The small home trend continues its popularity in magazines and catalogs including the one I just received in the mail; Restoration Hardware. This Fall’s catalog focuses on interior design for small spaces. The details are a bit on the neutral and masculine side for my taste emulating more of a 1940’s vintage feel (where are the bright reds or yellows?!), including muted browns, greens, worn blacks and cream colors, but the idea of focusing on small spaces makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Take the West Hollywood Apartment for example. The catalog doesn’t explain the square footage of the unit, but given what I know about apartments in Los Angeles, this place couldn’t be much larger than 1,100 sq. ft., especially since it’s in an older building. The vintage looking bathroom sink and towel rack without any drawers gives the illusion of more space. The prices for each piece aren’t that outrageous, either, making it a sweet deal.
Then there’s the Boston Brownstone that uses steel and reclaimed wood (a running theme throughout the catalog) that incorporates Toledo stools that take up less space than a bulky office chair. The stools remind me of an old professor’s stool and one that I’ve been looking for at antique flea markets. Again, a bit on the rugged, masculine side, but I like the idea of maximizing space with stools – especially if you don’t have to sit in them all day as that would be uncomfortable.
The catalog focuses on a total of 15 “small” spaces (however, they don’t define small or unveil square feet) geographically ranging from Los Angeles to Austin and from London to Paris each with their own style, but continuing on with a vintage theme and color palette. Now, I personally don’t shop at Restoration Hardware (I’m too frugal for that), but I love browsing through their catalog for ideas and trends such as:
- Stools in lieu of bulky chairs when comfort is not an issue
- Open cabinets and shelves instead of boxy drawers and closed in cabinets for a light an airy feel
- Neutral and light colors to make spaces appear larger than they are (though I am getting tired of so much neutral)
- Reclaimed materials, wood and steel to keep it simple
Small spaces continue to be a trend that isn’t going away anytime soon – and I’m glad for that.
Where do you get your design ideas from?
9 Comments
I’m big on reclaimed materials! In fact, I made a back porch for my family with wood from a fence a guy was pulling down. He said he’d have to pay to have it hauled away, so he was happy to give it to me for free. And I was happy to have it. 🙂 Now I’ve got an awesome porch that has a cool worn-in look. I do this for most things in our house that need work; not for style so much as because we can’t afford new stuff! Haha
@TB – That’s an awesome use of reclaimed material! I’d love to see photos. Very handy.
Haha I leave the design side of things to my girlfriend. If I did it I’d live in a very boring house indeed, even if it was a small house!
@Lance – Mr. LH does a lot of the decorating, I just like to look and give input. 😉
I get my design ideas from my wife! Actually, she scans those catalogs and picks and chooses what she likes. We add antique pieces to accent the room.
@Krantcents – That’s a great idea. Adding just a few key pieces to a room can be just enough.
Where can I find that bathroom vanity and shelf?
@Maria – These items were in a Restoration Hardward catalog in 2012, BUT I checked their website and this vanity looks pretty similar: https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod2421000&categoryId=cat10250050
Hope that helps!
@Maria – It’s the weathered oak collection in black. It looks like they still sell it and it’s on sale. Here’s another link:
https://www.restorationhardware.com/catalog/category/products.jsp?categoryId=cat1760196