Small Spaces For Christmas Decor ~ Part II...

So with only 4 sleeps to go - if you're still stuck for some holiday decorating in Part II of my posting for Small Spaces Decorating - you may just find some great nifty quick ideas as well as getting that table decor you've been pondering over for Christmas Day! Take a look, there might be an idea just for you!

Enjoy,

Go Small with Displays

Ornaments have tons of pop -- utilize their glitter and glow for a small-space display. Glue an ornament to a small, round plastic or glass disk. Remove the hanger and tuck in mini blooms or sprigs of berries. Group the vase ornaments on a tray for a centerpiece.

Accent Your Kitchen Windows

Open, airy windowpanes dance with color, thanks to these colorful snowflakes. Hang similar ones in a pattern or at random; add the final touch with a simple swag of greenery overhead

Use Window Space

Simplicity is key for small-space decorating. White pillar candles, placed on a silver tray, add elegance to a windowsill. Two faux dwarf evergreens, wrapped in burlap, add a bit of color to the wintry scene

Make an Impactful Wall Display

Old photos are great conversation starters, particularly at the holidays, and this display takes up only minimal wall space. Start with baby photographs; cut them in a circle, mount on foam core, and arrange in a tree shape. Little space, big impact.

Great Tip: For a great together-time activity, have family members guess who is who in each photo.

Color

A bare-bones tree is a treat for a small corner, and choosing just one accent color is a good way to cut down on visual distractions. For the base of your tree, wrap a small box with a dish towel and fill the base of the box with stones (disguised with a layer of pearl-white ornaments) to hold in place. Add a few more wrapped boxes in a variety of papers and ribbons

 

images & subtext from BHG, tumblr, Country Living, House Beautiful

Small Spaces for Christmas Decor...

all the luck in the world - cards - via etsy

Stuck for Space at your place when it comes to Christmas decor? I know I am stuck for space at the best of times just with storage for toys, clothes, shoes manchester etc - especially in the wardrobe dept!

But believe me careful consideration is needed whether you have a lot of space or a little on the tight side of space... when it comes to festive decorating. For those of you on the leaner side of space here's some fabulous tips I found on my blog travels that I thought might come in handy for you, and for those with a lot of space but want to add to those decorations one or two of these ideas you might also love & incorporate into your holiday decorating!

Enjoy,

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Use Space by the Stairs

A small table by the stairs is a prominent small-space spot to start your Christmas merriment. Add a little, lightly decorated tree and a modest display to the tabletop. To give the evergreen a bit of height, place in a tall silver vase

Brighten a Hanging Picture

You've already decorated your home with personal pictures -- give them a holiday touch with a sprig of evergreen. No special crafting tools required

Use Wall Space

That lovely solid-color wall in your living room? The perfect home for a holiday display. Here, miniature grapevine wreaths add texture to a green wall. We chose a variety of accents -- faux birds, small ornaments, sprigs of berries -- and glued them onto the wreaths before hanging the displays from a length of ribbon

 Fabricate a Faux Tree

If you don't have space for -- or just don't want -- a real tree, you can get the same feel with this evergreen idea. Start with a wide branch; hang on a hook from the wall and decorate with treasured ornaments.

Utilize Vertical Space

If space is limited, you might not be able to hang every ornament you own on a tree, but there's no reason to keep the leftovers boxed up. Look for unexpected places -- from a chandelier, at a window, over a doorway -- to dangle a few for sparkle and cheer

Fill a Corner

Nooks, crannies, shelves, bookcases: All are great spots for diminutive seasonal decor. If there's no space for a full tree, put a single dwarf version -- with a few presents -- on a midheight shelf. In place of lights, decorate with small-scale ornaments

Decorate with Small Wreaths

Large and impactful are typical design credos for wreaths, but small can be equally as mighty. Hang a mini wreath with a velvet or satin ribbon from shelves or drawer pulls

 Hang Ornaments on Walls

Making clever use of wall space will ensure that your small-space holiday schemes have impact. To boost the seasonal spirits of small stretches of wall space, try this simple trick: Use a length of ribbon and hang ornaments that spell out a message (tie the ribbon around each to keep in place). Secure with thumbtacks and disguise the ends with a bit of evergreen

 Add a Tree in a Bathroom

Don't overlook bathrooms as places to add some merry touches. Here, a small corner offers a great spot for a potted tree decorated with cream and blue ceramic bells and glass balls

 Create a Hanging Window Display Look out on something pretty -- a basic painted frame strung with ribbon and hung with ornaments jazzes up a window and requires zero rearranging

images - subtext via tumblr, country living & bhg
top pic by all the luck in the world - etsy

Ways to Making the Most of Small Rooms...

I recently found a great article in American interiors mag House Beautiful that I wanted to share with you... I thought it had some great tips & tricks for making the most of small or smaller spaces that often perplex us with 'what to do?' . These are probably the most asked questions & dilemmas that my clients come across in styling their homes & office spaces - that's where I come in to help them!

Organize Furniture into Mini-Rooms > In this New York City studio apartment — just under 400 square feet furniture is arranged by function. The distinct zones help make the space feel much larger.

Choose Furniture that Does Double Duty > To maximize space in the studio,  a large farm table is used as a desk, and transforms it into a dining table when entertaining. Large black wire bins stylishly store files — and make it easy to move them elsewhere.

Float Furniture in the Center of the Room > In this small guesthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah, designers Marshall Watson and Jeffrey Kilmer arranged the furniture in the small living room away from the walls. "If you create space beyond the furniture, it adds volume to a room," says Kilmer

Create Hidden Storage > Interior designer David Kaihoi lives large in his small New York City one-bedroom apartment with multi-functional furniture. The elegant banquette serves as seating for both the dining table and the living room, plus it stores linens and towels underneath.

Use All Available Space > To use all available wall space and height, Kaihoi built this floor-to-ceiling bookcase. There are storage cabinets on the bottom, a spot for the television, and plenty of room for books.

Select Multi-Purpose Children's Furniture > Choosing furniture that works throughout a child's life is a smart investment. This antique gentleman's chest has served multiple purposes for Kaihoi: desk, bar, child's bureau, and — when the child was in diapers — changing table.

Match Furniture to the Wall Color > Kristen Ewart designed this beach house on Balboa Island, California. She painted these dining chairs semigloss white to match the walls. The chairs disappear into the walls, opening up the room.

Try Nesting Tables > Since the master bedroom is small, Ewart chose nesting tables. One can be pulled out at night, and pushed out of the way when not needed.

Add Closet Space with an Armoire> In a 1,400 square-foot Alabama cottage, designer Melanie Pounds designed an Ultrasuede armoire to compensate for small closets in the master bedroom.

 

Create an Additional Entertaining Area> If you have a small kitchen and entertain frequently, set up a small table away from the kitchen. In her home's entryway, Pounds chose a skirted console table to display books and flowers for everyday use. When she entertains, she uses it as a bar or serving table. "There's less congestion in the galley kitchen and dining room. It saved us!"

Choose an Open Console> Pounds designed a leggy console to hold her bathroom sink instead of a traditional closed cabinet. The open space helps to make the bathroom feel larger.

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Hopefully these 'small' ideas will help you with any 'small space' styling dilemmas you might have in you home!

Enjoy,

images & subtext via house beautiful

Fab New Book... Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces.

You know how much I love books here's another to my 'Palatial Living' collection - Take a look at this fab 'new' book released in May this year - by Apartment Therapy [we love them] aptly titled Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces.  Apartment Therapy is considered THE go-to for small space solutions and they have achieved this with gorgeous images of vignettes in this book - by showing you how you can have your personal objects in your living space - whilst trying to not look cluttered, but more so 'layered with meaning'. I've got this one on order! For more of Apartment Therapy visit their website.

Please Visit 'The Palatial Living Store' [powered through Amazon] if you'd like to purchase any of these great books.

Image from Visualize.us & Amazon.com for more info go to - Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces

Other fantastic Apartment Therapy books are - Apartment Therapy: The Eight-Step Home Cure & Apartment Therapy Presents: Real Homes, Real People, Hundreds of Design Solutions

Lux Lease on Small Spaces...

Above- Instant glamour... Mirrored dressing table, reflective surfaces can make a small space look infinitely larger.

I found this article from Elle Decor about the interior design & decoration of Marcia Cross ' [of Desperate Housewives television program] on-set trailer at Universal Studios. I just love how this small space was transformed into a cosy, but glamorous & luxurious hide away nook. I have to say that the use of colour and its application attracted me firstly with its deep dark walls and sumptuous lift on a pale Tiffany aqua blue combined with reflective mirrored surfaces, stainless steel and pure white timber [trims], and glazed light ceramic [lamp bases]... combining contrasting patterns in irregular animal like spots, Missoni-like zig zags, and Florentine wall paper scrolls on a back drop of solid espresso and light aqua
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Soft blue mixes with chocolate brown to create a rich, serene between-takes retreat.
Rarely do the terms “glamour” and “trailer” go hand in hand, except when you’ve tiptoed into actress Marcia Cross’s chocolate-and-aqua-velvet-encased trailer on the set of Desperate Housewives at Universal Studios. “It’s like walking into a chocolate kiss,” enthuses David Brian Sanders, the Los Angeles-based interior designer who transformed the 12x30-foot space into Marcia’s own private between-takes haven. Wrapped luxuriously in shades of warm brown velvet and pale blue—plush espresso-colored carpet, cocoa-colored sea-grass wall covering, soft blue upholstery, fresh bursts of crisp white trim—the trailer is a study in how to shut out the bright lights and big demands of the outside world and make one feel like, well, a star.
Designer David Brian Sanders, a former talent agent, is no stranger to Hollywood life. “My only design requirements,” he says, “were to use her favorite colors and make the space as private as possible.” The dazzling touches—mirrored surfaces and exquisite yet child-friendly accessories—were the surprise elements that Sanders chose from a favorite shop, Grace Home Furnishings, in Los Angeles. “I wanted her to feel like a star,” the designer muses. “I wanted her to feel beautiful and glamorous, and I wanted to create a nest-like environment with special pieces and soft textures—velvets, silks, and satins. It’s really the combination of those elements that creates the Old Hollywood look.”
The accomplished actress and new mom of 7-month-old twin daughters, Eden and Savannah, couldn’t agree more. “When I first saw my trailer, I was in awe. My home is quite casual and not done at all,” Marcia says. “This space is beautiful and rich in every detail. It brings me so much pleasure to be in it and have it be my little oasis on long workdays.” With privacy and luxury in place, how does the actress, wife, and mother of two use her retreat? “I can be here for 12 hours in a day,” answers Marcia, “so I use it for everything—eating, sleeping, time on the computer—but most important, for squeezing in some sacred family time. Yesterday my desk became a changing table while the girls were visiting. The lush curtains were perfect for their naptime.” When asked to share her favorite elements of this snug and hushed retreat—a world away from her character’s brightly lit and spartanly crisp on-set household—Marcia is pressed to choose just one. “There is so much I love about the trailer that I cannot pick one thing. I delight in the divan, I am in awe of my vanity, and the desk is beyond fantastic.” But after giving it some thought, she decides that it’s the way she can welcome her real life into her work breaks that makes her happiest about her newly decorated trailer. “My favorite thing is having my girls visit and filling it with diapers, toys, and lots of cooing!”

Photograph: Joe Schmelzer / Design: David Brian Sanders, David Brian Sanders Interior Design, 132 S. Swall Dr., Suite 4, Los Angeles, CA 90048; 310/729-7186, dbsinteriors.com.

Article/ Images from Traditional Home.

Wall Paper Love ...Pt 2.

Colorful Entry
It's OK to be bold in a small space, especially in a transition zone, such as a foyer.

Here, graphic blue-and-white wallpaper adds life to an entry. Crisp white trim balances the space.
Comfortable Bedroom
Wallpaper functions as architecture in an otherwise simple room. The sunny yellow pattern from Farrow & Ball in the bedroom has a large repeat, creating visual structure to the eye.

Cozy Sitting Room
A 10x13-foot space lives large with layers of texture and a light palette. Green and turquoise accessories accent the cream foundation.

Armless chairs allow room to move around the room.

More of my obsessional love for wallpaper and its application to a feature wall... I love these rooms from 'Country Home' where smaller rooms and spaces now have real 'pop' through a pattern & colour vehicle such as this wallpaper feature - wall, really creating a strong unified room/ space.

I am seriously considering this as an idea for a wall in my open living/ dining room, where I already have a 'painted recessed wall area in 'Jervis Bay Blue', I think a patterned blue/ white (white ground) wall paper will pick up the 'Chalk Canvas' main paint colour and the 'Jervis Bay Blue' , with the framed hand painted plates in Blue/ White from Fez- picking up pattern & tying the colours together... I will find the wall paper design and image I am thinking of and post it next for you to see!

Images from Country Home