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The idea behind effective interior decorating is to make the most of what we have to work with. Color, designs, and furnishings all work together to create an atmosphere we call home. The choices we make can have a major impact on our environment, for better or for worse.

When it comes to decorating our living areas, less is more. Nowhere is this statement truer than when you're working with a small space. There are a variety of reasons why people choose small living areas. Economics can play a role in choosing a down-sized living space, but sometimes people just don't want to deal with the extra time and labor involved in maintaining larger living spaces.

Small rooms can take on the look and feel of more spacious areas with a few basic tips stolen right from the best minds in interior decorating. To make a room feel larger, start from the outside and work your way in. It all starts, quite literally, with the paint on the walls. Light colors, such as creams, icy blues and pale greens will open up a small room. Light will reflect better in light colored rooms than in the dark, light-sucking colors of brown, navy, red or forest green. Wall trims and moldings should be a shade or two lighter than the walls to make the walls appear to take a step back.

Once you have the wall colors in place, it's important to continue to follow through with this theme of light. Any windows in the living space should be minimally covered. Sheers or pulled back curtains will allow maximum natural light to enter. Artificial light sources must be plentiful and provide ample lighting to eliminate shadows and dark areas in the room. Mirrors can supply an illusion of depth by bouncing both natural and artificial light throughout the room.

Choose furniture that can multi-task as much as possible. A convertible sofa bed, a storage chest that doubles as a coffee table, folding or nested tables and beds with drawer space built in underneath can all provide double duty functionality with the least amount of space used. Wall to wall furniture is confining and give the impression that there is very little space to navigate. Be sure to keep upholstery color monochromatic or tone-on-tone, and not drastically different in color from the walls. Too many patterns take away from the open look of a room.

Keep your living space free of clutter and bric-a-brac. Too much stuff makes the brain work hard to process everything the eye is seeing. Being able to see plenty of open, clear space gives the feel of an orderly and open environment. This goes for the wall space, as well. Choose one large painting for a wall rather than a cluster of small pictures and decorations. Too much visual activity makes a room busy and crowded.

The final crucial space to work on is the floor. Eliminate using assorted throw rugs and area rugs. If your eye can see a long stretch of open floor, you will have the illusion of greater floor space.

Learn more about this author, Leann Zotis.
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