interior design for small dark rooms

laurie march: meet bethany,a freelance photographer who lives andworks in her studio apartment in la with herbeautiful but messy kitty olivia. her business has taken off,she's grown up a little, and she's findingthis space just isn't working for her anymore. the first thing i'm tackling iswhere bethany spends the most amount of time, her work space.

this apartment had the goodfortune of an extra closet in the living space that waspreviously framed in a bit to work like a desk. it's got good bones, butit needs an update to suit her modern office needs. the first upgrade waseasy, a fresh coat of paint in a raspberry colorbrightens everything up. and it's a greatbackdrop for everything else that's going in here.

next up, led lighting. you've got to seewhat you're doing. lighting is key in a workspace. moving on to storage. open shelves wrapped inthis amazing brass inspired contact paper makethis standard shelving look like a million bucks. the printer now has a hometucked onto the second shelf and up out of the way.

pretty fabric wrapped boxeshide the less attractive stuff she needs to store. and a pegboard wall keeps somekey items at her fingertips. with her landlord'spermission we're going to paint a wideband of emerald green on the lower half of thisspace to create a ton of drama and knock down all thatoverly bright wall space. always get permissionfrom your landlord before you paint your walls.

if you're painting walls,consider a flat paint that's easy to paint over when youleave, knowing in advance and budgeting forit that you're going to have to repaint your walls ifthat's what your landlord says. hey, do yourself a favor. leave the doorsand the trim alone. this color is goingto set the tone for a more grownup look, especially when we mix in a little brass.

part of what'sstressing bethany out is her lack of keyfurniture pieces. there was a twin daybedthat we kicked to the curb to make room for a gorgeousfull sized brass bed, which is our inspiration forall the metal tones that run through the space. with a better spaceplan there's actually room for a full bed in here. and bethany's daybed was neveractually that comfortable.

here's to a betternight's sleep. and who wants to sit on theirbed when guests come over? i'm adding a seating areaseparate from the bed. this smaller sofa in aclassic shape and color works amazing as a neutral pieceto balance out all that color. for people who live in smallerspaces, flexibility is key. so i'm pairing the sofa withthese curvy wood chairs that are easy to move around andadd a lightness to the space that upholstery couldn't have.

every bit of spacehere is precious, so that spot about her new sofais getting a set of shelves to display bethany's treasuresand a little bit of artwork. i love this trick. to create the feelingof an entryway i'm using a cool vintagedresser by the door. this was another one ofbethany's big purchases. she can drop her keys anduse this space to display some of her favorite things.

and then there's the kitchen. right now, olivia thecat owns the place. i'm upcycling a media cabinetto hide her litter box and give olivia a cozy spotwhere she'll want to hang out. complete with a cat grassbar, cute cleanup tools, and a cushion on topfor a lazy afternoon naps, the cat, not bethany. this corner is going to be waymore subtle and functional. here's another great renter tip.

dress what might be yourbiggest eyesore in the space. clean and cover the fridgewith removable wallpaper. and this wall is agreat spot to display some of bethany's own art. this standard white studio,complete with a dated kitchen and lots of space planningissues got a whole new look. a few simple diy projectscombined with a fresh color palette of emeraldgreen and brass accents seriously ties allthese areas together.

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