Three Color Mistakes That Make A Small Space Feel Cramped & How to Fix Them

There are three color mistakes that can make a small space feel cramped unless it’s understood how to fix them.  Whether people live in a big city or a little town, there is generally one big benefit to choosing to reside in a small apartment or tiny home – the monthly rent or mortgage (and utilities) are easier on the budget. But there is a big downside – space is very limited and there are many mistakes people make that can make a small home feel cramped, chaotic,  and lifeless. 

Carla McBeath-Urrutia knows this problem well.  In fact, she is a small living space design and color expert and literally wrote the book on How to Find and Love Your Small Space.  She has actually lived in more than ten small spaces including studio apartments, one-bedroom houses, and dormitory rooms from Los Angeles to New York City.

BOOK: How to Find and Love Your Small Space

Carla loves her downsized lifestyle and is on a mission to help others learn how to make a small space feel huge and it’s all about using color in creative ways.  She says, “Whether you want a home that feels like a sanctuary when you come home from a nine-to-five or you’re working from home full time, the colors you have in your home can transform the way you live, work, and enjoy your life in your living space.”

McBeath-Urrutia attributes her unique skills to attending art school where she studied sculpture and  learned how to estimate volume and work with minimal resources, even in small spaces like her college dorm room.  She also has a Certificate in Light and Color Therapy from the Holistic Arts Institute in California that prepared her for infusing different color combinations that have remarkable effects on health and wellness when used for home décor.

Carla has determined that there are three big mistakes people make when they decorate their small homes  with some easy fixes to make them feel more spacious.

1. They choose no color or too much of one color.  Everything is better with color, but choosing only one color like all-white or all-beige can create a home that feels sterile and empty. Carla says, “Often people thumb through magazines to get ideas on how to decorate but that can lead to a sort of  ‘peer pressure’ to go with a fad or even neutral colors featured in layouts that tend to suck the life out of a room. We are hardwired to be responsive to color and people should explore colors like shades of green that tend to make you feel calm and balanced or shades of yellow and gold that can spark creativity.”  

Author, Carla McBeath-Urritia

2. They don’t know how to accent with color.  “The colors you use around you can transform the way you live,” according to Carla. “You can still spice up your home by combining colors that make you feel good using art and accent furniture, since vibrant colorscan take a room to the next level.  You should also think of colors as being multilevel, like adding yellow throw pillows, a pink tea kettle or coffee maker, or even a red frame for a painting or photo. Combine colors that make you feel good and use accent colors that make you smile.”A small space can be transformed into a sanctuary using these tips.

3. They don’t realize that color controls mood.  Colors affect a person’s mental and physical well-being.  According to Carla, “Using certain colors actually affects your ability to focus, relax, and sleep.  Shades of blue, for example, help you focus, whereas Caribbean sea shades of turquoise are very relaxing.”  She suggests, “Create colors in your home to make you feel good. Everyone has a different experience of colors and the objective is to use color as a tool to make your space feel the way you want to feel.” 

Color adds joy, creativity, passion, and adventure to life. An intentional use of colors can transform a small space into an extraordinarily cozy and inviting oasis from a chaotic world that inspires —  whether cooking, working, or relaxing. Truly, colors can add a dimension of wellness to life in a home.

Carla McBeath-Urrutia does a deep dive on how to use color in cozy places in her book, How to Find and Love Your Small Space that includes her innovative tips for making the most of small spaces. Feel free to connect with her on Instagram.

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Get a Fresh Start to Your New Year with Positive Changes for a New You

Each New Year, one in three Americans vows to make positive changes that better their lives with a fresh start but many people get side tracked before January is over. Emily Kaufman has three easy solutions for a healthier new year and ways to hit your targeted goals so your resolutions don’t get derailed.

Boost Your Weight Loss Efforts with Celsius. Each new year is an opportunity for a fresh start to make positive changes in your life and the number one resolution that tops the list for most people is to lose weight and get healthy. One way to boost your weight loss effort is to make Celsius, a healthy energy drink, your go-to fitness partner. Multiple university studies have shown that drinking one Celsius will burn an additional 100 calories or more.

It also has been proven to help burn up to 93% more body fat during moderate activity. There are five flavors and it contains no sugar, no high fructose corn syrup, no gluten, no artificial flavors or colors and you can get it at stores nationwide. Use the store locator at Celsius.com to find a retailer near you.

Don’t Let Your New Year Resolutions Get Derailed with a Cold. Whether your new year goals are to eat healthy, exercise more, or even work on your bucket list and travel goals, nothing will sideline your momentum more than a cold. And colds are no match for Cold-EEZE cold remedy products. Their classic cherry lozenges are clinically proven to shorten your cold by almost half the time based on double blind, placebo-controlled studies conducted at Dartmouth College and the Cleveland Clinic. The Cold-EEZE quick melts also provide relief to multiple cold symptoms.  Not only is it the #1 pharmacist recommended brand, but it’s Emily’s go to brand, too. For more information, check out Coldeeze,com.

Set Specific Goals. You can’t hit a target if you don’t know where to aim, so regardless what your New Year Goals are, you need to be specific. For example, don’t just set a goal to “lose weight,” but define how much you need to lose and give yourself a timeline to achieve it like “I’m going to lose 10 pounds by March 1st.” Also, make a plan about how you’re going to achieve that goal that specifies exactly how you’re going to go about it.  

New Year, New You: It’s Time for You to Reinvent Yourself & Give Your Life a Makeover in 2011

December 2010:

Michelle Lee, Hollywood Make-Up Artist

The countdown to 2011 has begun, but forget New Year’s Resolutions. They lose their steam in just a few weeks. In fact, recent research shows that while 52% of people are confident they will succeed with their New Year’s Resolution’s, only 12% actually achieve their goals (Quirkology). But the New Year is a great time to give your life a makeover and it doesn’t have to be that complicated.  A new look may be all you need and there’s lots of ways to reinvent your life in 2011 if you take a lead from Hollywood.  Madonna is the master of reinvention; Gwyneth Paltrow has gone from film star to a new country music sensation; and who new with one haircut, Harry Potter’s Emma Watson could not only change her look, but the entire direction of her career. Celebrities are the masters of reinvention and no one knows that better than Hollywood Make-Up Artist, Michele Lee. You’re never too old or too young to reinvent your life.

Watch Video: http://player.vimeo.com/video/18554585?autoplay=1&loop=1

Easy Ways to Reinvent Your Life in 2011. For most people, New Year’s resolutions don’t last but lifestyle resolutions are a life long commitment and usually you think about reinventing your look for a new life and celebrities are the masters at it.  Something as a simple as a haircut and eye make-up can change a career direction and the celebs that are really setting trends now from hairstyles to make-up include Rhiana, Taylor Swift, and Mylie Cyrus.  Now whether you’re a celebrity or not, most women are looking for ways to turn back time especially where their skin is concerned.  However, unlike celebs, your budget is probably a concern.  Michelle has recently discovered a nighttime moisturizer that gently resurfaces skin as well as a light chemical peel in just seven days – the new Regenerist Night Resurfacing Elixir from Olay.  It’s dermatologist tested and gentle enough for daily use and has a light, fast-absorbing formula designed to work with your body’s natural nightly changes to accelerate skin’s natural exfoliation and help gently resurface for tighter, smoother skin in the morning.  You can get it at your local drugstores for under $25.

How to Capture the “Fountain of Youth” Like Celebrities Do. One thing most celebs know is that great skin and great make up starts with their diet.  It’s sort of like beauty starts from the inside out. You need to keep your skin hydrated and Michelle recommends you drink lots of water and eat foods that are rich in healthy, fatty acids like fish and avocados which help hydrate your skin and hair.  In fact, one-fifth of a medium fresh California avocado has nearly 20 beneficial nutrients and acts as a nutrient booster by enabling the body to absorb more fat-soluble nutrients, such as alpha- and beta-carotene.  Now, your resolutions can get easily derailed when eating out, that’s why like restaurants like Applebee’s. They’ve just expanded their Unbelievably Great Tasting & Under 550 Calories menu and have also added new Weight Watchers selections.  You get full portions of steak and potatoes, shrimp and pasta – great flavors and all less than 550 calories. They even have Skinny Bee cocktails that are lower calorie versions of margaritas, mojitos and Long Island Iced teas. You can get more info on Applebees.com.

Five-Minute Makeovers. The average woman wants that professional celebrity look but they don’t want to spend the time doing it and many don’t have the time.  That’s why the mineral make-ups are very popular right now.  You put on a moisturizer, dust on a mineral make up foundation, add a little mascara and some cheek color and you’re out the door.  You’ve given yourself a quick youthful glow to your skin in five minutes and the natural look that is popular with celebrities like Jennifer Aniston.

Lifestyle Changes That Don’t Cost a Dime and Even Save You Money. Pilates is very popular with celebrities for keeping fit because it helps strengthen muscles and elongate your body as well. A lot of celebs have personal Pilates trainers but now you can get similar work outs on DVD for about $20 or less and you don’t have to have hire a private instructor to get the same results.  Valerie Bertinelli and The Biggest Loser’s Jillian Michaels both have DVDs that give you a great workout.  So aside from the initial minimal investment, it doesn’t cost a dime to work out in your home.  It sure saves on gym memberships, but you do have to be dedicated and disciplined to work out three to five days a week.

Lifestyle Changes That Don’t Cost a Dime and Even Save You Money. Not only is Michelle Lee a Hollywood Make-Up Artist, but she also runs a professional network for hair and makeup artists.  Technology can help you get organized from the internet to today’s smart phones.  One of the things she preaches to members is to have a good solid financial plan and to take care of and track your expenses so that you’re living within you means and make sure you’re not going to into debt. She has a free downloadable spreadsheet at hmartistsnetwork.com.

Michelle Lee has worked as a professional Makeup Artist for the entertainment industry for over 15 years. She specializes in getting celebrities red carpet ready for press related events and appearances plus provides the perfect on camera look for TV shows to music videos.  She believes in a complete approach to helping her clients achieve the perfect on-air look that starts with a good diet to promote skin and advises for wardrobe as well.  Her clients includes a roster of A-List celebs including Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Redford, Danny DeVito and Jack Black to industry legends like Kirk Douglas, Martin Landau, Sally Kellerman, Neil Sedaka, Mariel Hemmingway, Maureen McCormick & George Hamilton (to name a few). Michelle has been in demand to teach her Hollywood make-up techniques throughout Japan. She is also the CEO of The Hair & Makeup Artist Network (HMAN), a professional organization for independent Hair & Makeup Artists (hmartistsnetwork.com)