There's no reason small spaces can't have the same level of elegance and design as larger homes. But it can be hard to find high-end and formal pieces scaled for small spaces.
Small spaces need plenty of storage.
Nothing makes a small space looked cramped faster than mess. So, storage to help keep tidy is a must.
The most important tip to keep in mind is to use the height of your room. Don't waste the space you've got by keeping all your storage too low to the ground. Go tall.
You might choose something with a small footprint, like the Park Avenue Tall Cabinets from Hickory Chair. A pair of these can bring some wonderful harmony into a small space. (Thanks for J. Covington Designs for pointing out these cabinets.)
Or skip the small footprint and give one entire wall over to shelves.
Maitland-Smith's large bookcase (complete with library ladder, love it!) can make your small room into a luxurious private library.
Just be sure you keep other tall shelving in the room to a minimum. If you put a huge dominating piece like this into a small space, you have to design everything else about the room around it.
BTW — how gorgeous would Henredon's Geoffrey Chair look in a room with that formal bookshelf? I love the Geoffrey chairs for this because they combine the leather of a traditional club chair with the closed-in feeling of a wingback, without taking up much space (it's only about 30 inches wide and 40 inches deep). Plus, the Geoffrey chairs are a great transitional piece for a space that combines traditional and contemporary styles.
Henredon also has a selection of tall cabinets with relatively small footprints that can add storage to a small space. There's an armoire from the reVision collection (shown open, left), the Tessin armoire (middle) and for something a little more traditional there's an armoire from the Aston Court collection (right), too.
Finally — if you're looking for inspiration for decorating a small space, check out this tiny Manhattan apartment. The designer who lives there says this William Morris quote is the key to it all:
"Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or consider to be beautiful."
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