Wall Decor for Small Spaces
There’s no wrong way to decorate your small home. The differences and diversity among our residences are what make them beautiful and interesting. Colorful or subdued, glossy or matte, patterned or minimal— anything can work if it’s done mindfully with the realities of your specific space in mind. But here are a few tips to keep at the ready if you’re struggling to crack the elusive code on how to best balance function and style within slim size constraints. (And there are 200+ tips in my book, Small Space Style.)
Decorate with Daily Essentials
When storage space is pushed to the brink, play around with displaying your more stylish homewares and essentials via walls and other such vertical / suspended formats. While this leaves fewer inches for traditionally framed photos or elaborate window coverings, it frees up an impressive amount of drawer + closet + cabinet + surface space for navigation and daily use. Food, cleaning supplies, kitchenwares, wardrobe accessories, pet gear, and so much more can be on full display and within easy reach, while adding an entirely unique look to your home.
Play with Scale
More often than not, I’ve found that standard frames and typical print sizes aren’t best suited for small spaces, where it can be particularly impactful to play with scale. For example, with furnishings and wall decor it’s often helpful to go larger than one might first consider, as this can help sidestep visual and physical overcrowding. For example, a gallery wall might make a compact room feel overwhelmed, and an apartment-sized living room set can sometimes make navigation tough, whereas one roomy couch and a clever accent table might do the trick while avoiding access lines and adding extra comfort.
In our new cottage we suspended a large quilt in the living space / office, where it makes a big impression without making the walls feel closed in. By contrast, we’ve placed tiny, 2” frames around the house to keep family photos in sight without requiring a “gallery wall” or consuming space that’s better used in other ways.
Extra small brass frames from Connected Goods
Be a Good Steward of the Planet
There’s no shortage of mass-produced, “fast” home decor, such as generic signage, faux antiques, and synthetic plants. What if we avoid all of that, and decorate with the planet in mind instead? Responsibly-sourced vintage and secondhand goods, foraged finds, and daily essentials are all fantastic ways to adorn your walls and surfaces without contributing to the degradation of our one magical shared home.
Get Help from Hardware
Hooks, racks, and multitasking wall units are a small space dweller’s best friend. Invest in a dozen s-hooks and you’ll realize just how valuable and versatile they can be in every space of your home.
Before + After: Wallpaper Hack - How We Hid a Textured Wall
As short-term borrowers of our current, temporary living space (which is partially furnished and accessorized), we’re endeavoring to strike a balance between making it comfortable for our lifestyle, while also trying not to disrupt the space irreversibly. (Read more about my feelings on this balancing act via my previous post, and discover where we are and why we’re here via this entry from January.)
In our space, there’s a little nook in the multitasking nursery + playroom + bedroom, which I knew I wanted to turn into something special for our second baby, who arrives this spring. Other than the crib, this spot will be our newest family member’s only dedicated zone.
While envisioning the room makeover from across the country prior to our move, I’d pictured using a bright, playful, peel + stick wallpaper that would wrap around the full cubby, adding visual interest and depth to the otherwise static space.
… Then I remembered that the entire room (which was built in the late 80s/early 90s) has textured walls. Naturally, wallpaper won’t successfully adhere fully to textured surfaces. And even if it did, the details of the wall would show through.
Fully resurfacing or masking the walls (like with beadboard) isn’t an option. We’re not here long enough to make the cost and footprint worth it, plus a change of that magnitude feels like a disrespectful level of change to introduce to a borrowed suite. We did, however, update the walls to Pure White, replacing the brown-beige color that was here upon our arrival. Still, the room needed something more to make it feel special, and I wasn’t willing to give up the vision for the nook.
I decided to attempt an inexpensive little hack in order to incorporate the peel + stick paper and hide the textured wall of the cut-out. We went to The Home Depot and picked out a single, thin panel of plywood that is lightweight enough to easily hang from a wall, but sturdy enough to resist major warping from humidity.
While there, we worked with an employee to cut the panel into slices sized uniquely for popping into the three divided sections of the nook. For the larger, lower slice, we used one uniform panel. For the two remaining areas, we puzzled together the plywood with neutral-toned tape (so it wouldn’t show through the wallpaper,) in order to keep the panels somewhat flexible for sliding in and out of the tightly built-in shelving. We gave up on the idea of the full wrap for the sake of our sanity, hoping that if we could pull the hack off for the back wall it would be enough to scratch the itch.
We covered the panels with a peel + stick wall mural. I chose the mural version instead of the wallpaper, as I preferred a wider spacing / larger print of the artwork for this particular project, rather than a tightly repeating pattern. I selected an orange grove design as a nod to Florida, ushering in the rich greens and playful but watered-down terracottas I’d planned to use within the room.
Thankfully, the peel + stick mural was forgiving, as Adam and I had to reset it a few times to get the layer as smooth as possible over the untreated plywood. The application took about an hour, as I’m in my 8th month of this pregnancy and my range of motion is getting more limited by the day.
To our delight, the panels popped perfectly into the cubby, and a simple screw driven into either side of each panel is enough to hold them in place.
I can’t change the carpet or the dresser, but thanks to the mural I’m no longer bothered by those features. The simple decluttering of the shelves and the addition of the bright paint and orange grove artwork were enough to make the visual and emotional impact I’d hoped.
Our 4 year old likes it, as do we. I hope his little sibling does, too. We’ll find out soon!
Sources:
Jute Baskets: Will & Atlas
Abacus: Etsy
Clothing: Primary Dot Com (Use code WHIT25 for 25% off)
Wall Mural / Paper: Society 6
Duck Baskets: Vintage via Etsy
Changing Pad: Gathre