Living Large in a Shoe Box

OK, so maybe I'm a bit exaggerating here.. but how else do you call a living room with just 3 meters wide? :D

If you stuck in the same situation, look at the bright side. Such a small space can foster your creativity in creating the most of it, make you appreciate it even more.
And here are some tricks I've learned in dealing with small spaces:

• Shiny surfaces

Start with the floor. Even with the not-so-expensive ceramic tile you can get a sleek look, just choose the smooth (untextured) glossy ones. If you have no choice but to deal with rustic tiling, or if you choose to have cement flooring in the name of minimalism, a throw of light or bright coloured rug will make a good diference in no time.

On the wall, you can hang mirrors to make you room less cramped. But be careful in placing those mirrors, because if you place it in front of a clutter, it'll only make it worse. And don't overdo in installing floor to ceiling mirror if you don't want your room ends up looking like a gym studio.

• Burst of colors

One of the classic rule to decorate a small space is to give it light color. Most people then take it literally and paint all their walls white or beige. There's nothing wrong with it, but there's a fine line between save and boooriiing :D

It wont hurt to pick your favourite color and put it on one of your room walls, make it a feature wall. You'll be pleasantly surprised to see how it comes out.

• Good lighting

In a small space good lighting can do wonder. To create an intimate atmosphere you should add some mood lighting apart of the general ones, and don't forget about the task lighting too.

Do consider recessed lamps for ceiling in small rooms to create more sleek appearance and open feeling throughout the room. But hanging lamp is still a good choice to define certain areas, such us above the dining table.

• Less is more

Again, it's just a small space, so you can't have too many things inside it. Remember it's important to always have a negative space inside a room - an empty wall, floor, corner. If you are a collector but having a trouble in displaying your collection in your small space, it's better to have them save in storage for a while - which means an adequate storage is a must :)