It’s not uncommon for many of us to become overwhelmed with designing a brand new space.  With so many options, ideas, influences from design magazines and television shows, it can become a daunting task.  While it may be difficult to know where to begin, hopefully we can help.

Since many of the newer spaces are typically open concept, it really is a blank canvas to work with, all 4 walls of it.  The challenge is to infuse a design that will utilize all of the walls efficiently and maintain some form of continuity as your eyes sweep across the room.

The logical area to start off with is the common entertaining space.  Because this area consumes the bulk of the square footage, and is where most of your time is spent, it is the most important space when it comes to condo living.  Typically this is where you and your guests lounge on the sofa, throw your feet up on the coffee table, and watch a little television or kick-back listening to the vibes streaming from some of the hottest DJ’s in the world.

Here is a picture of the common area of a space we’ve recently staged.  The unit is small but cozy, and what is shown in the picture is the entertaining area in its entirety.

Here are some basic tips that can help you get started.

1. Position the sofa against a wall or a window
   While it may not seem intuitive to place the sofa in front of a window, in some cases it may be the only option to maximize the usage of space.  Because the television unit should always be anchored to a wall, that left us with only 2 options for sofa placement.  In small spaces it is increasingly important to avoid anchoring big furniture pieces in the center of the room.  Hence, the above configuration is what worked the best.
2. Always use an area rug
   The rug is what helps to define the space and adds a visual separation without physically dividing the room.
3. Paint selected walls
   It is not necessary to paint all of the walls in the room.  Usually one or two will suffice as it adds visual interest and contrast between different colored walls.  From the picture above, the bulkhead and the wall edge was purposely left unpainted in the builder’s white.
4. Set the stage
   One of my favorite design elements is the floating shelf.  The floating shelf appeared in IKEA stores worldwide over a decade ago, and I argue that the LACK shelf is one of their most popular items and continues to remain a staple in their vast ever-changing catalog.  Every time I visit an IKEA store there’s no lack of shoppers picking up the LACK shelf.  Don’t be afraid to use floating shelves in multiples.  Whether it be stacking multiple shelves vertically, or extending its length to span an entire wall.
   
   

   

   Here, we’ve chosen to span both walls with a combination of both short and long LACK shelves.  Combining a few simple inexpensive shelves at chair-rail height helped to break apart the wall vertically, while providing a springboard for furniture placement and decorative accessories.  A final tip when using floating shelves, try to give the shelves some pop by selecting a color combination that will contrast with your wall color.  This will help to set the stage with this fresh clean design element.

Start with the these few tips help you tackle your blank space. Feel free to post your comments or questions and our Suitebase interior design team would be happy to assist you.