Some big ideas to expand a snug place

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Interior designer Heather Ashton sits with her whippet rescue, Martha, on an antique couch she purchased at Wertz Brothers and reupholstered. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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On the living room wall, Heather Ashton has installed what she likes to call an “English boarding school” narrative with antique mirrors, thrift store paintings, framed butterflies and, in a nod to her dog, Martha, shown here, a droll painting of a whippet in a dress. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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The two-bedroom apartment originally had lime green walls and carpet. Heather Ashton pulled up the carpet to find wood floors and then painted the living room walls a bold blue hue she mixed herself. The red, white and blue patchwork pillow is by Andrew Martin. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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A collection of design books and fresh hydrangeas add color and contrast to the living room. “Keeping furnishings monochromatic helps to have fun with the accessories,” Ashton says. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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In her two-bedroom apartment, designer Heather Ashton pairs a vintage dressage show hat with one of her most prized possessions, a mounted jackalope from Paxton Gate in San Francisco. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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An enigmatic folk angel from Go Home rests in front of a drawing of a deer from the Rose Bowl Flea Market. “I like looking at things that trigger recollections,” Heather Ashton says. Trying to explain her infatuation with the wooden angel, Ashton shrugs. “It’s just weird,” she explains. “That’s why I like it.” Ashton likes to frame artworks with custom mats and inexpensive white frames from Aaron Brothers. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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In the living room, the industrial Sputnik elliptical filament chandelier, $725 from Restoration Hardware, is a nice reminder that a few key details can take an ordinary room to the next level. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Heather Ashton, in the living room of her apartment, sheepishly admits the hand-stitched Ankasa pillow, center, was a splurge. “It’s jewelry,” she says. The other pillows are from Room and Board. She installed custom drapes from the Silk Trading Co. that were on sale after a decorator returned them. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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“Apartment lighting is always really bad,” Heather Ashton says. She replaced all of the existing overhead lighting with new pieces, including this chandelier from Restoration Hardware. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Heather Ashton furnished her living room with a couch from Cisco Home, a Moroccan rug from Stark Carpet and a glass coffee table from Emmerson Troop. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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On a wall unit she assembled with Home Depot shelves, Ashton mixes disparate objects to create a captivating tableau: equestrian photographs, a wooden mallard, fresh-cut flowers and butterflies encased in plastic. And keeping with her love of the eccentric, a taxidermy jackalope from Paxton Gate is mounted not far from a riding crop and saddle. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Books are another love of Heather Ashton’s and are arranged by genre -- art, fashion, design -- color and shape. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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The bed was installed at an angle to maximize the features of the room. “It can make the room look bigger even though you lose space,” Heather Ashton says. She wanted her bedroom to be a retreat, with warm colors, textured pillows from Room and Board and a vintage mirror from Big Daddy’s Antiques that hangs over the bed. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Because the apartment’s bathroom is tiny, Heather Ashton decided to create a dressing area in the corner by hanging a vintage Venetian-style chandelier she found at Tiffany Auction House in downtown Los Angeles. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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In her bedroom, Heather Ashton converted an Ikea Billy bookcase into shoe storage by attaching a curtain rod and hanging drapes made from equestrian-themed fabric Ashton found at Diamond Foam & Fabric. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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The light-filled office space features a statement chandelier from L.A.-based furniture maker Noir. “I wanted my office to be white and organized so I can concentrate,” Heather Ashton says. The desk, from HD Buttercup, was inspired by a photo of designer Aerin Lauder’s office. Ashton found the black-and-white photographs above the credenza on sale in a bin at Blackman Cruz. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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A blue guitar adds a fun pop of color next to a Chanel-inspired lamp in the office. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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Interior designer Heather Ashton, sitting below work by photographer Jennifer Maharry she recently purchased at the Los Angeles Art Show, in her Culver City home office. She reupholstered the couch with fabric from Home Fabrics and Trim in downtown Los Angeles. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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An inspiration board in the office is made of light pink Homasote (fiber board) that was simply screwed into the wall. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

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With a painting by L.A. artist John Millei as a focal point, designer Heather Ashton’s small Culver City kitchen is well-appointed, with coffee cups from West Elm, plates by Astier De Villatte and a pitcher and serving plate from Bargain Fair. Ashton draped gray linen slipcovers from a Paris flea market over plastic chairs and another shade of gray over the table. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

March 10, 2014 5 AM PT

Want to do something more creative with your tight living quarters but don’t know where to start? Interior designer Heather Ashton offers some suggestions on how to deliver a big jolt of personality to a small living space.

PHOTOS: At home with Heather Ashton

Don’t be scared of paint: Most people think a color, especially a darker tone, makes a small space look smaller. But you aren’t fooling anyone, so have fun with it. Paint is an easy way to add personality and dimension to a room.

Let your hoarding tell a story: Create collections for your knickknacks. When grouped together, they look like a tablescape or a vignette of interesting collectibles instead of an explosion of vacation trinkets.

Play with angles: Create unusual furniture placement that maximizes the features of the room. Weirdly placed windows? Put your bed at an angle. It can make the room look bigger even though you lose space.

Textures as an alternative to color: Too many colors can overwhelm a small space and make it feel messy. Instead, use different textures in the same color family: a chunky knit throw with a velvet pillow with a pony-hide chair. A creative mix of textures in an all-gray or all-ivory room will look eclectic instead of boring.

Use transparent and reflective surfaces: Mirrors always create a feeling of space. A glass coffee table will feel light and airy compared with a solid piece in a small room.

Indulge in wild life: Greenery is the best medicine for a space that needs more life. If you’re not good with plants, try fresh-cut flowers to lift your mood and the mood in the room.

Little things go a long way: New cabinet hardware in a small kitchen or bath or an inexpensive chandelier can make a difference in personalizing your space.

Let your freak flag fly: Your space is a reflection of you and your sense of humor. Fill it with art and objects you love and that make you laugh. Make your home your happy place.

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