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Nicole is so smart. Using a few design tricks, she was able to transform a small, dark space into a beautiful new guest room. If you've seen her AT House Tour or her blog, Making it Lovely, you know that she's always got something good going on. Click below to see her newest transformation...

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One of the reasons we love this room so much: it's a great illustration of a few things you can do to make a small, dark room seem larger. These are ideas we've blogged before, and Nicole puts them to good use here. For the window, she hung curtains beyond the edges of the frame to make the narrow opening appear more substantial.

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In this "before" shot, you can see how cramped this area really is. It's also got some weird architectural details, including sunken storage spaces on each end of the room.

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Other design tricks that lighten the room: a white rug on the floor, light walls with white trim, and white curtains to cover the storage space. Generally, light colors are better than dark for visually expanding a space.

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This is the other side of the room before the transformation. Painting the angled ceiling the same color as the walls minimizes the low ceiling.

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Another small space trick: using furniture with visual space underneath. The open bases of this table and chair make them appear less bulky. The Lubi Daybed also folds out to become a double guest bed.

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Nicole sources all the items she used for the room on her blog. See the full transformation here.