Interesting stuff

eclectic living room by Hillary Thomas Designs Add to ideabook by Hillary Thomas Designs Forget the old adage that small rooms need to be painted a light color. When you paint a small room a really dark color, the corners seem to disappear, so you can't see the boundaries of the space anymore. Plus, dark rooms can be really cozy. And at the end of the day, is it more important that a space feel big or feel inviting?

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When furnishing a small space, don't feel limited to small pieces of furniture. The pieces in this room all sit atop exposed legs, so they seem to float above the floor. And when you can see the suface underneath the furniture, the space feels larger.

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No space for a guest room? Consider a Murphy bed. There are a lot of really sophisticated designs on the market now. And while a good one isn't cheap, it would still be cheaper than adding a guest room that would get used only a few times a year.

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Built-ins, like this bed, take up a smaller footprint than freestanding pieces of furniture. And because the furniture is part of the surrounding architecture, it takes up less visual space as well. Plus, you can get the benefit of extra storage.

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contemporary living room by Joel Kelly Design Add to ideabook by Joel Kelly Design An area feels bigger if there's nothing to stop the eye. In this example a pair of daybeds is used instead of sofas. Because the daybeds have no backs, the eye can see past them into adjoining spaces, making the room appear larger. The same theory applies to coffee tables. Because the coffee table in this room is transparent, it takes up less visual space. And to make the room appear taller, curtains were mounted near the ceiling, drawing the eyes upward.

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