Hi Everyone!
Im back with another Small Home Big Style feature and Im super excited about this one! Ive been internet friends with James for some time now and Im so happy to finally have him here to talk about his small home living experience. James is the epitome of “its my home imma do what I want”. He’s not afraid to go there and I LOVE that. His walls are black, he piles on the layers, he’s a bit glam, he’s daring…..totally my kinda vibe. Here’s what James had to say about how he lives and loves in his small space.
Where/What city do you live in?
Brooklyn, NY
Who do you share your home with?
Two cats, Otis and Faisca and a ton of taxidermy
Do you own or rent?
Rent
How many sq ft is your home?
600 sq. ft.
What do you love most about living in a small home?
Being a maximalist I love smaller spaces because I can fill every corner and every wall. Whereas, with larger spaces it’s so much harder to fill every inch of space leading to “dead space” which gives me anxiety.
What challenges have you faced?
My apartment is an old rail road style apartment, very long but narrow and not a whole lot of light in the middle rooms. My challenge was configuring a furniture layout where I can have everything displayed and functional with a flow as I have to walk through each room to get to my bedroom as a rail road apartment does not have hallways.
How have you not allowed limited space to limit your design/style choices?
I have not allowed limited space to to limit my style at all, actually. As a maximalist we seem to just make the space we have work for us. For example, I’ve managed to squeeze in a settee, round dining table and two additional chairs into my very small eat-in-kitchen area. Most people would look at that small area and think to just put a cafe table and two chairs, but not me.
Any unique storage solutions?
I have just two closets in my apartment. I actually have a storage unit where I keep all of the extra chairs that I collect (I’m a chair hoarder).
What’s your favorite room in your home?
My favorite room is definitely my living room. It’s not a very large room but I’ve managed to fit a lot in it. It’s a real jewel box.
Which space has been the biggest headache! You know, the one that’s been the most challenging to work with?
Surprisingly, I had no challenges . I just worked with the small space I had. It would have been a headache for me if the space was bigger, LOL.
Do you every wish you had more space?
I sometimes wish I had one extra room so I could have a formal dining room. I dream of what I would do with that room….oooooh the wallpaper I would put up.
If you could do it all over again, would you still choose to live small?
Yes! I’ve even considered buying a tiny house.
Best piece of small space living advice?
Go big, and go bold. Most people would want to open the space with white paint and use more functional furniture. For me, I think dark walls in a small space actually makes the room look bigger. The walls just fade to the back while all the furniture and artwork pop.
I COULDNT AGREE MORE about the black walls. People aske me all time about living with them and I say black makes everything look better, among other things. THANK YOU so much James for sharing your home story with us. The maximalist in me loves everything about his home guys! You can follow James and his pretentious decorating antics on his IG!
Until next time friends…
