As someone whose first apartment in SL only allowed 100 prims, I think I know a few things about decorating on a prim budget. However, just to fill in some of the gaps, I browsed the interwebs for advice on decorating a small space.
Here are a few tips:
Let there be light! One thing I saw over and over was the recommendation to add lots of light to a space that feels cramped. But every light, lamp, etc. uses up precious prims. What should you do? Turn a fashion faux pas into a spacious home by wearing facelights! And insist that all guests wear them, too. Voilà - illumination from prims that don't count against your total!
Save space - and prims - by choosing furniture that serves more than one purpose. So easy to do in SL! Think 'sex toaster'.
Use furniture that is scaled appropriately to the room. Avoid having oversized furniture that takes up too much space in a small room. Look how packed in I am in this photo taken with normal sized furniture. I can barely move:
This normal sized couch makes the room seem tiny and cramped.
Why, I don't even have room for a cold drink and a magazine!
Re-texture all of your mismatched furniture to one matching color. Strongly contrasting elements in a room chop up the space. Unified elements make it seem more expansive. Don't believe me? Look at yourself in a full body mirror. OK - now take off all of your clothes. See that? Because your skin is the same basic shade all over, you look much fatter naked!
Use mirrors to make a room seem bigger. Stop! I know what you are going to say. "But Tym, there are no working mirrors in SL." But you can easily create the illusion of a mirror! Just take a picture of the room, apply it to a flat prim, hang it from the wall and tell everyone you are a vampire. Tah dah! Instant "mirror". You're welcome!
This smaller couch is guaranteed to make your new Linden Home seem hugantic!
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