{"id":311051,"date":"2018-07-16T06:45:09","date_gmt":"2018-07-16T10:45:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/?p=311051"},"modified":"2021-12-15T07:15:20","modified_gmt":"2021-12-15T12:15:20","slug":"organizing-small-spaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.1stdibs.com\/blogs\/the-study\/organizing-small-spaces\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Designers Share Indispensable Tips for Small Spaces"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"tiny
Photo by Calvin Baines<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

“Using less space and downsizing is great for Mother Earth and can be very modern and stylish. Who needs space when nature is your backyard?” says Kari Whitman<\/a>. “Go green!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In her own Culver City, California, tiny house<\/a>, the recycled wine-barrel wood ceiling is from Geneva, Switzerland, and the custom windows were made in Los Angeles. On the wood table by Canada’s Forge North Services, the vintage dog sculpture is a gift to Whitman from actress Melanie Griffith. The Orb lights are by Tom Dixon<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"NYC
Photo by Christian Harder<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

“I painted the floors white to give the illusion of more space by not creating a competing horizontal plane with the ceiling,” ASH NYC<\/a>‘s Will Cooper says of his New York apartment. “Using multifunctional pieces was key for me. I had the sofa made to also be convertible to a twin bed so that a guest can sleep on it if necessary. I keep the space super free of clutter with only a few important personal effects around, that way it doesn’t get claustrophobic.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooper furnished this living room with a 1964 Joe Colombo 4801 black armchair<\/a>, an early 19th-century Hepplewhite<\/a> bench in walnut and an ancient Chinese vessel turned into lamp. The space also includes ASH’s WC4 table, WC7 bed and WC4 chair<\/a>. The sofa, rug and red-and-white-striped chair were custom-made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"bedroom
Photo by Rick Lew<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to construct a shelf where \u2014 if the room feels a bit tight \u2014 you can create a composition of art or objects instead of hanging items on the wall,\u201d says Steffani Aarons of DHD Architecture and Design<\/a>. “Less is always more, so go for something that has a great shape, like an interesting stool instead of a big bench.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this loft located in the heart of Manhattan’s Noho neighborhood, the wood and silk carpet is by Tai Ping<\/a> and the 1950s Louis Sognot<\/a> benches are from Pascal Boyer Gallery<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Kitchen
Photo by Matthew Millman\n\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI designed a custom kitchen island with storage below and locking casters,\u201d says Jay Jeffers<\/a> of his San Francisco home<\/a>. \u201cIt can be moved and used as a bar top or buffet serving space when entertaining guests. And when it\u2019s not in use for meal prep or hosting, I use it as a workspace. The large size is ideal for reviewing architectural drawings and sketching new concepts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The living room\ufeff<\/a> features a side table he designed for Arteriors<\/a>, a 1950s teal chair upholstered in Holland & Sherry<\/a> fabric, a 1960s center table by Grosfeld House<\/a>, a coffee table by Paul Kingma<\/a> and a 1950s sofa by Milo Baughman<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"kitchen
Photo by Simon Watson<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn small spaces, one needs to edit the object that are exposed. Creating attractive containers for the rest of life\u2019s necessary objects is important whether they are boxes, baskets or doors,\u201d says Bill Brockschmidt, cofounder of Brockschmidt & Coleman<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn my own New York apartment, sliding wallpapered doors conceal the kitchen<\/a>, which is also the entrance gallery. When the kitchen cabinets are revealed, they also are decorated \u2014 simple white cabinets with a custom Directoire<\/a> paint detail. It\u2019s also nice to wallpaper closet interiors, including the shelves, since storage in small spaces is accessed so frequently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brockschmidt commissioned Dalibor Kardum of DK Interiors to paint a decorative design on his cabinets. The Adena Pin Ring wallpaper<\/a> is by Adelphi Paper Hangings. Affixed to the door are antique engravings of Roman antiquities and the plate above the stove is 1930s Swedish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"living
Photo by Reid Rolls<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUtilizing your vessels as functional storage is essential,\u201d say Mat Sanders and Brandon Quattrone, cofounders of Consort<\/a>. \u201cCeramic pots with lids, chic vases and decorative trays and boxes serve as nice catchalls for keeping things out of sight. This solution works great in living rooms where the footprint is small and you\u2019re lacking storage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this Brooklyn townhouse designed for a young family, the armchairs are upholstered in a Zak+Fox<\/a> fabric, the vase is by Matthew Ward<\/a> and the Marcel sofa is by Consort<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"living
Photo by Christopher Stark<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen it comes to small spaces, don\u2019t be afraid of color.” says Eche Martinez, founder of the firm ECHE<\/a>, “I like having the same color covering every single surface: walls, trim, crown, ceilings, every square inch! That way, not only you give the illusion of space, but you can also add a lot interest to a tiny room.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Martinez’s office in San Francisco<\/a> \u2014 nestled in a 1908 Mediterranean-style building \u2014 features a 1970s polished brass floor lamp by Vaughan Designs<\/a> and vintage molded plastic chairs. He designed the coffee table in Arabescato marble<\/a> and topped it with a polished steel bowl by Alessi<\/a>. The triptych was inspired by a 19th-century etching<\/a> of an English arboretum.<\/p>\n\n\n\t

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Big Style for Little Rooms<\/div>\n\t\t\t
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