Small room ideas

 Small areas are probably the ones that cause people the most problems when it comes to designing, and they definitely demand more consideration than larger rooms. Small room ideas that you may not have considered previously require a little know-how and a lot of research. Ruth Sleightholme, our Decoration Editor, has plenty of advice for dealing with limited spaces: 'Eliminate uncomfortable gaps with deliberate joinery,' she suggests. 'In a compact room, furniture floats more since any gap between it and the wall is awkward and narrow. Instead, consider using built-in furniture to adequately fit everything in. Make a dining nook with banquette seating (with storage underneath) that spans the width of the room, or create a box bed that spans the length of the room, allowing for niches and cupboards.'

Ruth recommends that you must 'sacrifice space to gain space' with this method, of which there are many stylish examples in the gallery below. When you build a panel behind a built-in bed, you lose a few centimetres of floor space, but you gain space when you use it and have a built-in bedside table rather than one that takes up floor space'. Ruth's advise for small bathrooms and bedrooms is to keep as much off the floor as possible. Instead, consider a wall-mounted basin and towel rail, as well as bedside tables incorporated into the headboard.

'Look at all the different surfaces in the room and consider how you can use spaces you don't normally notice,' Ruth advises. 'It's something Beata Heuman does so well, building little shelves on top of radiators, or you can think about the inside walls of a window, the inside edge of a dividing wall, and the sides of a chimney breast and see if there's something you can do with them, like a little shelf all the way up the chimney breast, a shelf and cupboard underneath a windowsill, or little shelves along the inside edge of a thick wall and see what you can do with Look at things in raw quantities and where you can access things rather than how they appear at first - think beyond what you have currently and be adventurous about what's possible and where you might be able to expand storage or make what you have more useful. A nice example is Marianne Evennou's little Paris flat, which has a washing machine installed in a corner closet in the kitchen, but the door is in the hallway. As a result, the corner unit is utilized well, and no dead space is created. Because it's not something that comes to mind right away, you'll need to take your time to consider all of your options.'

'You have to solve the problem first, then apply your taste once you have the solution you need,' Ruth continues, suggesting that instead of dismissing something because of its style, look past it to see how it was used to maximize space. When you've found something that works for your small space, it's time to start styling. Ruth says, "One amazing thing is that you can fill a room with a single notion done boldly." 'A small bathroom, for example, has significantly less area to decorate, so you can tile all the way up to the ceiling and it will look fantastic.'

'When dividing up between various areas, don't impede the sightline from room to room - critall windows or glass doors will make both spaces appear a little more spacious,' Ruth advises. 'Experiment with moving walls - screen off portions, look at sliding partitions that open and close between rooms, and bifold doors that swing out so you can have one or two rooms.' Installing a sliding or pocket door that doesn't open into a room, for example, goes a long way toward creating space.' Ruth's final piece of room construction advise is to "keep the woodwork the same color as the walls to blur the space's boundaries."

When it comes to furniture, Ruth's advice includes foldable furniture and, perhaps more shockingly, antiques. For utilitarian pieces, look for 'small foldable chairs, stacking stools, tilt top tables, and steps that fold into stools — things you can quickly push out of the way when you mop,' but don't limit yourself to mid-century and IKEA. Ruth's best advice? 'A surprising number of antiques function well in compact areas - and many antiques feature folding elements, so look for that term on antiques websites.' Look for slimline items as well; for example, Georgian sofas work well in tiny spaces because they have upright backs rather than deep, projecting backs.' On that point, Ruth's final piece of small-room advise is to "consider how far things project from the walls, not just with furniture but also with wall lighting." No one likes to smack their head on one, so search for slimline furniture and lights.'

We've delved into the House & Garden archive to bring you clever, stylish ideas for every room of the house from the best interior designers out there, from small living rooms and small dining rooms to small bedrooms, small bathrooms, small kitchens, hallway ideas, studio flat design and kids' rooms, or even just small space storage solutions.

The laundry room on the first floor is painted in 'Rouge II' by Paint & Paper Library. Tongue and groove paneling looks great with the Howdens units, which were designed by Natasha Howard, the interior designer. The floor is covered in checkerboard lino, and a Retrouvius flowery pendant adds a nice finishing touch.