Living Small- Al Capone

I think it’s safe to say that a prison cell is the mother of all small spaces. So, when looking for inspiration for your small space why not take a few lessons from the famed mobster himself, Al Capone. One can garner a few basic principles about living small from Mr. Capone’s Eastern State Penitentiary Cell.

1. Natural Light: It’s always good to have some natural light coming in from somewhere. The skylight in this cell provides great lighting, which is a definite plus if you don’t have an abundance of electrical outlets on hand. The middle of the cell is bathed in light therefore lighting fixtures are only needed in the two corners of the room.

2. Work with what you have: If you can’t do anything with the walls make them part of the décor. As much money as Mr. Capone had he was still a convicted criminal so he couldn’t just hire a painter to come in and paint his concrete cell walls a nice honeysuckle. Since this wasn’t an option he made the rusted distressed look work for him. He used furnishings with the same color palette and added a hint of red to spice things up.

3. Define your Areas: There are three clearly defined areas in this space. A reading area, a work area and out of view there is a sleeping area. Defining your areas makes it easy for guests to understand the flow of your space. Although I am sure Mr. Capone did not do much entertaining in his cell… It also makes it easier to stay organized. I love how he used a bright red rug to anchor the work/living room area. But what I love most is the use of the Neo-Classical Federalist style secretary desk. This desk is always a plus in a small space because it stores a lot without taking up a lot of space.

4. Get the Right Artwork: There is only one piece of artwork in this space but it’s the right piece for three reasons. One, the subject of the piece is in the right era so it doesn’t seem out of the place. Second, the color palette is cohesive with the rest of the cell and third, the framing (no pun intended) is on cue and of the right era.

There you have it, four basic lessons you can learn from Mr. Al Capone’s prison cell. But the most important lesson of all is that no matter your situation always try to live with what you love…Happy Decorating Everyone!