My Case for Small Spaces: Why Intimacy Beats Square Footage

Interior designer Zoe Feldman is one of Homes & Gardens’ new Editors-At-Large for By Design, sharing her thoughts on decor through her lens, clever color palettes, and family-friendly materials. See the rest of her articles here.

We live in a world that often equates bigger with better – bigger kitchens, bigger closets, bigger everything. It may be a uniquely American instinct, born of a landscape with few public gathering places, to treat the home as something to be endlessly expanded. Tell me you haven’t heard three- or four-person families in four-bedroom houses insist, on repeat, that they ‘just need more space,’ as if they’re bursting at the seams.

But here’s the truth: small spaces hold a kind of magic that sprawling rooms can’t touch. They demand intention. Every inch has a purpose. Nothing is wasted, nothing is accidental. And in that discipline, they often become the most memorable parts of a home.

Efficiency isn’t compromise – it’s clarity. A mudroom where every hook, shelf, and cubby is perfectly considered feels more luxurious than a cavernous entry where belongings disappear into the void. A jewel-box powder room lingers in your memory far longer than a vast, hotel-like bathroom. There is something deeply human about an intimate scale – we don’t actually live our lives in grand ballrooms. We live them tucked into corners, curled on sofas, gathered shoulder to shoulder at the kitchen banquette.

Color, especially, thrives in small rooms. In a hallway or powder room, it doesn’t just rest on the walls – it envelops you, becoming an experience rather than a backdrop. A cobalt library becomes its own universe. A lacquered red hallway feels like it’s leading to an enchanted place. Small spaces invite color to be immersive, dramatic, and utterly unapologetic. I never try to make these rooms feel bigger – why would I? They’ll never be large, so instead I lean into their intimacy and make them wildly, irresistibly special: the kinds of spaces that make you want to linger.

yellow powder room with marble vanity

(Image credit: Michael Clifford/Design by Zoe Feldman)

Small spaces are also the perfect creative laboratories. Because you don’t truly ‘live’ in a hallway or a powder room, these rooms become ideal places to experiment. This is where I’ll often introduce an expressive mural or an intentionally over-the-top wallpaper. I also love a floor-to-ceiling gallery wall in a hallway or powder room. In compact spaces, art becomes an installation – the way it’s arranged, the density of it – the installation is the art.

Powder rooms, especially, are where I test-drive ideas I’d never dare attempt in a kitchen or living room. These intimate spaces practically beg you to take risks, and the payoff is always surprisingly big. And the best part? Nearly everyone who enters your home eventually finds their way into the powder room. I love that each guest gets to experience this unexpected little moment of joy.

pink reading room with daybed seen through an arched doorway

(Image credit: Michael Clifford/Design by Zoe Feldman)

Built-ins are another secret weapon I rely on in small spaces – in fact, small rooms practically ask for them. A built-in daybed, rather than a free-standing sofa, can make the narrowest little room feel intentional instead of cramped. A kitchen banquette tucks itself neatly against the wall, freeing up precious floor space while inviting people to linger – because, let’s be honest, everyone loves a banquette. And built-in shelving is endlessly adaptable: it can display your treasures, hide your clutter, hold your books, or frame a TV. It adds personality when you want to show things off and offers calm control when you need things tucked away. I have a particular affection for books in small spaces; they instantly make a room feel warm, intelligent, and lived-in. When square footage is tight, a built-in doesn’t just save space – it creates character.

And then there’s the undeniable coziness. Personally, I like to feel cocooned at home, wrapped in a sense of safety and warmth. A snug bedroom drenched in a moody hue, a low-ceilinged den piled high with books, a cushy window seat loaded with pillows that practically begs you to curl up – all of these spaces prove that intimacy is as much a luxury as grandeur. Small rooms don’t fight their scale; they embrace it. And because of that, they often become the places you never want to leave. When done well, they end up as your favorite spot in the entire house.

What fascinates me most is how these rooms also act as little vistas – enticing glimpses that pull you forward. A richly painted hallway that draws you into a brighter space beyond. A jewel-box mudroom that makes you smile every time you kick off your shoes. A sunroom winking at you from the front door, daring you to sit down for a moment. These rooms become portals: small hits of delight tucked into the everyday rhythm of home.

In the end, small spaces remind us that design isn’t about square footage – it’s about soul. They demand creativity, reward boldness, and offer intimacy in return. They invite us to play, to take risks, to delight. And more often than not, they steal the show – proof that coziness and character are every bit as luxurious as scale.

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