Top 10 Apartment Decorating Don'ts

Do read our expert don'ts for the very best advice on how to spruce up your small space.

(Continued from Page 6) By Anne Krueger
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Compact leather chairs and a table that plays a visual trick with its see-through top make this apartment designed by Shane Reilly seem bigger than it really is.

7. Don't buy furniture that's too big — or too small.

One of the biggest mistakes that people make in a small space is buying furniture and accessories that are too small, says designer Alice Fakier, HGTV's Design Star runner-up and host of Ask Alice on HGTV.com. "I call this the 'doll house syndrome,'" she says. "Everything is out of proportion. Even in a petite space it's important to remember functionality, scale and good looks."

The other side of the scale problem is furniture that's overstuffed and massive, says Texas designer Dawn Burns-Pratt, ASID. "The biggest mistake apartment dwellers often make is buying too large furniture. The second is having too much furniture," she says. To help make a realistic furniture plan, she recommends using masking tape on the floor to lay out the size of each piece. For advice on optimum furniture arrangement, read designer Mark McCauley's guide.