Decorating Ideas for Small Rooms

Just because a room is small, doesn’t mean there’s a limit to how happy it can be. Libby Langdon, the super-bubbly designer and talented expert on HGTV’s program “Small Space, Big Style,” knows a lot about how to make a small room live large. I talked to her a few weeks ago, shortly after she’d appeared as a guest on the Rachel Ray show, and asked her for her thoughts on how to amp up the happiness factor in small spaces. While her ideas are great for compact rooms, they could work just as easily in medium and large rooms, too. Here are three of her tips.

•Get whimsical with wallpaper. “A great way to add some fun and frivolity to your room is to incorporate a fun, flashy wallpaper!” says Libby. “If you don’t want to commit to actually applying the paper to the wall, you can still use it in a low-commitment way by measuring the inside back panel of a bookcase, cutting some foam-core board to fit and covering it with a fabulous wallpaper pattern that makes you smile. Take the shelves out of the unit, place the wallpapered board in the back of the unit, set the shelves back in over the board and style them with all of your favorite goodies!” she explains. “You’re guaranteed to adore your room every time you walk into it!”

•Lighten up. Libby is a firm believer in the power of light to completely transform our moods. She’s also amazed at how often, as a designer, she goes into people’s rooms and finds them to be very dark. As a quick fix to this problem, she recommends incorporating some fun, new lamps. “You don’t have to spend a fortune because stores like TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Marshalls and Target have super-cool lamps at great prices,” she says. “Light all four corners of your room, mix floor lamps and table lamps, and don’t be afraid to choose one with a colorful base. Ceramic lamps come in a million different hues and if you’re feeling crafty you can hot-glue some colored ribbon on the lampshade for a little extra zip!” If you want to produce the same effect at less cost, she suggests spray-painting the base of an old wooden lamp in a fun accent hue and topping it with a new, crisp white shade.

•Create a wall of fame. Look for an empty wall in your home that you pass all the time—a back hallway, a front stairwell or maybe a mudroom wall—and turn it into a backdrop for showcasing framed photos of family friends. “It will add depth and dimension to an otherwise forgotten space and it make you thankful and happy every time you walk by it!” says Libby.

For more ideas on living happily in small spaces, listen to my BlogTalk Radio interview with Libby and author Sarah Susanka. And for other super-easy budget-wise projects that can transform a room, look for my new book Real-Life Décor.