Small Space Questions: Homes in Need of Fix-ups

I recently moved into a raised modular home from a bi-level. The space I have is very limited. I have double sliding glass doors both upstairs and down. I desperately need decorating ideas. I also have a full hearth both upstairs and down with a fireplace in one and a franklin stove in the other.
I have living and dining combo. and a small kitchen. I also have three very small bedrooms. There is a large window in each one. My furniture doesn’t fit the size of my rooms, and the house is in great need of fixing up. The walls are dark paneling which I know makes it look smaller. I have decided to paint the walls, any suggestions? I chose an off-white or cream, what do you think.

What should I do about my windows? I have pull drapes for now. My carpet is like a canyon blue. My husband did our bathroom in wains coating and off-white walls and lighter cabinets and white sink. It looks great, but the walls have bad spots no matter how much we sand them. What about a texture? Any help you give me would be greatly appreciated

–Deborah

Hi Deborah,

I am definitely no expert but I will take a shot at answering your questions. I don’t think I’ll be able to answer them all as you would like, as I’m afraid I wouldn’t lead you in the appropriate direction. However, I’d be more than happy to help to the best of my ability.

Are you able to send in any photos of what your home looks like? If so, I think I’d be able to help you a lot better.

As for the wall colors, I think off-white and cream work great, but you may also want to consider giving pale or light green a try. Not necessarily for your entire house. But perhaps for one room. And of course, that’s only if you feel it would not clash with your carpet. If you feel that it would a light blue might work well as an alternative.

However, as for green, in my opinion it really makes a lot of rooms stand out. If you don’t want to paint all of your walls that color or if you don’t want to paint them all cream or off-white, consider painting one wall a pale or light green and the others off-white or cream. Since green is a cool color it is also said to make rooms look and feel a lot bigger while giving your room a calming affect.

As for your living room and dining room combo… we also have the same situation. At the moment we have our sofa against the wall which opens the space a lot but I have found it doesn’t really compliment the living room. Sometimes a cozier, smaller approach works better. So instead, we plan to use our loveseat to section off one room from the other. In your situation, you might want to do the same thing. It’s nice to make a room look bigger but sometimes it’s important to realize that by trying to optimize space it can reduce a sense of warmth if not done correctly.

I think with your windows you could consider several things: you could keep it simple and decorate your windows with valances and/or swags… this often lets light in and opens up space but the downside is sometimes it can be a very plain approach. It is a good idea only if you want a minimalist effect and you can balance out the simplicity with warmth.

Generally, I believe drapes tend to offer a cozier feeling. However, if you stick with drapes you may need to switch the type of drapes you have (the style). Or if you find drapes to be too heavy and valances/swags to be too simple… you could go with sheers.

It’s light and airy and still provides you with a nice warm, cozy look and feel. The green and white really balance things out.

But again, all of this is like shooting in the dark and it would be hard to tell you what to do personally… as each home is different.

Concerning your walls, assuming I understand what you mean by “bad spots” — have you considered using the bad spots to your benefit by sponge painting your walls? If I was in your situation I might consider doing something like that. Here is a set of directions on how to go about it if you like this idea:

How to Faux Paint by Sponging