Make sure that pieces of furniture do double duty: use a trunk as a coffee or end table; use a bedside table that has drawers for books or clothes, etc. Also choose pieces with legs that elevate furniture off the floor and create more visual space.

Can anyone please tell me where I might be able to get the air balloon print from?

That picture is from my all time favorite house. It should have won last year :(
Love, love, love it!!

You haven't mentioned colour! Probably because it's not as straight forward as the top pointers. I saw a renovation where the smallest room was painted an almost black. It's not the obvious choice (white) but it worked.... Also wallpaper effects like horizontal stripes on a wall to lengthen it. Bedding and accessory colour would have to have a huge impact too but I just don't know enough to be dishing out advice. I would love to see a colour consultants ideas.

Have really cute views out of all windows, so you aren't facing a blazing-bright streetlight, or someone else's window, or a car, or something ugly.

I love this picture, but I wish someone would rise to the challenge of a small room with high, small windows, or lousy views, or an air conditioner smack below the only window in the room so you can't put anything up against it....

Sigh. I've done my best with my room, but I completely live in it -- I have no other space right now in the rest of the apartment -- so it's doing triple- or quadruple-duty in containing all my furniture and possessions (that aren't in storage).

Luckily it's large, 10.5 x 16', but it would not win any AT design kudos as full of STUFF as it is. I'd love to empty it out, but getting rid of my stuff is a permanent solution to a temporary housing problem. Still, it's nice to dream.

it still amazes me how Beth is able to create such devine place with the sqft she has. Everything has a purpose and place.

I agree with Chathamgirl97 that this house should've won last year.

make do, not make due.

You can also use clear furniture, so that you have functionality and duty, but limited visual focus... the lamp in this room is clear, allowing the visitor to see the corner of the room, extending the view. Also see: http://www.mypointright.com/furniture/transparent-glass-or-plastic-furniture.html

Consider size yes but size ain't everything. Fewer standout larger pieces can make a space look much more luxurious and spacious than a greater quantity of smaller pieces. We see this concept work in so many house tours. But yes, the pieces need to flow with the space. I recently had to give up an expensive leather sectional because it looked way too puffy and huge in my new space. The layout and lines of my new space really caused that piece too look out of my place. I had a tinier rental prior to this and the same sectional worked out just fine. The difference? In my rental, the U shaped sectional was pushed up against the wall, it fit perfectly with the corner, length of the wall etc. The living area was a square shape, the sectional seemed made for that space. Now, in my rectangular shaped new space, the sectional had to be placed mid room, between the island and the tv wall. In the middle of a small room (vs framing the wall), it suddenly seemed like a huge puffy u, especially paired with the large kitchen island. So I bought a new L shaped couch. Its a simpler, more clean lined style with a lower back but is the same length as the old couch. However this couch fits the flow of the space perfectly.

Think vertical. This gets repeated a lot in terms of using tall storage and so forth to maximize a small room, but you can also open up space vertically.

For years I had my bed on a thrift-store frame with risers, until my craigslist headboard required me to get a new frame with the headboard brackets. The risers made the new frame too tall to bolt to the headboard, so I ditched them.

It shocked me how having my bed about three inches lower made my tiny bedroom more spacious. It just feels less crowded. Tall storage on the periphery and low and open in the middle seems to really open up the space so thats my new rule of thumb for the other small rooms in my apartment.

I've found that furniture on legs, even if it's only an inch off the floor, allows the eye to see the space underneath. It gives the feeling of seeing through the furniture instead of having a couch or something visually stop square footage in it's tracks.

Seriously, where is that hot air balloon print from?

The white bed also makes it feel very airy.

Quick little trick - hang tall curtains with a visual interest near the top to bring your eye up. I did this with my shower curtain in my tiny bathroom and it helps.

@Therese Z, I'm with you....I think that many photos AT shows have beautiful apartments with lovely built in details and huge windows with incredible views....but many of us live in plain boxes, with lousy popcorn ceilings, air-conditioners in tiny windows and views of a brick wall or street lights.

I agree with urbancricket. I always use a light palette in small spaces. Our Finnish summer cottage is quite tiny so we keep to light shades and rely on textile for splashes of colour

I live in a very small Brooklyn Apt. in which my living room and dining room are in the same space. To create the look of more space I purchased a dining table made of solid clear glass base and top. This was in place of a bulky wood or metal version. It's the "see-through" trick. You see the victorian wall molding behind it, plants, and it gets more light from the window.

@Barefoot, I'm so glad someone else felt the need to point that out. What on earth would be making _due_?! I've also seen on other US blogs "without further adieu" rather than "ado". I suspect the problem comes from pronounciation - here in the UK we all say "due" like "you" with a D at the beginning, so it would be much harder to mix the words up.

@smallsporganizer glass is a great way to keep small spaces from appearing cluttered- thanks for the tip. In our tiny space, hung a few choice decorative mirrors, to both reflect light and create the illusion of more space.

@ Therese Z and suzy8track:

Here's what i did to spruce up my view (it's the 2nd picture tutorial): http://ploefff.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/gratis-sticker/ and for free too!

I have had great success with putting light underneath wall mounted furniture. It gives a sense of extra space by lighting those dark corners: http://ploefff.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/c3a5bendc3b8r.jpg

@ lurker2209 I wish I could lower my bed! With the purchase of a huge dreamy pillow-topped mattress I can barely touch the floor when I sit on the edge. I really want to buy a lower bed so I can open up my tiny space more, but then I'll lose all my under-bed storage!

@Jenny Jackson and Stina Brown, try googling 'hot air balloon + print' and look at images, if you can't find the one you want, there are many more to choose from :)

Recently painted my 8' x 8' laundry room & extended the wall color (a dark blue) up onto the ceiling, for about 15". Sure enough, it TOTALLY makes the ceiling seem higher.

Thanks everyone for some great ideas - furniture on legs, for example; and Klaus, the idea of deep-perspective photos is brilliant!

An issue of some mag (Met Home?) had designers weigh in on "dark or light colors in a small room?" About 1/2 said light, 1/2 said no, dark actually makes space seem bigger. It was an interesting "battle!"

@Barefoot: Thanks. I actually stopped reading AT for a while because there are so many errors. Now, for the most part, I just look at the pretty pictures. Such a shame.

Great ideas - I live in a tiny place and definatly find having space under furniture really opens up the place. Also having quality beautiful pieces that are useful rather then things AND clutter. If everything that you need is lovely then that becomes part of your decor. Thats what I am trying to do anyway and it is so far working. I also find defining areas with rugs is good as you feel like you are moving into another space rather then all of the floor space being one. Im no expert so I love the ideas people offer on here. Decluttering is the best thing I have done for my small space.

Love the paint color on that wall! Can anyone tell me the name and brand?

We have an extremely small bedroom (7x10 feet!) There is about 12" on each side of our bed. We have wall lamps and shelves as nightstands. The room has high ceilings that are white and a bed with a very tall headboard. Guess what color I painted it? Chocolate brown! It's very cozy. I think that when a room is very tiny, the best thing to do is to play off of that tiny-ness and make it warm and cozy instead of airy : )

One tip I'm going to try out: white baseboards. I know they're the current thing, but, beyond that, I didn't realize, until I saw a before-and-after type series of photos of some spaces, just how much lighter a room would feel if the dark wood baseboards were painted white. Seriously. Big difference.

I also find that even the simplest ceiling molding will help make the room feel taller.

And I agree about having lower beds. I slept on a futon in a junior 1 bedroom for many years, and when I moved and got a full size bedroom and a big, high bed, I initially felt as though I was pressed up against the ceiling (LOL). That's also because of my dreaded popcorn ceilings in my current place and the ceiling A/C fixtures, two things I can't change without a certain degree of hassle. But if I had it to do over again, I'd sure get a lower bed (among other things I'd do differently; don't get me started! ;) )....

I'm not sure I agree with the trend about locating curtain rods high above a window. I know that a lot of people think that makes the windows feel taller, etc., but I just think it looks odd to have that big gap between the window and the rod. Different strokes, different folks...

Removing interior doors in a tiny room (the closet) helps to open up the space. Fabric that coordinates with the decor can be used to drape the opening ~ splurge on decadent fabric and pretty hardware.

One more hint. Use as much furniture as possible with no skirting and long legs so the walls can be seen behind the furniture. This is particularly important in corners. A room where all four corners can be seen appears to be larger than it is.

The ballon print is 'Love Sex 1972' by Thomas Sewell.

Thanks Nikaia!

make due?

Or just accept the room's small size. I have a very small living room (9 x 11) and am pleased with the effect of a 9 x 10 rug that is on the floor, as well as the two floor lamps I have that are appealing-looking.

Love the paint color!! Also the white linen makes the room look so airy!

google turns up nothing on "'Love Sex 1972" by Thomas Sewell???

I noticed that too. The search for the balloon print is back on!

Does anyone know from what house tour this picture is from? I've seen a few posts about how the house should have won last year but can't seem to find any further information on it.

Thank you!!

Make do, not make due- is a pun of sorts, my grandma used to say it- make due with what you have so you don't have credit card bills DUE!