• Try that the floor of the entire house is of a single material throughout the house or at least, of a very similar color. Here, a visual continuity and sense of spaciousness is generated.

• Microcement flooring is almost the perfect material for small-sized homes. You get a floor without grooves, smooth and generating visual continuity.
• Always use light colors whatever the material. In addition to providing a greater sense of lighting, it provides spaciousness.

Whatever your style of decoration or the budget you have, remember that the important thing is not the square meters you have, but that your home is a reflection of your personality in every corner and that it remains a serene environment, that you have fun, but also serve as a refuge when you get home from work or after a long day.