From a beachy living room to a Moroccan-style marvel, these rooms offer plenty of design inspo for small spaces.

(Photo: Ema Peter)

The Look: Beachy Keen

Jamie Deck of Shift Interiors brings the Kitsilano vibe inside with a bright and airy condo design.

Smooth out the edges
Circular coffee and side tables help to soften the space, but they also eliminate the risk of bumping into corners (“Safety first!” laughs Deck) and can be easily moved around when company comes.

Take it to the floor
Since the living room backs onto the dining room in this 1,200-square-foot condo, the sofa rests completely on the floor for visual separation.

Mix and match textural elements
A monochromatic palette can sometimes make a room feel cool, but Deck was able to counteract this by incorporating a variety of materials throughout: wood, linen, marble and wool lend warmth to the space.

(Photo: Janis Nicolay)

The Look: Well Rounded

When Emma Kelly, project manager and co-founder of Rudy Winston Design, decided to renovate her 1912 heritage home, she turned to her co-founder and the firm’s designer, Francesca Albertazzi, for help.

Accentuate heritage details
Rather than downplay the room’s traditional features—the curved walls, the ceiling medallion—Kelly and Albertazzi embraced them.

Look way, way up
Kelly immediately fell in love with the tasselled light fixture from Anthropologie, which makes perfect use of the room’s height: “In a space where you’ve got a fairly high ceiling, you want to draw the eye up,” says Albertazzi.

Don’t settle on a single theme
Kelly didn’t focus too much on selecting any one style for the room. Rather, she lived by the mantra “If you like it, get it,” and mixed existing furniture pieces with new accessories for a fresh, whimsical look.

(Photo: Tracey Ayton)

The Look: Moroccan Marvel

Using a playful mix of colour, texture and architectural detail, Ivan Quintana Medina and the team at Medina Living Designs bring a touch of North Africa to Vancouver’s South Granville ’hood.

Carve out a space for privacy
Sheer cotton drapery softens the natural light and gives the room a romantic feel; the archway, complete with corbels that were hand-carved in Indonesia, further complements the Moroccan look.

Load up on the accessories
“Layering is very important,” says Quintana of pulling together a look like this. As long as you have a neutral background, you needn’t be afraid of mixing in bold colours and textures. (We see you, throw pillows.)

Go big or go home
To take it from accent piece to statement piece, Quintana opted for an oversized rug with a scaled-up pattern.