I can't agree more with the going Vertical tip. I just moved and I had one whole wall filled with artwork floor to ceiling and when I took it all down the placed seemed so much smaller (and it was already 583 sq ft)!

Go vertical! So very very true.
Also in the same way, using the walls as space to organize and store takes up less floor space.

Definitely avoid overstuffed furniture & clutter.

Cleaner lines and lighter fabrics on sofas and armchairs, thinner graceful legs and wood/metalwork -- on wardrobes, dining chairs, all table types, bed frames -- and the use of glass as a surface (instead of heavy, opaque wood) are all space savers (physically and visually).

Also, try arranging the largest pieces based on the diagonal of a small rectangular room, rather than placing everything against a wall or at right angles to all the walls. The diagonal is the longest line in a room and when the lines of your furniture follow that, the room can feel alot bigger.

Also -- mirrors, mirrors, mirrors!!!

another tip: avoid too small furniture. It is counter intuitive, but one (relatively) bigger piece of furniture along with a cast of normal size furniture will make the whole place seem bigger than a cast of diminutive pieces that make it seem as if you've stepped into a dollhouse.

Apartment therapy, how about posting guidelines for what constitutes "small".... This is from a post about a 900 square feet apt. that is NOT small! This is a recurring irritation with this blog. Small is 600 square feet tops. And I bet you there are people who find that large too.

@zapzap

I think "small" is relative to your area, and even the eras you've lived in. The house I grew up in was 960square feet 3-bedroom, and was a in new (subsidized) development at the time in the late 70s. The average new home built in the same immediate area (blocks away)? 2400 (and has none of the charm of those tiny ranches). I have a friend that lives in Dallas, and apparently the developments in recent years were more around 3500 square feet. The stuff for "a bit more money" ranged up to 6000! He has coworkers who buy those things (and it's just themselves and their significant other!)

Granted, I have a 725sqft 1 bedroom in Boston, and that entertains 8 without issue. Though I've gone as small as 450sqft. However co-workers who live in the suburbs consider it "tiny". However my current place is palatial compared to your average Manhattan apartment.

Honestly, I think the size ranges in the "smallest coolest" contests are realistic given how diverse geographic areas can be.

Limit the number of black or dark wood furniture.

Multi-functioning furniture!

Our sofa table pulls triple duty as a sofa table, 2 person laptop ready desk, and a 6 person dining table. Granted, 2 of the six diners have to use our office chairs =)

zapzap is right - 900 sq ft is not small, not in zurich anyway :p i had 600 sq ft before this and thought that was luxury! i have now downgraded to a 200 sq ft 1 bedroom apartment that has a closed kitchen (which doubles as an entrance!) and a bathroom. teeny tiny!

I live in 420 sq ft...when i arrange my furniture i always try to leave large parts of the baseboard showing in spots. nothing makes a place feel more small than wall to wall furniture. I also like hanging drapes from the ceiling to draw the eye all the way up...really makes the place look bigger.

I agree with MrFoof. It depends on so many factors. 900 sq.ft. is a generous size space, tho. I was in a 2 bedroom apt with 800 sq.ft. and it felt huge. Additionally if you are in a space where the rooms are all broken up into boxes (and you can't remove any walls) it feels very differently from an open space of the same size. I think there is a lot about size that is very relative.

I like this photo, but want to know more about that bookshelf--custom? Hacked? Spill.

Of course size is relative depending on where you live, but the thing that interests us about "small" spaces is the challenges they pose for living, sleeping, storing, cooking/eating. entertaining, etc. and still making it attractive and giving the illusion of spaciousness. It is interesting for us to see how people approach these problems. I refuse to believe that anybody in 900 sq. ft., whether it be in Tokyo or Dallas, is constantly confronted by these challenges -- unless of course it is a large family living there. There are different standards for "small" if we're talking about a single person, a couple or a family. But if that apartment is occupied by one or two people, it's ridiculous to call it small, period.

zapzap and trackbike, your *small* is NOT everyone elses *small*

I think this is more a lesson on how to create separate spaces through invention. That shelf is great - partitions dining area from a entryway nicely. I'm not sold, however, on how they've settled on their stereo setup.

So anyone know who did the painting?

About small: I consider my space "small", sometimes past the point of toleration. It is 800 sq/ft. What makes it "small" is the fact that it is a house, so it has to have room for water heater, furnace, full sized washer and dryer etc. within the 800 sq/ft. Also, there are four people (two kids) and four cats. Add to that the fact that we are all packrats, and it just gets pretty crowded in here. If it was an 800 sq/ft apartment, with the furnace, water heater, laundry etc. in the basement, and one or two people lived there, I would consider it a generous amount of space.

Re: using light colored walls/furniture and similar paint colors

Not necessarily. I live in a 30 m 2 apartment that was painted almost entirely white when we moved in. I decided to paint certain walls very dark colors (and others medium complementary shades) which actually made those walls recede back, creating the impression of a larger space. I added a black rug to the living room, which also made the space seem larger (the ceilings are low, so that was very welcome).

Granted, there are segments of light colored walls (it's a triplex with the upper levels open along one wall all the way to the bottom level - that wall has huge windows and is a warm cream color to help reflect the light).

In some cases, I used different/dissimilar colors to create a clear sense of separation from one space to the next - I found that when everything was a similar color, the space seemed cramped. I guess that depends on the floorplan and how each space is used (we've got a 9.5 m2 LR that is also the dining room/project room/office space/DJ area/bike and sports gear storage)

I will second the recommendation to use regular size (not over-stuffed) furniture instead of mini-furniture. The previous tenants had a little two-seater couch that only highlighted the diminutive living room. I put in a 193 cm long sofa bed in a dark grey brown, and somehow, it feels like we have more space (maybe b/c we can lounge comfortably?). Granted the sofa has spare lines - no curved or bulky arms.

We've made a deliberate point of always looking up when trying to find storage - pots and kitchen tools are hung from the kitchen ceiling, speakers are hung in the LR). My absolute FAVORITE suggestion from (partially) doing the AT Cure is sitting in different spots in the room to view it from different/unusual perspectives. It's why my couch isn't against the wall (conterintuitive to me, but it absolutely was the best placement)

Regardless of what is considered "small", I think the biggest space enhancing tip is reducing clutter and organizing your belongings so that they're 1) easily accessible so that you know what you have and they get put back when you're done using them, 2) visually pleasing - either hidden away or displayed in a way that reflects & complements the rest of the space, 3) makes you feel happy and comfortable. Happy and comfortable being the MOST important :-)

Furniture that seems to "float" off the floor works wonders, even if you put storage items beneath them. Couches without skirts, chairs with high feet, etc.

I'm currently renovating my less than 200sq ft home, an RV. I've discovered that floor space is more important than adding storage. My office is 37sq ft (not counting a raised space at the back the size of a twin bed mattress) and I've removed some trunk-like storage to open up the floor completely. The room now feels *huge*. I'm in the process of doing the same thing in the the lounge. It's amazing to be so in control of my possessions that I can do away with storage space.

Light is definitely important. I have huge windows and skylights in all but one room making the RV seem a lot brighter and more spacious than it is.

Finally, while some people find that having a big open space feels big to them, it actually makes me feel cramped. I like that my RV has four separate rooms with proper doors, plus a loft where I sleep. Being able to go between all these spaces makes me feel like I live in a castle. I mostly work from home so being able to go from my office through the dressing room and into the kitchen to make lunch really curbs the potential claustrophobia.

My RV has everything I could want in a home, except a bathtub and fireplace. I even have a dishwasher and a washing machine (although some would consider that one a cheat because it's a manual, non-powered washer *g*).

I would like to dispel the myth about dark furniture in small spaces. I very much HATE light colored wood, and all my furniture in my 490 sq. ft. studio is dark wood - cherry, walnut, and a black granite table), except for one piece I inherited and have considered refinishing to match the rest. And yet everyone who comes over to my apartment tells me that it looks like more than 490 square feet.

What makes the difference is the arrangement of the furniture, adding pops of color to the decor, and keeping the space clutter-free.

The cords are a mess.Easy to fix ,mutilpy cords,gather together and wrap them with,black electrical tape,muti twisty ties,ribbons,whatever.....details, details, details.

I think that anything under 1000 sq ft would be on the small side for a family, but 600 sq ft for a single or couple. I live in a 412 sq ft studio. It's light and bright and has everything I need except room for a microwave so I do without. I have 2 large closets, and entry hall and a nice sized main room. The kitchen is behind a set of double doors. I used to live in a 955 sq ft 1 bedroom apt so my studio would be considered very small! I love living in a small place. My building is a highrise and has all the little extras that make living in 412 sq ft easy living!