5 design principles you need to follow in your small space

Do you ever look around your space and just wonder *how does this work?* Trust me, I do - a lot. For me, the most important thing is to *feel* comfortable in my home. A big part of that is considering design principles when I decorate so I can create my *best* home. These principles are the *relationships* that elements have to each other.

FOCAL POINT

Every space - big or small - should have a focal point, or an item in the room that dominates the eye and allows for arrangement around it. Many living rooms use the fireplace or windows as a focal point and in bedrooms, yep, the headboard often is the focal point. In my bedroom, my d.i.y. headboard pulls the room together and makes my space feel comfortable. And a tip about focal points - you create it! So if your main room is missing a focal point or you don't like the obvious one (say you don't care for the fireplace), make a statement and balance beyond it. Arrange your room around a main item that you want to showcase. 

BALANCE

Ah, yes, my favorite design principle. Balancing your small space is key to feeling good in your home. Balance provides a feeling of equilibrium. There's different types of balance that work too - symmetrical, asymmetrical or radial balance. The latter two are a controlled placement so it feels ok in the space. In the photo above, the shelves create lines and balance in the space, allowing for a very comfortable vibe even though there's lot of stuff in there. It just works!

HARMONY

The design in your space doesn't at all have to *match* but it should all connect in some way to strengthen the composition (or layout) of your space. I love the look of this seating zone for a small space. There's a lot going on - decor, color, style - but it feels connected and, overall, creates one zone or area. 

PROPORTION & SCALE

Although you may have smaller square footage, it's important to consider how your furniture, decor and the actual layout of the room relate to each other in terms of size. Proportion and scale definitely go hand in hand. Proportion is the relation of one element to the other and scale is the actual relationship of size between items. For proportion in my small space, I showed you guys a photo of my living room. I knew that I wanted the look of built-in units in my home for storage and because the room is rectangular. I need something vertical to make the space proportion to the large bank of windows on the opposite side of the room. The scale in the seating area above (one of my fave's that I snapped at the Parker when I was in PS a few months ago) works. I love how the pieces of furniture make sense together - although they are different shapes and sizes.

:: images by 1. Typefiend 2. A Country House 3. me 4. Typefiend 5. me ::

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