Small spaces, smart style

Whether you recently signed a lease for a condo or just purchased your first home, you’d want to jazz up your space and fill it with personality, taste and style no matter how small it is. Small living rooms, for instance, can be a challenge since most living room furniture pieces are large, but by sticking to smaller pieces, you can design a comfortable, welcoming condo that doesn’t let its size keep it from having a big style.

Studios are a welcome challenge to style and design aficionados: they force you to get creative with the space and furniture you have. You’ve got to think practically, dispose of pieces you’ve been hanging on to but really have no use for. Perhaps the best thing about it is that you’re forced to keep it tidy. After all, it is the one and only room your guests will see.

Mav Furniture recently launched a brand-new collection that will help you maximize space with pieces that inspire savvy decorating ideas and room makeovers.

Here are ways to mix and Mav your space:

1. Use light colors and clever contrasts

Cream and pastel colors are just a few of the best combinations that can convert a tiny interior into a seemingly bigger living area. It is all about optical illusion. It is a generally known fact that light colors make a room look bigger and brighter. Light and brightly colored walls are more reflective and make a space feel open and airy, which helps maximize the effect created by natural light. Sofas and armchairs that are raised on legs create a sense of light and space; therefore they are ideal for small rooms. Mav’s Sedona loveseat and Zoe lounge chairs would be perfect for this.

White is not your only choice; soft yellow, tan or light brown, warm green or a gentle peach all bring life to your room. To prevent a studio’s pastel color scheme from looking overly sweet, mix furniture pieces that use warm wood. Mav’s Klimt end table and Oslo dining table are top choices for this  while the linen Monte Carlo bed will meet your requirements for creamy upholstery.

2. Style statement

Look for one or two unusual, bold accessories to add style and interest to your room. Among smaller pieces, a unique-looking small statue or carving or a painting signed by the artist or any one of Mav’s ornate poufs (like the Nevsky and Karachi poufs) and elegant ottomans (such as the Moscow and Morocco) should do the trick. You can also flirt with adventurous pieces like Mav’s checkered Avedon lounge chair with its green retro-floral print – channeling the spirit of London in the swingin’ Sixties. Equally the scene-stealer is the Valhalla dining chair, a scarlet upholstered number. Pair it up with the coolly imposing Zurich dining table with its solid black finish and voluptuous legs, and you have pieces guaranteed to be the life of the party. To jazz up a space, simply incorporate a few colorful accents using decorative home accessories like pretty toss pillows, a whimsical area rug and an artwork or two.

3. Well-placed mirrors

Mirrors can make your room look larger. Use a focal point and angle your mirrors towards it, which will give the illusion of depth. The mirrors also reflect both natural and artificial light to make a room brighter during day and night. They bounce light deep into the room, making it appear larger. Placing a mirror near a window to reflect the outdoors is especially effective.  Mirrors on the walls and glass tabletops will make it seem like there’s a more open space. To that end, Mav gives you the Dumont mirror, Princeton side and end tables — all with mirror surfaces.

4. Windows and walls

Cover the living room windows with simple coverings; avoid fancy trim, tassels or excessive fabric. Wood or bamboo blinds, shutters or simple curtains in a darker shade of your wall color look elegant. Hunter Douglas window fashions, sold at Mav, has many designs and specifications you can choose from. Mount your television set on the wall. Flat-screen TVs are a huge boon to the small room as they do not take any floor space.

5. Add multipurpose pieces 

Investing in furniture that serves many functions is a great way to streamline a room. Mav’s own nesting table is one such fixture — the tables open up in succession and can hold up to thrice the number of things a single end table does. Also, use an old trunk as a coffee table for storage space.

6. Space things out

Do you automatically think you’ll make your room look bigger by shoving furniture against the wall? Sometimes a piece looks better at an angle or surrounded by space. Give your furniture breathing room, whether it’s angling your bed or floating your sofa in the living room with a skinny console behind it.

For more ideas, visit Mav Furniture at www.mav.ph and 926 Arnaiz Ave. (across New World Hotel) in Makati, open seven days a week.