Karen Fisher packs a lot of living into 600 square feet. "Some people have a memory for faces," she says with a laugh. "I have a memory for rooms." Karen has turned that talent into a business; as a "design matchmaker," she pairs up homeowners with compatible decorators. So, when it came to redoing Karen's Manhattan apartment, she took her own advice and hired an expert, Clodagh, whose minimal interiors she'd long admired. "Clodagh completely threw out the usual rules," Karen says. "She filled my small home with bold furniture and big accessories but fitted it all together like a yacht."

Six rules for maxing out a mini space.