Would it surprise you to know that the “best” rooms are often the smallest, the quirkiest, and the ones where you have the least money to spend?
Small & Quirky. Low ceilings with odd angles, uneven walls, small or oddly shaped windows, and too many window/door openings for a normal furniture arrangement… with a little creativity and elbow grease spaces like this can be the very ones that become the family favorites. Small attic rooms with slanted ceilings are ideal for using a pattern on walls, ceilings, and drapery. There is something magical and incredibly inviting about a small space like this surrounded by the same fabrics and paper. Think of the feeling you get when it has snowed overnight and the world is covered in a thick blanket of snow ~ silent & encompassing. Sometimes small rooms are the most challenging because they have quirks. These challenges can become the best features in a space when met with creativity.
While our guest bedroom may not have the charming slanted ceilings it is a small space and therefore easy to make cozy. We’ve been doing a room shuffle and added a bookcase and a simpler gallery wall. The bookcase somehow makes the room more interesting and seem like a room that gets used beyond times when someone comes to visit.
On the other side of the room, we have used wallpaper for the cozy factor. This was our first time using wallpaper (and installing it ourselves), so we just did one wall. Now that I’m more comfortable with wallpaper (understatement – I adore wallpaper), I would do all the walls above the wainscotting.
Not Trendy or Expensive. The best rooms are not full of the trendiest, most expensive things and materials. The best rooms aren’t where you can use your favorite everything. The best rooms aren’t made from all the most expensive “it” shops.
“I’ve been in houses where there was, to my mind, very awkward art on the walls because they were the ‘thing.’ And there was nowhere comfortable to sit, and certainly nowhere to put your drink, which is immediately uncomfortable.” ~ Rita Konig
From top to bottom, this little guest bedroom isn’t trendy or decorated with ‘high-end’ things. The chandelier, mirror, art, bedframe, throw pillows & bedding, little reading chair, bedside table, lamp, transferware pitchers, and even the drapes were all sourced second-hand. The only new things in the room are the wallpaper and wall sconces! Even though most all the contents of this room are second-hand I’ve been able to achieve the English country house style that I so love. It’s not a mainstream popular look, but it is incredibly comfortable and inviting.
And this brings up the point that I doggedly believe in… No matter your budget & no matter your design style you can create a home that reflects the look you want!
Limited Resources. The best rooms are the ones where you must squeeze the budget to make them work. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Never more true. Just when I get fired up with an idea of some design to do/make for our home I usually find that the inspiration of this idea leaps well beyond our budget. Somehow, this provokes a rise in me ~ determination to meet this challenge and prove that this design can be reproduced regardless of the budget/materials available! Meeting these design challenges head-on with determination & creativity not only saves money but is incredibly satisfactory!
I’ve heard more than one designer rejoice when asked to decorate a small room since doing small spaces is easier to get that uniquely personal, fantastically comfortable space that is magnetically inviting. So, the good news for you & me is this:
Small rooms are terrific!
Trendy & high-end doesn’t matter!
A limited budget is the best budget!
Friend, I hope this post has encouraged you to dig into the home you have with the skills you have and the budget you have to create a home only you can create! These are the best rooms.
Until next time,
Take care,
Rachel
