If You Missed the 2021 Small/Cool Experience, Here’s the Only Recap You’ll Need

We’ve been broadcasting live from our pop-up Small/Cool Experience content studio in the heart of SoHo, New York City all weekend long, and it’s been a weekend full of behind-the-scenes, designer-led teeny tours of each Small/Cool trend space, special Small/Cool episodes of our “Style School,” “Megan’s Mystery Makeover,” and “The Couch” series, games, shopping, and even an amazing giveaway of select products featured in one of the room vignettes. If you happened to miss some of the fun though, not to worry. You can watch (or rewatch!) all of the programming @ApartmentTherapy on Instagram; it’ll be waiting for you in feed and on our “Reels” and “IGTV” tabs.

As a refresher, for the Small/Cool Experience this year, we challenged 10 designers to bring 10 different trends to life — all in about 120 square feet. You can tour each of the spaces in 3D and tap on the hotspots to shop your favorite products. Before you go fill your carts, we thought we’d recap each space and talented designer for 2021 here, and special thanks to our sponsors: BEHR Paint, Overstock, LUMAS, Tuft & Needle, Chasing Paper, Interior Define, and Genesis, the official auto partner of the Small/Cool Experience. The majority of the products included in the space will be donated to Habitat for Humanity NYC, our philanthropic partner.

Design Expert and Emmy-nominated TV host of “Queer Eye,” Bobby Berk took on the less-is-more look with light tonal textures and layering. Trendy bouclé is featured in the upholstery of two pieces in this room: a curvy sofa and chair, both from Kardiel, while black accessories add a little bit of edge and a grounding element to the vignette. Contrast is another design element employed here; you’ll notice organic shapes juxtaposed with more linear silhouettes, which creates visual balance.

The DIY tambour wall covering from Omega provides a new take on wainscoting that adds so much warmth and dimension to the room, particularly when stained in Behr’s White Cedar finish. We’re running a sweepstakes with Berk until June 25 to give away a prize package of items in his room, including the Kardiel sofa, Minted art, and the Ballard Designs coffee table. To see these pieces up close, take a tour of this room in 3D, and shop all of the items in this room, visit the Warm Minimalism space at the Small/Cool Experience.

This room was conceived of as a studio for the hippest of singer/songwriters, and designer Natalie Papier really ran with this idea for creating her layout, which would also be great for a guest room turned work-from-home office. She used the perimeter of her room to create defined zones for working, playing, and sleeping, filling every square inch with beautiful furniture, accessories, and artwork from Overstock. Sticking to a warm color scheme that features sunset colors kept the look cohesive and serene — but never boring!

The Murphy bed is unlike many others on the market; instead of being vertically-oriented, it’s a more horizontal model, which allowed Papier to style it out like a sideboard or console in her room when not in use. When you pull the bed out, there’s a surprise… a pop of pattern that plays well with the rug, thanks to a temporary wallpaper application on the cabinet back.

Most of the furniture in this room pulls double (or triple!) duty. The extra long, sawhorse style desk is great for working or eating; it’s also big enough for two people to sit at and offers storage with its built-in shelves. The bookcase provides a nice focal point and opportunity for displaying favorite things; there’s even room for a chair in the corner for a little reading nook! To see these pieces up close, take a tour of this room in 3D, and shop all of the items in this room, visit the Flexible Spaces trend room at the Small/Cool Experience.

Bailey-Babenzien conceived of this room as a meditation space that also could serve as an office and a makeshift guest room. It’s all centered on a bespoke cube form, which, when covered with cushions, is actually the size of a full bed at its base (and can be used like one for hosting overnight guests.

Piling on the plants was key to the designer’s interpretation of this trend, and Bailey-Babenzien thought of the space almost as a greenhouse, even adding a layer of moss to the top of her potted plants, which can help plants grow by absorbing and retaining water and nutrients. She used a mud cloth inspired wallpaper from Chasing Paper to create an accent wall that offsets all the green tones. To further draw your attention to the back wall, she created a two-toned color blocking effect on the side walls, which features Behr’s Nocturne Blue and their 2021 color of the year, Canyon Dusk. To see these pieces up close, take a tour of this room in 3D, and shop all of the items in this room, visit the Biophilic Beauty trend room at the Small/Cool Experience.

All of the artwork in the Make It Maximalist room came from LUMAS and was hand-selected by designer David Quarles IV, who sees this room — and the artwork, in particular — as the first few first chapters of his life, explaining where he came from and all the things that build his joy, from celebrating his Creole, Caribbean, and African roots to nurturing plant life. Chasing Paper’s Botany temporary wallpaper, when paired with a wainscoting painted in Behr’s Saffron Strands, turns a traditional dining room wall treatment on its head in this super fresh, fun design scheme. Quarles notes how the Article table could be used as a desk and the sideboard for the storage of all of your WFH gear, too, if you wanted a space like this to double as a home office.

Quarles’ best Small/Cool tip is faking a window where you don’t have one; he did this with a Ballard Designs mirror, curtains, and drapery hardware on the left wall. To see these pieces up close, take a tour of this room in 3D, and shop all of the items in this room, visit the Make It Maximalist trend room at the Small/Cool Experience.

When she got her trend assignment, Nozawa immediately knew she wanted to play with the idea of frames within frames by creating bespoke trim “boxes” backed in Chasing Paper’s Vintage Art Wallpaper throughout her room. She then went about hanging artwork from Minted and mirrors on them and in them, both centered and completely outside of the lines/boxes. The result? A totally whimsical, eclectic space.

Even though her walls are super modern and fun, she worked with many classic design elements — ginger jar style pottery motifs, gilded finishes, Louis XVI silhouettes  — but married them with a bold, super modern palette: Behr’s Nocturne Blue for the walls, Maple Glaze on the bespoke frames, and Caribe baseboards. Nozawa sees leopard as a neutral and thinks this Annie Selke rug ottoman is the perfect coffee table, especially when topped with a sculptural tray. To see these pieces up close, take a tour of this room in 3D, and shop all of the items in this room, visit the Classic Redux trend room at the Small/Cool Experience.

Journey & Jacobs is a Kentucky-based design firm that specializes in crafting interiors that merge old-world style and vintage products with modern lines and materials, and they created a room that’s a total #mood in their signature style for Small/Cool. Their space centers on a chic but super comfy Interior Define Maxwell Sofa and a gallery wall of Minted artwork above it, which is punctuated by a Serena & Lily chandelier.

Frontgate tables and accents play a supporting yet striking role, too, from the sculptural console and inlay mirror pairing on the right-hand wall to the coffee table, which is rated for indoor/outdoor use and can be configured in a variety of ways. Other savvy small space furnishings include that wicker sconce from Serena & Lily and the clear Illusion side table from AMEICO. Is red the next “it” color? Behr’s Cherry Cola walls, as seen in J&J’s room, just might make you a believer. To see these pieces up close, take a tour of this room in 3D, and shop all of the items in this room, visit the Moody Musings trend room at the Small/Cool Experience.

To create as serene a space as possible, Curry and O’Connell wanted to play with an almost monochromatic scheme of whites, creams, and grays with a pop or two of black. Symmetry was also another design element they used to create the feel of a harmonious suite retreat; you see repetition on both sides of the CB2 bed, down to the statement mirrors and picture lights, both from Ballard Designs, which rest on each side wall.

The pièce de résistance of the room is the bespoke Kyle Bunting textured fabric mural, which depicts the Lignum Vitae, or tree of life, which is the national flower of Jamaica, a special symbol to Curry and similar in design to a mural in Curry’s Oakland Sweet July store (painted by her brother). Nightstands and lamps from Lulu & Georgia round out the room in addition to top of bed accents from Jayson Home and Annie Selke as well as bedding and accessories from Ayesha’s own brand, Sweet July. To see these pieces up close, take a tour of this room in 3D, and shop all of the items in this room, visit the Serenity Now trend room at the Small/Cool Experience.

Fahmy went with Dark Crimson from Behr for her more maximalist space, which contrasts nicely with her Chasing Paper Fancy Four Side focal wall and Verner Panton Flowerpot light from AMEICO in mustard. She’s all about hosting so she created a fun dining room with an APT2B table that can expand to accommodate more guests. Settee seating is from Ballard, and the flexible ottomans are Kardiel. Fahmy also used art exclusively from LUMAS, one of Small/Cool’s sponsors. 

For a focal point, Fahmy chose Article’s Caliper shelving unit and styled it out with a bunch of fun objects. One of our favorite under $50 finds is her Ballard Designs Lamont Candle Holder; it’s the perfect height for a centerpiece because you can still see across the table easily for conversation. We also love how she set the table with glasses and tea towels — versus napkins! — from Jayson Home. The beautiful plates are made in Japan and from AMEICO. To see these pieces up close, take a tour of this room in 3D, and shop all of the items in this room, visit The New Kitsch trend room at the Small/Cool Experience.

This room centers on a super cozy mattress, bed frame, and bedding from Tuft & Needle, one of Small/Cool’s sponsors. The decorative pillows are Ballard Designs, and the throw is Serena & Lily. Tuft & Needle even made the nightstands! The meditation cushions are also Tuft & Needle, and Anwar has stacked two here so they can double as an ottoman.

Grasscloth wallpaper and a nubby wool-viscose rug, both from Annie Selke, add tons of texture to the walls and floor while still keeping the room visually quiet. All the art in this room is from Minted. We also love the use of drapery rings to elevate the Ballard Designs window coverings, which make the panels feel fancy and add a little length so they’re just long enough for the windows here. To see these pieces up close, take a tour of this room in 3D, and shop all of the items in this room, visit the Comfort Is King trend room at the Small/Cool Experience.

Kamarul partnered with Behr paint for this room and traveled up to the Small/Cool content studio to paint this leaf motif wall mural by hand with shades of green — Jojoba, Royal Orchard, and Broadway from Behr in addition to Behr’s color of the year for 2021, Canyon Dusk, and Maple Glaze.

To bring the indoors out, she leaned on an all-weather sectional from Article, extra Ballard Designs seating, an indoor/outdoor rug from Boutique Rugs, and a Frontgate umbrella and indoor/outdoor coffee table that can be configured in a variety of ways. The room also features faux plants from Frontgate and oversized geometric lanterns from Article.

Kamarul’s best outdoor decorating small space tip? Don’t be afraid to hang sheers or drapery outdoors! You can find panels that will stand up to the elements, and they really add a tactile touch to an outdoor space to make it feel more like an indoor one. To see these pieces up close, take a tour of this room in 3D, and shop all of the items in this room, visit the Bringing the Indoors Out trend room at the Small/Cool Experience.