Carol contacted because she wanted to get a head start in decorating her new apartment. It wasn’t going to be ready for a year. She was excited to be downsizing, but also a little anxious. Carol really wanted her space to be cozy, personalized and functional and didn’t know where to start.

During our consultation I discovered that she is a fantastic artist, and I was inspired by all the colours and textures in her original art and photography.

As you can see from the before picture of the model unit of her apartment, we had a clean slate to work with. My goal was to give a neutral, yet texture-filled backdrop for a gallery wall of all of her favourite pieces. I also wanted to maximize every inch in her space by using some clever storage solutions.

This is the model unit of the apartment that Carol was moving into.

After doing a floor plan, I determined what pieces were needed to create a cozy conversation area that also served as a place for knitting and television viewing.

I choose this condo sized sofa because it had narrow swooped arms which is great in a small space and provides a great arm rest.

I selected a glass door media cabinet to reflect light and to provide an opportunity to showcase some of Carol’s smaller art pieces.

The mirrored storage ottomans provide an excellent place to store Carol’s knitting, as well as serve as extra seating when she entertains.

Here is a sampling of some of the lovely pieces I had the pleasure of arranging on the gallery wall.

Carol wanted a full-sized desk in the space as she uses her computer often.

Here are a few of my favourite small space tricks that I used in Carol’s place:

• I used a narrow console table in the front hall, creating a zone for keys, loose change and a way to display treasured objects.
• A wooden filing cabinet was used as a side table in her living space.
• Four matching chairs were placed throughout the space, enabling Carol to bring them together around the drop leaf table when she wanted to entertain.

Carol was a pleasure to work with and she said that once the photos were on the wall, she didn’t miss her old place at all.

Here is what she had to say:

I had the pleasure of working with Natalie in designing the layout for my new apartment. I am moving from a 4 bedroom house to a 1 bedroom apartment. Natalie came to my home and incorporated my lifestyle in her design. The furniture she chose maximizes storage space which you can imagine is very limited. Natalie is kind and patient. She came when the furniture was delivered and ensured that every item was perfect.

Carol