Here’s the conundrum you have a small space with little light and you are considering painting it a light colour so it appears larger than it really is. May I try to dissuade you from going down such a route? For a start how much larger can the room really look even if its painted in the iciest of tones from pale blue to green (it hurts to even type such colours)!! It’s a myth that dark colours are unfit for small spaces all you need to do is play upon the snugness and create a space that feels cosy, sophisticated and uniquely intimate. One caveat if you use dark colours in a small space is to brief up the presence of lighting, in my rooms alone which are all quite small I have on average 7 lights.
Glossy paint on the woodwork is also great as it reflects light, multiplying it and adding sparkle to the room – heavenly. Add oodles of colour through flowers, accessories and art and wham bam you will have created a distinctive space that is welcoming, cosy and super glamorous.
The hallway of my sister and her boyfriend- little natural light and yet is painted a dark sludgy hue. Beautiful I say
Can I just say that I admire your sense of style so much! I just got an amazing (light, tiny, cute) apartment in the center of Amsterdam, the Netherlands and I’m going to use all your tips in your book to decorate it! Thanks for you creativity,
Annabel
Thank you how exciting
Thanks so much Abigail: I got your book with your autograph ordered by my friend living in London. Great photos and tips! It also reassures my decision to make warm chocolate as the theme colour of my small apartment in HK. You said one of your favorite colour palette is nutmeg, stone, pink, pecan and chocolate. What exactly is stone and pecan colour? What is your advice in applying the palette throughout the apartment? How about adding a light grey colour to the palette?
More than welcome glad you like the book. Stone and pecan are variants on taupe – pecan like the nut is quite brown with a smidge of orange and stone a taupe ish grey. Often times I mix paints to get the exact colour I have in my minds eye. For your apartment you could choose one unifying colour and paint that throughout and then accent with the other hues so each room takes on a different personality or you could paint out each room in a different colour. Whats beautiful about this palette is it works fantastically together so when you transition from room to room it becomes an experience to saviour and yes grey would be beautiful as well.
Lovely! I will probably go for chocolate brown for my bedroom and wardrobe space, and oyster grey for my living room extending to nutmeg or pecan in the dining area. I make my kitchen a romantic space with glittering brown mosaic featuring a wall of pink and purple flower pattern – it’s half done now… So looking forward to my new apartment! Thanks so much for your advice and tips and can’t agree more to your advocate of eclecticism.
Hi, I’m about to do something different to my hall and am so glad I found your website and this blog. Your sisters hall is inspirational! Who’d have thought the darker colour would look so elegant and cosy yet edgy and cool! I think the shine off the floor helps with keeping it from being too dark and heavy. Right, my carpet is coming up! Also Abigail, in one of your rooms there is an adorable wall sculpture – the reclining nude. Just wondered where I can get one like it! Keep up the fantastic work. I’m asking for your book for Christmas x
Thank you for your kind words – glad you like our style. Its funny how people often times think narrow small spaces should be painted light to make the feel bigger when in fact how much bigger can they really appear. We can the other way and play on the snugness. Sculpture we sell in the store the only problem being we don’t mail order them as they continually seem to break