Making the most of limited space can test even the most seasoned decorator. The tendency is often to furnish sparsely, opting for small-scale pieces and schemes that recede from view keeping things calm and uncluttered.

In this West Sussex house, however, interior designer Sarah Moore flips those ideas on their head, creating lively interiors filled with unique pieces, vibrant shades and playful patterns. The result is a home that feels joyful, expressive and full of interest.

Despite its size, Sarah was keen to pack it with character and personality: “Historically, it’s been a colourful house and that’s the spirit I wanted to revive.”

That philosophy runs through every room, from the reclaimed wainscot panelling in the sitting room to the bold use of paint, patterned wallpapers and vintage textiles. Mid-century furniture sits comfortably alongside antique finds, charity-shop glassware and pieces rescued from reclamation yards, proving that small spaces can be both expressive and practical when treated with confidence.

Below is a room-by-room breakdown of Sarah’s home, with plenty of creative small space ideas and design tricks to steal for yourself…

Kitchensmall galley kitchen with pink walls, red cabinets, open shelves displaying ceramics and a white worktoppinterestPhotography Brent Darby | Production Ben Kendrick

The compact fitted galley kitchen by Neptune is painted in their Rhubarb paint shade with softer pink walls in Little Greene’s Hellebore. The streamlined white shelves appear to float and house a collection of Sarah’s vintage ceramics and glass

Reconfiguring the layout was vital. The original kitchen had an awkward island that ate up valuable space, so Sarah replaced it with a streamlined galley design, reclaiming dead space under the stairs for fitted cupboards, shelving and even a slim wine fridge.

Compact appliances and a single run of cabinetry keep things efficient, while open shelves display her collection of vintage ceramics and glass.

red fitted kitchen units installed under stairs covered in richly patterned carpetpinterestPhotography Brent Darby | Production Ben Kendrick

Under the stairs (which had housed a large fridge/freezer) Sarah managed to slot in fitted cupboards, a work surface, shelving and even a slender vertical wine cooler

Living roomeclectic living space with floral wallpaper, painted beams, vintage furniture and red check curtainspinterestPhotography Brent Darby | Production Ben Kendrick

Vintage furniture collected by Sarah has been reupholstered with vintage textiles including a compact mid-century sofa-bed (which came from Facebook Marketplace) and was recovered with the vibrant reverse of a faded, flat-woven floral kilim

Throughout the downstairs, Sarah painted the beams and rafters a bright white to “lift” the ceilings, while cleverly using mirrors to bounce light around and create the illusion of a larger space. In the living room, she reupholstered a compact mid-century sofa bed with the reverse of a faded, flat-woven floral kilim. She also added built-in cupboards to the alcoves which echo the panelling in the rest of the room.

Ceramics, artworks, furniture and decorative objects, mostly sourced and reworked by Sarah herself, are layered throughout, grouped thoughtfully so that the rooms feel busy but orderly.

colourful cottage alcove with convex mirrorpinterestPhotography Brent Darby | Production Ben Kendrick

Built-in cupboards (one of which houses a drinks cabinet) in the living room alcoves follow the line of the new wainscot panelling around the room and help them visually ‘recede’

Bedroomcosy bedroom with patterned wallpaper and colourful beddingpinterestPhotography Brent Darby | Production Ben Kendrick

The small-scale William Morris wallpaper makes the bedroom feel larger

The main bedroom has an uplifting and cosy palette of pinks and yellows with an updated yellow William Morris wallpaper, Marigold. Sarah invested in a really good, comfy divan bed and teamed it with a mid-century headboard she found on eBay.

Bulky fitted wardrobes were removed in favour of underbed storage and a mid-century peg rail, keeping the rooms feeling light and flexible. Sarah opted for a bound sisal rug which lifts the dark floorboards.

cosy bedroom featuring green chairs a decorative lamp and a patterned wallpinterestPhotography Brent Darby | Production Ben Kendrick

Vintage hooks and hangers provide some storage while underbed storage in the form of pullout drawers acts as a wardrobe

cosy bedroom with floral artwork striped bedding and decorative elementspinterestPhotography Brent Darby | Production Ben Kendrick

An oversized vintage oil painting is a smart choice in the small bedroom – its generous scale enhances the sense of space

Bathroomshower area with striped yellow and white tilespinterestPhotography Brent Darby | Production Ben Kendrick

Bold and bright vertical tiling in the bathroom draws the eye upwards

The bathroom is covered in citrus yellow stripes from Otto Tiles and continue into the shower. The vertical tiling draws the eye upward, enhancing the sense of height – a bold approach that reflects Sarah’s wider use of colour throughout the house.

“When we first arrived, it was all magnolia, grey carpets and a beige kitchen, and the little outhouse was damp and mouldy,” she says. “But as we stripped things back, we discovered layers and layers of decorative, colourful wallpaper. Some of it was hand-printed and really beautiful, and there had been lots of colour at different points, including green paint on all the windows. We’ve worked hard to bring that back.”

Porchgreen painted lean to extension with marble topped tablepinterestPhotography Brent Darby | Production Ben Kendrick

This tiny extension doubles as an intimate dining room or office

Painted in Little Greene’s Garden, the former porch was torn down and replaced with a small rear extension features a slender wooden console table, reworked with a marble top to seat four. With its glass roof and walls of windows, it feels like a greenhouse – an idyllic setting for summer dining.

You can stay at Sarah’s cottage in Arundel here.

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Daisy Bendall is the Houses Editor at Country Living and House Beautiful, where she spends her days sourcing some of the most inspiring homes across the country. Prior to specialising in real homes, Daisy worked for Good Housekeeping, Red, Elle Decoration and Prima, styling shoots, covering the latest decorating trends and hunting down the best buys for your home.