SMALL LIVING SPACES

Here's some Theory Corner thoughts about the furnishing of small, artist-friendly homes. I'll start with this (above) open plan living room and kitchen. I love this layout! It's simultaneously old-fashioned and modern; cozy and stimulating.

Here's (above) an interesting idea for a small bedroom, also cozy. The unusually low ceiling is covered by a rug, but I prefer to think of it as the kind of thick cottage cheese pattern that skilled plasterers make. The floor echos the ceiling with a heavily textured rug. The wall at the head of the bed is irregular old bricks painted white and it's all set off by a wonderfully wrinkled down quilt. The overall effect is that of cozy, textured shelter for the sleeper in the middle.

BTW, the low ceiling no doubt makes a great heat trap in the winter.

Canopy covered beds are also useful in cold climates. One user I read about bragged that he got more warmth from being enclosed in the canopy than he did from his blankets.

I hate to criticize the wonderful artist who painted this (Carl Larsson) but his bed contains too many broad, flat surfaces. That's okay. Other designs are out there.

 Most interior doors should be French style. The door here isn't like that but I include it anyway because it's easy to imagine how nice a paned door would have looked in a corridor like this one.

 Above, a variation on the French door.

 Here's a nice kids room. Unfortunately, factory-stained furniture is out of fashion now. You'd have to buy nude furniture and stain it yourself.

 Ahhh...that Craftsman look.

Last but not least, here's (above) a small balcony that works great. I like the ironwork and the idea that you can sit on the shelf that supports the plants. You could argue that an overhead awning would make it better, but that would hide the tree.