How to Design Small Spaces at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House

Writing Room by Stephen Mooney

Who says small can’t be beautiful and spectacular?  We have examples here of exquisitely designed small rooms in a New York City townhouse. As we all know, every large city has its share of challenging small spaces but interior designers know the secrets to transforming problems to winners.

The Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club hosted their annual decorator show house and invited top interior designers to revive a Federal-styled townhouse in NYC’s Upper East Side. The townhouse like many a home in New York had a few small, narrow rooms that were problematic to interior design.

In our first photo above, Palm Beach designer Stephen Mooney had to overcome the problem of a very narrow room.  By applying a sunny yellow color scheme and cream colored furniture, Mooney achieved a bright and cheerful space for the client to do some work in.  The designer also chose small-scaled furniture: a small desk and chairs, narrow console table, as well as small light fixtures, accomplishing a beautiful and highly functional space.

Home Office by Barbara Ostrom

Designer Barbara Ostrom also had to deal with a tight space – an alcove of about 6 feet wide by 6 feet long.  She created a home office, complete with built-in bookcase.  Ostrom also applied a light color scheme – all white with a pale yellow sisal carpet by Stark – to keep the room bright and airy.  She then installed architectural woodworking and an archway above the desk, giving the room distinction and an elegant focal point. The desk is from Dakota Jackson and the Reagan Hayes desk chair is upholstered in a leopard print Scalamandre silk.

Sitting Room by Felicia Zwebner

Almost an afterthought is this very narrow room designed by Felicia Zwebner.  Most people would probably just use this room as storage space but Zwebner imagined a luxurious and intimate sitting room – great for quiet reading or creative thinking!  To create this jewel-like space, she chose a golden wall covering from Stark and an ochre marble from Artistic Tile. The monochromatic color scheme helps create an illusion of a larger space. She also added a round mirror from Vaughan to provide reflection and depth to the room. 

Interested in learning more about interior design?  Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design.  At Sheffield, you will learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.