Decorating a Smaller Home: Choosing a Style

Fashion passes, style remains. – Coco Chanel, Fashion Designer, (1883-1971)

When decorating any space, but especially a smaller space, start with a general idea of how you want the room or area to look. This will be your style. For a smaller home, choose a style that can be used throughout the house. Why? This leads to a cohesive look, the first step in creating a harmonious space, one of the hallmarks of a Jewel Box™ home. It is not necessary to rigidly follow a particular style, but you will want to incorporate the basic elements into your overall decorating scheme.

So how do you choose a style? The best way is to look through home décor and general interest magazines and tear out pages with rooms that appeal to you. My favorites are Better Homes and Gardens and Real Simple. Catalogs are also a good place for style shopping. I like Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel and Ballard Designs. While looking through magazines and catalogs, keep in mind that decorating has nothing to do with following design trends. Just because something is trendy, new or expensive, does not automatically make it a good idea. And unless you are a teenage girl, ‘cute’ is not a style. Also, floral prints, plaids and oriental carpets never belong in the same room. Ever!

Most styles are variations on one of several looks:

Traditional
Contemporary/Modern
English Cottage and French Country
Mediterranean
Asian
Eclectic

In the coming weeks we will look at each of these styles and how well they work in a smaller space. But for now, enjoy the striking photos below of a 780 square foot condo in Chicago's Lincoln Park recently profiled in Chicago Home and Garden. This is a wonderful example a contemporary/modern look.

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