I’m so fortunate to have a consistent and growing list of subscribers. Each week people sign up to get notifications of my latest blog posts and I want to say thank you for coming along on this journey with me.
I love to write about interior design and home decorating. I especially love sharing my passion for decorating small spaces.
If you’re not aware, I currently live in an 830 square foot home. It is a small ranch style house and it definitely has a plethora of challenging, small rooms and the typical awkward layouts seen in many Mid-Century homes.
In fact, many of the homes I’ve lived in have been on the small side. And I have to say I prefer them. I love small spaces and if there’s a chance to use my many years of knowledge and experience to make those small spaces more functional and beautiful, well, sign me up!
So, marking a little bit more than halfway through the year, I’d like to take the opportunity to write a “best of” or “greatest hits” of my blog for you to enjoy. With so many of you signing up, I figure some of you may not be as familiar with my older content. This is all content that has skyrocketed to the top of my most popular posts since January of this year, many of which are consistent favorites from 2017 to 2020.
Based on readership, the living room is the star of the blog this year.
I suspect that it’s mostly because of the unprecedented stay at home orders.
We’re all looking at our small living rooms and wondering how we can improve their layouts or get more functionality out of the space.
In many small homes the living room is where we spend most of our time.
We’re working from home and putting together makeshift offices and homeschooling nooks in living rooms.
And I suspect that we’re probably sick of the way things look, décor, rugs, wall color, etc.
Maybe because they have to be more than just “living rooms” we’re interested in how to get multifunction without sacrificing style.
The posts featured here are all about changing everything in a small living room, from the ground up.
So, if you crave inspiration and step by step instructions on how to tackle your small living room furniture planning and arrangement, wall color and finishing touches, you are in the right place!
Here’s
How to Make Every Inch of Your Small Living Room Count: Furniture Buying, Layout, Wall Color and Décor!
#5: What is The Golden Ratio and Why it’s Important for Decorating Your Home
I wrote this back in 2017. It seems like forever ago but the advice in this post is still relevant, especially for small living rooms.
If you’ve ever tried to arrange your furniture but something seemed off, or if you’ve tried to layout a wall gallery but you couldn’t get it to look the way you wanted it to, then that feeling is a result of the Golden Ratio working against you.
What is the Golden Ratio? In simple terms, the golden ratio is a way of segmenting a thing into thirds and then further segmenting those thirds into smaller thirds, and so on.
When you apply it to something like a room, it becomes the rule of thirds in interior design. it’s a way of looking at the space in terms of 1/3 to 2/3.
1/3 being a secondary use and 2/3 being a primary use. Then, you can further segment each of those ratios into another 1/3 to 2/3, and so on and so on.
If you’re looking for harmony, balance and a pleasing living room composition, this blog post will help you figure that out and more.
#4: Why Dark Paint Can Make Your Small Room Feel Bigger
This post was written in response to a client who thought she wanted a white living room. She loves that look but quickly determined that it was too much for her. She tried to deny her love for color because that’s what she thought she had to do in order to get the Scandinavian vibe she was after.
After I convinced her that she should embrace her love of dark, moody colors, we came up with a plan that checked all the boxes for her design and go her the dark color she craved.
If you’re anything like Sandy, you’re probably also longing for a dark, cozy space but fearful that dark paint colors make a room look smaller. However, this post will let you in on 5 secrets that designers use to make small rooms feel larger when painted with dark wall colors.
If you’ve been cooking up a dark color palette for your small living room, then you’ll definitely want to check this post out!
#3: From Blah to Fantastic! 7 Ways to Style the Wall Behind the Sofa
It’s one of those tricky last spots to pull together in the living room: that empty space behind the couch.
I explored 7 ways to style my own long neglected sofa wall in this post from February. And it seems that I struck a chord with a lot of you because it has shot up to the # 3 position out of all the blog posts on my site.
I’ll admit that I’m a fussy fart when it comes to the large wall behind my sofa. I definitely don’t want just any décor in my home. That means I will usually wait to find the artwork or décor that really makes me feel something before I’ll make a decision to include it.
That said, I am on websites, in stores, and watching YouTube all the time for inspiration on how, what and where to put amazing art and décor. I live for it and when I find something that I know I’ll love I move full steam ahead.
These 7 tips are simple, straight forward and some of my absolute favorite ideas for how to decorate above your sofa.
I’ve got you covered if you like minimalistic style or if you’re a maximalist like me.
You’ll love this one if you’re stuck or just need a little inspiration to get your above the couch ideas on track.
#2: Will My Furniture Fit Through the Front Door? 5 Questions to Ask Before Buying
This is one of the most overlooked first steps to planning a living room makeover. It can also be one of the most expensive mistakes someone can make.
I’ve written scores of posts about making sure to know the measurements of any room before you buy a single piece of furniture, especially living room furniture for small spaces.
Making furniture purchasing decisions without having accurate space dimensions in hand can lead to a delivery that can’t be completed or worse yet, having to refuse the delivery all together.
But, before the furniture can get to the room inside the house, it has to come through the door.
If you need to know how to take a couch apart to fit through the front door, you’ll want to read this post.
If you have nonstandard doorways inside the house, you’ll want to read this post. Fitting furniture through a doorway, through an elevator, up/down an enclosed stairway, you’ll want to read this post.
Above all, you’ll learn the 5 most important questions to ask your furniture salesperson before you hand over your payment.
Believe me, this post will put you squarely in the best decision mindset for buying large furniture pieces. That’s why it’s the second most popular blog post on my entire site!
#1: 9 Tips to Arrange Furniture in a Small Narrow Living Room
The number one blog post so far this year is all about how to decorate a small, narrow living room.
Long, skinny rooms can be super tricky to layout. Many have multiple doorways, awkwardly placed windows and immovable architectural features.
Sadly, things can go off the rails quick if you don’t take the time to plan out the furniture placement before buying or moving things.
If you need a step by step procedure for how to get your small narrow living room lay out right, then this is going help you plan it in a jiffy!
I’ve got you covered with my top 9, tried and true, tips to help you avoid layouts that don’t work.
This post will show you exactly how to define your layout first, so you don’t have to break a sweat moving all your furniture around countless times.
You’re going to love how easy it is to create a comfortable, functional and stylish small living room layout!
Long narrow living room with a TV? It’s in there.
This is the #1 most popular post on my site and it’s straight from my heart and 100% based on my own actual small narrow living room.
I speak from experience. You definitely want to give this one a read to save yourself frustration and an aching back.
There you have it, the top 5 blog posts on my site for July 2020. These 5 topic areas are exactly what this site is all about.
Small living rooms are the hearts of small houses. If your little house is like mine, this is the room you hang out in most. It’s the place where you watch TV, read a book, have a snack, and entertain friends and family.
It’s because of all of that and more that we want this space to feel comfortable and inviting.
Thank you so much for always taking the time to read my ramblings and for making these 5 posts the mighty pillars of this site!
I deeply appreciate all the likes, shares and DM’s all my posts get and I am so thankful that these 5 posts have helped so many of you.
I’d love to hear if you’ve used any of the techniques from them and how they worked out for you. Leave me a comment below.
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I write about small space design and decorating, sustainable furniture options, positive self care and a variety of do-it-yourself home décor.
I’d love to connect with you!
“This man is a plant shaman. He not only designs beautiful rooms, he’s got a green thumb that works like magic! My peace palm never looked better.”
“Michael Helped me to get my home office in magazine ready form. Thank you a million times for helping me figure this room out. It’s now my favorite room!”
Michael is Principal designer and blogger at Michael Helwig Interiors in beautiful Buffalo, New York. Since 2011, he’s a space planning expert, offering online interior e-design services for folks living in small homes, or for those with awkward and tricky layouts. He’s a frequent expert contributor to many National media publications and news outlets on topics related to decorating, interior design, diy projects, and more. Michael happily shares his experience to help folks avoid expensive mistakes and decorating disappointments. You can follow him on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook @interiorsmh.
