It’s starting to look a lot like Christmas. Yes, the festive season is looming over us once again. That means that it oughtn’t be long before you start sprucing up your home. Digging out that mistletoe and tinsel may get you in the mood, but what if you are living in a tiny apartment? Put simply, do you actually have enough room to decorate your home without it looking busy and, frankly, messy?
If you happen to be a city dweller with a small abode, fear not. There are many ways in which you can inject some seasonal spirit into even the smallest of spaces. With just a few simple home design hacks, you can ensure that your home looks merry without appearing cluttered. Here are just a few little ideas that you may wish to try for yourself this Christmas.
Make use of unexpected surfaces
This small space design is ideal if you lack room in your home. There are a great many surfaces in your home that you likely overlook when it comes to adding a little festive cheer. From the sides of your wardrobes to the backs of your doors, there’s an array of spaces which you could easily transform into feature pieces.
Take a look at this DIY advent calendar, for example. Though it may not appear traditionally festive, it stands out and draws your eye the moment you step in the room. When it comes to minimal living, it’s all about these little accents that truly create a unique character within your home.
Opt for muted colours and tones
When you picture a festive scene, your mind’s probably alive with deep, rich reds, greens, and golds. While this may be what we initially associate Christmas with, it makes for a rather tired and old-fashioned way to decorate your home. In a small living space, you honestly cannot afford to experiment with clashing, garish colours.
Instead, you ought to keep things as simple as possible. This ultra modern black and white design is an apt example of that. While there are still some festive elements to the decor, it doesn’t dominate the room the way that rich colours would.
Spruce up your furnishings
If you haven’t got the room to kit your entire house out with candy canes and fairy lights, there are some other less obtrusive options. For example, let’s say you have a small living room with a dining table. Now, you could add a little festive spirit to your furnishings with utter ease. Popping little wreaths or touches of tinsel on the back of your chairs will highlight them without looking overbearing.
This tip is all about working with what you have. When it comes to decorating your home this year, a little careful planning will go a long way. It may be something of a cliche, but in this instance less may actually be more.
Choose delicate details
During the winter season, we all need to wrap up warm and feel cosy in our own homes. So, when you begin decorating your abode, you must make sure that there’s room for comfort. Your festive small space design must be at once welcoming and snug for your family.
Including small touches, such as fluffy blankets and pillows, will make a world of difference to your home. When it comes to storage, you could even create a whimsical feature out of your blanket basket or box. Here, the designer has used just a little creativity to transform an otherwise mundane object into an ornament.
Go glam with greys
While grey may not be the first colour that springs to mind when it comes to Christmas, there’s something ultimately chic about this tone. If you’re looking for a sophisticated way in which to spruce up your small living space, you may just have found it.
Playing with various greys and browns can create a stunning look within your home. The variation of textures and styles here only works since the colour palette is plain. Hence, creating a less-than-busy look with your colours allows you space to get creative elsewhere.
Don’t be afraid to be bold
The fact that you’re living in a tiny apartment needn’t hold you back when it comes to being bold. Of course, most people shy away from eye-catching pieces when they live in a smaller home. They assume that the piece will be too much for their space, and so they opt for something more subtle.
When done well, though, one dominant feature piece can work wonders in your home. This rather fetching light display is ideal for any home – large or small. When choosing something bold like this, you should ensure that the rest of your decor is subtle rather than too striking.
Make things miniature
One of the simplest ways to deal with having a small home is to scale everything down. There’s just no need to have a giant Christmas tree kitted out with thousands of lights and decorations.
Creating small versions of traditional decorations will mean that you can include an array of styles in even the tiniest of places. These tiny Christmas trees are ideal for a little living space. You may want to adorn your dinner table with them or merely pop them on the mantelpiece.
Elevate your Christmas tree
If you do opt to go for a full-sized tree, steer clear of a massive 6-foot affair. Most department stores sell medium (or even small) trees that will be perfect for your home. Rather than choosing something that will look overbearing in a small space design, this option is easy. It will mean that your home actually looks larger than it is.
Still, if you want the tree to be something of a centrepiece, elevating it by putting it on a chair or small table will achieve that. You can have the dramatic effect of a tall, imposing tree, with none of the hassle.
Create an alternative tree
Of course, not every home needs a tree to create a seasonal look. If you don’t have the space for an actual tree in your small living space, there are plenty of other options that you may wish to explore. If you’re hoping to achieve a stunning look for your home, it may just be time to get creative.
Why not dedicate a wall to your tree? You can make a decoration that mimics the style and shape of a tree without taking up the room it inevitably needs. This contemporary photo tree design is both dazzling and space-saving. Genius.
Create accent displays
Rather than opting for traditional festive decor, such as tinsel and lights, you can go for something slightly classier. Here, the designer has chosen a small surface space to be a real feature piece of the room. Using various gold and bronze tones, they have created a rich and beautiful effect at which most would marvel.
If you hope to create a similar look in your home, it’s not as difficult as you may think. Start by choosing a core colour theme and get hold of various decor pieces within that. Don’t worry too much about whether the pieces go together, the colours should tie them in to create a coherent look.
Never neglect the staircase
If you live in a small home, your staircase will likely take up a decent percentage of your floor space. That is why you simply cannot afford to neglect it when it comes to decorating the house.
The stairs offer ample opportunity to experiment with decorations and add a little extra pizzazz into any room. If your home lacks a fireplace, you could find that the bannister is the ideal place to hang those stockings.
Jazz up your existing pieces
One of the many stumbling blocks when it comes to small space design is the fact that you don’t have the room for little extras. Christmas decorations can be space-consuming to say the least, but what if you just do not have the room?
Here’s just one of many small living room ideas that is certain to work for you this Christmas. Jazzing up your existing pieces, such as your cushions and sofas, will make a big impression. That means that you’re not bringing anything new into the home, but instead giving its features a little Christmas cheer.
Don’t forget the front door!
From the very moment that people approach your home, they should feel that warm, festive glow. Your front door is the first impression people get of your home. So, during the Christmas season, it’s vital that the door doesn’t look somewhat underdressed.
There are a number of stylish door decorations from which you may want to choose. This year, rather than opting for the plain and simple wreath, why not check out other options? You might find that something more modern suits your home better.
Consider delicate decorations
While most Christmas decorations tend to be bright and colourful, there are other options out there. Take this sleek and smart design, for example. Rather than cramming the small living space full with decorations, the designer has highlighted a few key things within the room.
You should notice subtle accents, such as the stacked wood and the star bunting, that don’t draw too much attention. This effect is ideal if you want your home to look elegant during the festive season while still incorporating some seasonal decorations.
Light up your living space
Living in a tiny apartment means having to make certain sacrifices when it comes to your festive decor. Filling the space with fairy lights will look a little tacky, especially if you don’t have any room to spare.
A suave alternative is to use natural candle light to enhance the glow of your room during this time. If you’re feeling particularly creative, you can decorate your own holders with merry designs and the like. Failing that, there is a plentiful amount of Christmas themed designs you can buy instead.
Try a rustic style of decor
Which style of Christmas decor you choose very much depends on your home’s character. If you’ve spent a lifetime perfecting the rustic chic look, you needn’t compromise that just yet. Choose simplistic decor features and ornaments will help you create a small space design of which you will be proud.
From wooden ornaments to metallic lamps, there’s an array from which to choose. It’s well worth considering your home’s style before you go ahead and start buying or making decorations for it. Having a consistent theme which runs through to space will always look classy.
Take things into the bedroom
This is an area that most people neglect, but when you lack space you really should not make that mistake. By adding just a few key features to the bedroom space, you can create a winter wonderland in even the smallest of rooms.
You don’t have to go overboard when it comes to this by any means. Simply swapping your usual pillows for a rather more festive design and including a warm, cosy blanket will be all that is needed. These fine little details will be all you need to get into the swing of things!
Pick a master colour
If you have to use colour in a small living space, you must do so sparsely. Choosing a master colour before you begin (such as a rich red or emerald green) will make all the difference. Remember, you don’t need to have a chaotic look in order for it to feel festive. Quite the opposite.
In this instance, the designer has used red as the overriding theme of the room, whilst still leaving space for some variation. With rouge features throughout the room, the decoration seems less imposing than it could otherwise be.
So, you see, creating the perfect seasonal look for your small living space needn’t be mission impossible. In reality, you can have a whole lot of fun with this little project. If you take note of these quick little changes, you should find that your abode is full of festive cheer just in time for Christmas.
