Outer Space Room Decorating Ideas

nude sketches

Eric Piasecki

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Interesting Objects

"Take the focus off the architecture and beam it on an astonishing object — it can be anything from a specimen plant to a Da Vinci cartoon to a nude portrait." —Thomas Jayne Design by Nancy Price

mirrored bathroom

Annie Schlechter

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Mirrors

"Take the opposite wall from the source of light — whether it be a door or a window — and mirror the entire thing in three vertical sections. The middle section should constitute 50% of the wall and the two side panels should be 25% each. It's an elegant look and it always doubles the room visually. In truly tiny spaces, like my guest bathroom, I mirrored every square inch where there should have been paint, except the ceiling." —Ann Dupuy Design by Nancy Epstein

open shelves

Victoria Pearson

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Kitchen Organization

"In a narrow kitchen, have as few upper cabinets as possible. Get rid of stuff. Choose one set of dishes for all occasions, one sauté pan, and one set of glasses — those stemless wineglasses work for juice, cocktails, wine, milk. Live only with what you love and use daily. Think of it as a different kind of abundance." —Clare Donohue Design by Chris Barrett

patterned wallpaper entry

Thomas Loof

4 of 15

Go Bold

"Accentuate the intimacy. If it were a tiny entryway, I'd use patterned wallpaper and a hanging fixture with a subtle, diffuse light source. I'd add a frameless mirror flanked by reflective sconces, both hung a little on the low side, and then I'd make a composition of small-scale paintings and pictures, placing them unpredictably and irregularly to engage more playfully with scale." —Sara Bengur Design by Ashley Whittaker

gallery wall bedroom

Luca Trovato

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Wall Decor

"Gather a fabulous, motley collection of mirrors — antique, new, vintage, French, Italian. Starting with one large mirror in the center, arrange a grouping on one wall. It's the one instance where more is more." —Stephen Shubel Design by Stephen Shubel

paper shade lantern

James Merrell

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Matching Fabrics

"Do the whole room in the same fabric, and I do mean everything — walls, curtains, upholstery, even the lampshades and picture frames, whether it's a leopard print or a toile. One wild print all over the place enlarges a small space, makes it feel cohesive, and adds a big wow factor." —Amanda Nisbet Design by Justine Cushing

recessed paneling

Jonny Valiant

7 of 15

Paneling

"Panel a small room in paint-grade raised or recessed paneling, using tone-on-tone light colors to keep it airy. And if the room doesn't already have a fireplace, I might add a wonderful mantelpiece for warmth and depth — but it would have to look like a truly functional fireplace!" —Christopher Maya Design by Paige Schnell and Doug Davis of Tracery Interiors

teal lacquered ceiling

Brian Doben

8 of 15

Think Whimsical

"Go straight to fantasyland. I'm thinking of trellis-covered walls, high-gloss lacquer ceilings, and graphic painted floors. While I was at Parish-Hadley, I had a chance to study pictures of all those low- ceilinged country rooms Mr. Hadley and Mrs. Parish pulled off in Maine in the 1960s — mind-boggling charm and shockingly innovative!" —Patrick Killian Design by Philip Gorrivan

four poster bed

Simon Watson

9 of 15

Choose a Big Bed

"Go ahead, use a massive four-poster bed in a tiny bedroom. As long as there's room for an end table, it actually makes the room look bigger." —Marshall Watson Design by Bill Ingram

green kitchen

Thomas Loof

10 of 15

Saturate With Color

"Saturate the space in one medium or dark color, such as moss, warm dark gray, or chocolate brown. Use it on every door, every ceiling, the trim, the window frames and the door frames, as if you're dipping the whole room in a bucket of paint. It takes away all the boundaries and you're left with the infinity of the universe. It's like Houdini came in and decorated." —Barry Dixon Design by Miles Redd

rustic dining area

Victoria Pearson

11 of 15

Monochromatic

"Stay with a monochromatic palette of very light-colored wall, floors, and window treatments. The paint color should be an atmospheric neutral such as Farrow & Ball's Shaded White. You could do sisal or sea grass matting or a rug in a similar tone as the walls." —Sharone Einhorn + Honey Wolters Design by Ginger Barber

gold leaf ceiling

Victoria Pearson

12 of 15

Jewel Box

"Create a pampering little jewel box, like the cabinet-size rooms of the Gritti Palace in Venice. Do upholstered walls, silver - or gold-leafing on the ceiling or bedposts, upholstery in silk velvet. At $300 a yard, Fortuny fabric is a splurge, but you could do a pair of lampshades and get a lot of bang for your buck." —Malcolm James Kutner Design by Ruthie Sommers

blue library walls

Thomas Loof

13 of 15

Go Dark

"Instead of painting walls bright white to make the space feel larger, take the counterintuitive approach — go deep, dark, and mysterious. A teal blue silk wall covering or an entire wall of leather floor tiles gives you a striking look without taking up any floor space." —Frank Roop Design by Miles Redd

david hicks wallpaper bathroom

Eric Piasecki

14 of 15

Be Daring

"Do something overscale and daring. In a small powder room, I used a large-scale David Hicks wallpaper with Chinese urns all over it. Paradoxically, it helped the room feel bigger. But it can't be a small, busy pattern. It has to be an open, graphic pattern that breathes, with space between the repeats." —Kim Alexandriuk Design by Steven Gambrel

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12 Unexpected Ways to Make the Most of Any Space in Your House

These small space decorating ideas, storage solutions, and smart finds will help you maximize each square foot, regardless of the size of your house.