OCTOBER|NOVEMBER|2011

DECOR|GARDEN|TRAVEL

Small Space,Big Style

Making the Mostof Your Square

Footage

Small Space,Big Style

Making the Mostof Your Square

Footage

40 HOME BY DESIGN|OCTOBER|NOVEMBER 2011

Small Is BeautifulWRITTEN BY CATRIONA TUDOR ERLER

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEREK DAVIS

Interior Designer Keith Lichtman OvercomesTiny Room Sizes in the Design of His Own Apartment

Modern and period, fine art andobjets d’art marry happily inLichtman’s tiny New York City

apartment. The decorative box onthe coffee table doubles as storage

for coasters and the televisionremote, while the Arts and Crafts–style

rug brings color and pattern tothe otherwise quiet scene.

In the capable hands of New York City–based interior designer Keith Lichtman, small isbeautiful. He has transformed a 750-square-foot New York City apartment into a showplacethat functions superbly as living space, and feels much bigger than it really is. The place alsoreflects Lichtman’s trademark technique of combining vintage pieces with modern, creatinga stimulating, eclectic mix.

In the spirit of full disclosure, Lichtman admits that theapartment is his own. “I had carte blanche,” he says. “For otherclients I am always keeping their aesthetic in mind. For thisproject I had only myself to please.”

He was fortunate to start with a unit that had good bonesand plenty of architectural interest. Built in the 1920s, it hasnine-and-a-half-foot ceilings, chunky doorway arches with

echoes of Moorish design, plenty of windows, and picture railmoldings. But the space is small.Very small. Lichtman rose tothe challenge, working his magic.

As one enters the apartment, the first experience is the mi-nuscule foyer (only five by six), where textured grass cloth onthe walls echoes the rosy colors of the painting over the vintagesideboard that can be seen through the arched doorway.

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This framed view leads visitors into the great room, afourteen-by-nineteen-foot space that serves as both the livingand dining rooms. Area rugs define the two spaces: a tintedcowhide under the dining table that has a spilt paint oramoebic shape, and a rectangular, art nouveau–style rug thatfills the living room area.The walls are a golden mustard colorthat glows at night, adding warmth and light to the room.A castle mirror that hangs in the dining space is framed in woodthat picks up the tint of the cowhide. Its reflective quality addsto the light and sense of space.

In keeping with Lichtman’s penchant for mixing old and

new, the dining room chairs are modern and masculine withstrikingly bowed legs that contrast with the vintage sideboard.In the living room area, the coffee table is made by the Amishfrom reclaimed barn wood stained sable. Disparate decorativeitems—a single, formal alabaster candelabrum; a lacquered boxthat holds the television remote and drink coasters; and an ori-ental sculpture—live together harmoniously on top of the cof-fee table, while the wall behind it displays a tiered spearsculpture that echoes the nearby curtain rail. The mix ofabstract and representational art, modern and antique, formaland humble, work together in a delicious tension. “I hate for

THIS PAGE: Neutral tones areenlivened by the turquoise throw

pillows in this narrow bedroom. Thecurtain behind the bed squares an

awkwardly angled wall and gives a softbackground to set off the dramatic ironcanopy bed. OPPOSITE: A vintagesideboard works well with a modern

painting hung above it.

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everything to look like it’s all purchased from the samestore,” Lichtman says.

The bedroom is, as Lichtman put it, “a shoebox room.”Thelong, narrow space (ten-and-a-half feet by eighteen feet) woulddaunt many a designer.To make matters worse, one of the shortwalls isn’t straight; it angles back by six inches and has a win-dow that looks onto a nearby brick wall.

Lichtman solved the problem of the angled wall by hanginga neutral-colored wall-to-wall curtain that squares off thatend of the room. Hung with soft folds from a hospital-stylecurtain track mounted onto the ceiling, it covers the uglywindow and adds a softening, textured background to the bedand bedside tables.

To use the length of the room effectively, Lichtman visuallyand functionally divided it into two. A seating area with alarge armoire designed by Lichtman is at one end. A cowhiderug defines the sitting space and overlaps the wool and chenilleblack and gray low-pile rug at the other end, tying togetherthe two areas.

On the wall opposite the armoire is an iron canopy bed thatLichtman found in Florida. “It cost more to ship than to buy,” hequipped. But it was worth it. It balances the size of the armoireand makes the room feel grand; Lichtman left the bed bare ofthe expected canopy fabric. “It makes me feel enveloped, but it’sstill airy,” he says. Narrow, deep bedside tables with silver leafpainted on the legs flank the bed.They provide additional stor-age space without taking up a lot of room.

To keep with the masculine, tailored look, and to contrastwith the soft folds of the wall curtain, Lichtman opted forRoman shades on the remaining bedroom windows.The bed-room palette is neutral with splashes of color and metallic high-lights.The painting next to the bed is gold and silver; there is a

Moroccan leather pillow with metallic accents; and, as a touchof whimsy, a metal dog called Stay sits under the windowbeside the armchair. “Metal finishes add good sparkle to aroom,” Lichtman advises, adding, “They give life and reflectivequalities to any space.”

Through the use of color, mirrors, creative storage, furniturein pleasing scale, and the right balance of art and objets d’art,Lichtman successfully overcame the challenge of making atiny apartment livable and lovely. As he put it, “In a smallspace you want to notice that it’s beautiful before younotice that it’s small.”

Managing a Small Space

1 Stay away from white, especially if thereis a low ceiling. It’s a fallacy to think that whitewill lighten and enlarge a small, dark space.

It will make a space look sterile and clinical. Instead,create a jewel-box feeling with the warmth andatmosphere of color.

2 Use mirrors. They double the light andsense of space. A beautiful mirror is alsoa piece of art.

3 Don’t fill a space with lots of small items. Theycreate clutter and draw energy. Choose fewerlarger accessories rather than a collection of

knickknacks. The goal is to make a statement and tosaturate the room with drama.

4 Just because a room is small doesn’t meanall the furniture has to be small. Scale isdefined as size relative to space, and carefully

chosen large pieces of furniture can play well.

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