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Don't worry: You're not stuck with dollhouse furniture simply because you have small rooms. When choosing furniture for small spaces, just pick pieces that work harder and look smarter, following these tricks.

Keep It Skinny

Furniture that is trim and fit will suit your small spaces best. In choosing a sofa, for example, one with fat rolled arms and a multicushion back will seem too inflated. Pick one with skinny arms and a tight, upholstered back instead. Elsewhere, look for slender legs on dining tables, and stick to beds with simple headboards.

Add Secondary Storage

Typically, small homes are short on places to stash things. That's why it's so valuable to find furniture with storage included. Look for tables with drawers or shelves and ottomans with hidden compartments. Trunks make excellent coffee tables. And you can tuck a lot of stuff, even luggage, under extra-tall beds.



Take It to the Edges

Whenever possible, tuck furniture around the perimeter of the room to avoid taking up precious floor space. Attach bookshelves to the wall, build a bench under the window, and mount the television. Some pieces even hover off the ground (or appear to), which creates open space that visually expands a room.

Free Up Sight Lines

Choose furniture that doesn't block your view from one area to another, such as open-sided bookcases, glass coffee tables, and chairs with slender profiles. Airy pieces such as these will fill your room with comfort and utility without making it seem congested.



Consider Off-Label Uses

Just because a furniture item is considered a dining room piece doesn't mean it can't perform and look nice in other rooms of your home. Using a dining room sideboard in the living room, for example, gives you cupboard storage as well as surfaces to display books and collectibles. A garden bench can be extra seating at the dinner table, and a vanity table makes a compact laptop desk.



By: Sarah Egge

Article Source: http://www.bhg.com/
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