Never underestimate the power of light. (Courtesy of Ikea)

Moving to a smaller space? Just because the home is smaller doesn't mean that it shouldn't be as grand and luxurious as your previous larger home. Designers know a few secrets and rules when it comes to smaller spaces.

The first tip is that you should never leave home without your floor plan and a tape measure. I have a floor plan (a room drawn to scale on graph paper with each square representing a square foot) for every one of my rooms and carry them with me in my car because you just never know when you will find the perfect piece. When I head to the furniture centre I always bring my floor plans and my tape measure and measure every piece I am considering, I never rely on the measurements that I see on the price tags (perhaps it’s an anal Virgo thing but I have found them to be off occasionally).

The second is to always keep your eyes open for great finds, as the perfectly-scaled dresser for your bedroom may be sitting in the youth furniture department or a brilliant diminutive dining table may be found in the outdoor furniture department.

Small space living requires thinking outside the box. Don't let labels limit you - if it works for your space, that's all that matters. What most folks don’t understand with respect to furniture is that, height is the most overlooked dimension in decor. If your space doesn't have soaring ceilings, keep your furniture low to the ground to ensure that your room has an open and airy feeling. Even a small-scale piece can appear bulky if it's too tall. Conversely, if your small room has a fabulous high ceilings a tall piece will create the illusion of space.

In a small space less is more, while you can certainly have a least one ornate element per room it is generally best to keep clean lines amongst the furniture pieces. For example, you sofa doesn’t have to have arms and the bed doesn't have to have a footboard.

Let’s chat colour for a compact space. Remember that it is contrast that makes a space feel smaller so the designer trick for a small home is too minimize contrast with a controlled colour palette. Two or three pops of accent hues against a peacefully monochromatic color scheme will give your decor instant sophistication. And remember, monochromatic doesn't mean neutral and boring - it can be bold and vivacious. This year well see lots of rooms designed with a monochromatic red palette.

Art adds personality to a room - in a small space don't weigh down your walls with multiple pieces of decor. A better idea for the room is to employ a single large-scaled piece of art. This will give a compact space a confident and true sense of being a designer space.

Never underestimate the power of light. One of my favorite designer tricks is to create ambience with ‘up lights’. These tiny canister lights can be placed on the floor, in a dark corner, behind furniture, or behind a tall plant, they can just as easily sit on a low coffee table or bureau where they will cast an upward beacon of light that adds drama, dimension and a sense of architectural element.

Small spaces can be just as fabulous as a large space, just employ some designer know how to create big style.