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9 Small Spaces With ColorView 10 Photos

9 Small Spaces With Color

From city apartments to vacation rentals and boutique hotels, a daring and creative use of colorful paint, textiles, and other materials can add loads of personality to a small space.
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Most importantly, this can be done without interrupting any cherished square footage or taking away from the design of the actual space. Take a look at 9 examples of compact homes, vacation destinations, and rooms that employ a bold use of color.

Blue Container of Creativity

In the hands of Texas architect Jim Poteet, this blue steel shipping container becomes a guesthouse for visiting artists in San Antonia.

In the hands of Texas architect Jim Poteet, this blue steel shipping container becomes a guesthouse for visiting artists in San Antonia.

Works by Raw Color adorn the walls of the upstairs gallery room of Belgium architect and artist Veerle Wenes.

Works by Raw Color adorn the walls of the upstairs gallery room of Belgium architect and artist Veerle Wenes.

When remodeling this Art Deco-inspired apartment in Hong Kong, Lim+Lu combined muted pink, deep blue, and turquoise with ceramic tiles, black-and-white accents, and splashes of gold.

When remodeling this Art Deco-inspired apartment in Hong Kong, Lim+Lu combined muted pink, deep blue, and turquoise with ceramic tiles, black-and-white accents, and splashes of gold.

Inspired by the shimmering blue sea just outside its doorstep, The Ink in the village of Saint Agnes in Cornwall is a bold, bohemian-coastal holiday retreat with tie-dye wallpapers and plenty of blue everywhere.

Inspired by the shimmering blue sea just outside its doorstep, The Ink in the village of Saint Agnes in Cornwall is a bold, bohemian-coastal holiday retreat with tie-dye wallpapers and plenty of blue everywhere.

Husband-and-wife design team Robert and Cortney Novogratz mixed vintage and modern furnishings with plenty of color in the modest-sized living room of their eclectic Bellport, New York, beach house.

Husband-and-wife design team Robert and Cortney Novogratz mixed vintage and modern furnishings with plenty of color in the modest-sized living room of their eclectic Bellport, New York, beach house.

Just outside the Bethnal Green home of industrial designer Nina Tolstrup and her husband Jack Mama, is this wonderfully vibrant guesthouse they designed with red chairs made from castoffs as part of Tolstrup’s Re-Imagine series, and a small blue Pallet chair from Studiomama. 

Just outside the Bethnal Green home of industrial designer Nina Tolstrup and her husband Jack Mama, is this wonderfully vibrant guesthouse they designed with red chairs made from castoffs as part of Tolstrup’s Re-Imagine series, and a small blue Pallet chair from Studiomama. 

Hotel Hotel in Canberra, Australia, was designed by Sydney-based filmmaker Don Cameron, who used restored 20th-century furnishings and bespoke joinery made with reclaimed oak to create interesting guest rooms.

Hotel Hotel in Canberra, Australia, was designed by Sydney-based filmmaker Don Cameron, who used restored 20th-century furnishings and bespoke joinery made with reclaimed oak to create interesting guest rooms.

Designer Vicki Simon used clean, modern lines and strong colors to renovate this vacation loft in a condo development near a ski resort in Lake Tahoe.

Designer Vicki Simon used clean, modern lines and strong colors to renovate this vacation loft in a condo development near a ski resort in Lake Tahoe.

A cozy kitchen-dinning area in the studio and home of an Antwerp artist couple with Eames chairs, a second-hand sofa, and mustard-yellow walls.

A cozy kitchen-dinning area in the studio and home of an Antwerp artist couple with Eames chairs, a second-hand sofa, and mustard-yellow walls.

Shop For Your Small Colorful Space

Tempaper Self-Adhesive Wallpaper, Tropical Jungle
Food52
Go wild. Leave it to a couple of professional set designers to create the removable wallpaper of our dreams. Thankfully, their designs aren’t just meant for sets—we’re sticking the self-adhesive paper to everything: cabinet shelves, dressers, headboards.
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Kartell Charles Ghost Stool
Lumens
The Kartell Charles Ghost Stool features the rounded, slightly upturned legs characteristic of the classic high stools of the 1800s. Constructed from a single block of polycarbonate, Charles Ghost is indestructible and suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.
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Vitra Wooden Dolls
Lumens
Partly joyful, partly grim, completely charming. The Vitra Wooden Dolls by Alexander Girard are colorful decorative accessories/toys inspired by Girard's passion for the local popular art of Asia, South America and Eastern Europe.
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Michele Koh Morollo
Dwell Contributor
Michele Koh Morollo is a journalist who has been writing about design, lifestyle and travel for the last twenty years.

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