In an era of full-blown minimalism, there is the London apartment of two color-loving creatives: Paul West, a landscape artist who sells his pieces around the world on Artfinder, and Paula Benson, a curator of set decor from famous movies for Film and Furniture. There's neon pop art on the walls, kaleidoscopic linens on the beds, and a rainbow of books (they're literally organized by color) on the shelves. Really, the best way to describe it is fun, unsurprising given the couple's decorating process, which was driven mostly by passion; Paul and Paula are avid art collectors and treasure hunters. Many of their most prized possessions can be attributed to love at first sight (and a great eye for a deal). Take the towering old milliner's cabinet in one corner of the main living space: "The sheer unusualness of it, it was a must-buy," Paul declares.

With so much to look at—yes, that's a tree branch on the ceiling!—it's easy to forget that their three-bedroom apartment, while spanning two floors, is actually only 1,200 square feet. That's not by accident. Living there for ten years has culminated in an incredible collection of unique finds, to be sure, but also a complete mastery of how to maximize a compact floor plan. Read on to find Paul and Paula's best decorating tricks.

Use as much color as you want, then tone it down a little

A gallery wall stretches from one end of Paul and Paula's combined living-dining space to the other, chock-full of bold art in every hue. "I've always been a massive fan of Andy Warhol," says Paul. "I find his color combinations to be incredible, the color crashes work so well." Their collection of vintage wood cabinets (there are four in this room alone) help keep the colors from edging into overwhelming territory. "That's why we've got quite a bit of white," Paul adds, "because it evens things out of a bit." Case in point: the modular media unit across the way is from Living Space.

That right wall is the only one painted a dark hue in the entire flat. "Normally, we’re a bit more minimal and studied, but it's such an amazing space, we wanted the art to explode," says Paul.

Photo: Douglas Pulman

Think beyond traditional room dividers

The main element that separates the living area from the dining area is . . . a tree branch. A willow branch, to be exact. It's hung from the ceiling right in between the two spaces, a strong visual reminder, but one that doesn't block the view.

Paul and Paula snagged the floating branch when the previous tenants of their old apartment were moving out. "It's nice when you can have furniture that follows you in your life," Paul notes.

Don't just throw your art up on the wall

Their massive gallery wall was a labor of love. "It's quite mathematically placed," Paul explains. He mapped out the wall on InDesign to create a to-scale model of the arrangement before putting a nail to it. "It's the way I do my art exhibitions as well."

Finding the perfect pieces takes patience. Paul and Paula bought the curvaceous blue lamp base on a trip to Sussex, but it took a long time to get their hands on the right shade for it. "It had to be a certain height," Paul remembers. "We saw this one and had to have it."

When you don't have a lot of room, vertical space is actually your best friend

All of the bedrooms are on the small side, even the master. To leave as much open floor space as possible, Paul and Paula hung wall sconces rather than using bulky table lamps. Their mini nightstands are just big enough for the essentials (plus some fresh flowers).

The chevron pillows play off the colors in the Anthony Burrillprint above, a thank you gift from the artist himself.

One whole side of the bedroom is floor-to-ceiling closets. Shallow with touch drawers, they almost disappear when closed.

Each room on the lower level of the apartment is painted a different shade of soft gray. In the master, the walls are painted with Farrow & Ball's Skimming Stone, the storage wall with Farrow & Ball's Elephant's Breath.

No room for two bedside tables? No problem. Paul and Paula placed a floor lamp on one side of the bed in the guest room instead.

The charcoal drawing is Paul's own, one of his only works displayed outside his studio. "I like looking at other people's work for inspiration," he says.

A vibrant lime-green desk from TwentyTwentyOne, which came as a pair with the dresser, is mounted to the wall so a chair can easily be tucked fully underneath and out of the way.

"It's a very small room, so we wanted the furniture to stand out,"