5 Tips to Make the Most of a Small Home
Architect Brad Swartz gives his best advice on creating a liveable small space.
By
Wed, Apr 20, 2022 4:17pm
3 min
3 min
Brad Swartz and his eponymous architecture studio have garnered a heady reputation for making the most out of small homes. The studio is focused on a sustainable future for city development and works towards reformatting small inner-city dwellings and, simultaneously, removing all notions of compromise attached to present liveable homes. So, here at Kanebridge News, we though who better to pen a guide to designing a small home.
Here, five things to consider maximising your small space stylishly.
Case The Place
When looking to purchase a smaller unit or dwelling pay close attention to the windows and the external aspect. Often what makes a small dwelling feel bigger is what surrounds it or what it looks out to. A small unit with multiple windows — especially on either side — will make it feel larger, bring in better ventilation and better light.
Get Your Priorities Right
Figuring out what matters to you before designing your home is an essential first step. Whether you want a place to entertain, or you need space for an office, or lounging — having a clear understanding of what you want from your home will help you more efficiently organise and design your home.
Find Balance Between Storage And Space
Creating ample storage in a small home is always an uphill battle. The key to creating a comfortable and liveable space with little room is to find the balance between having the necessary storage without comprimising the sense of space. In a nutshell, this means making sure that you can see the full width of the room by not taking cupboards to the ceiling or leaving a gap under cabinets that exposes the flooring for a sense of continuity. These small things trick the eye and when combined with good aspect and lighting can make the home feel much bigger than it really is.
Find Opportunities For Multi-Use Items
Small homes require a sense of creativity, so where possible, find opportunities for things to have multiple uses. Foldable desks that become clothes racks, murphy beds, or screens like the one I used in The Boneca [pictured above] building I used to delineate the two spaces help to add functionality to a room without sacrificing space or light.
Add a Touch Of Luxury
Just because you’re living in a smaller space doesn’t mean you have to forgo life’s luxuries. And, as the spaces are smaller – a little bit goes a long way. Opt for a splash of marble, or other luxurious stone finishes, or build in a drop-down projector — whatever it is is, that’s going to make the home more comfortable and liveable for you. Ultimately these are home and you want to feel comfortable in them and want them to be a space you want to live in.
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A vibrant 1954 Palm Springs home featuring eight colorful murals by late artist Shawn Savage is on the market for $2.295 million. The 2,237-square-foot property features bold hot-pink doors, three bedrooms, a pool, mountain views and playful interiors blending modern glamour with classic Palm Springs style.
By Chava Gourarie
Mon, Oct 5, 2026 3 min
3 min
A bold 1950s home in Palm Springs, California, adorned with eight colorful murals by the late artist Shawn Savage, is coming to market ahead of the city’s annual Modernism Week.
The white stucco home on El Camino Way, built in 1954 and recently renovated, has an asking price of $2.295 million. Its staggered facade features three playfully abstract murals on either side of double-height hot pink doors.
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The sellers are Los Angeles-based partners John Freeman and Mathieu Faure, who knew it was “the one” when they saw it after several months of searching in the winter of 2023. “It’s a happy house,” Freeman said. “We really liked the feel of the house: the uniqueness, the openness, the brightness—and the art.”
Located in the Mesa neighborhood of Palm Springs, which backs up to the San Jacinto Mountains, the 2,237-square-foot house features three bedrooms, an angled bonus room and a yard with a pool, desert mountain views and another colorful mural running alongside the pool.
“I never thought in my life I would have a house with pink doors,” said Faure, a producer at Apple TV who is originally from Paris. “It’s so colorful, it’s so different. And so Palm Springs.”
The layout of the home creates a smooth flow from the front doors through the open-plan common area—a foyer, bar, and living and dining room—into the kitchen around a fireplace wall and out to the yard. A corridor leads to a private bedroom wing, where the primary suite has floor-to-ceiling windows and the primary bath is only a tad smaller than the bedroom.
Faure has filled the home with Jonathan Adler furniture, rugs and accessories, riffing on the energetic California vibes of the house to create an aesthetic of “modern American glamour,” he said.
“It was enjoyable for me to play with different types of furniture and make this house ‘happy chic,’ as I describe it,” he said.
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“He did a fantastic job,” said Freeman, who is an attorney and consultant. “It does kind of bring a smile to my face whenever I walk into the house.”
Since the furniture and decor were chosen for the particularities of the space, the couple is open to selling them with the home. Their West Hollywood house is already furnished; the collection doesn’t match the vibes of a Houston loft they bought near family; and Faure can’t imagine these pieces in New York—where he’s lived in the past—he said.
The duo bought the Palm Springs house for $1.925 million in 2024, according to property records, and will list the home Monday. They are represented by Stewart Smith, Patrick Jordan and Kevin Stanley of Bennion Deville Homes/Luxury Portfolio International.
The previous owners had purchased the home in 2021 for $975,000 and then spent more than two years and $700,000 on the renovation, according to Realtor.com. They commissioned Savage, a local Palm Springs artist and painter known for his joyful abstract work, to decorate the home.
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Savage, who died in 2024, lived in the Coachella Valley from 2003, and his work can be found in various local institutions and is on exhibit at the Illumine Gallery in Palm Springs. “Some artists pass through a place. Shawn Savage became a part of it,” the gallery’s description states.
Unsurprisingly, the murals invite lots of friendly conversations, as well as guided tours and interested lookers, but never to a degree that it disturbed the peacefulness of their home or the neighborhood, the sellers said. “It felt like living in an art gallery, and you have the exterior that you would share with the world,” Faure explained.
The neighborhood also played a role in their decision to buy, because of its access to the hiking trails of the San Jacinto Mountains, the lack of through-roads and the neighborly environment.
“It’s a very friendly place,” Faure said.
