How to Make a Small Room Look Bigger: A Guide for Homeowners and Designers
1. Choose Light Colors and Reflective Materials:
Selection of Light color
This is the first step for small room look bigger is Selection of right color. Pale neutrals such as white, cream, and beige as well as pastel colors such as light blue or green are go-to shades to reflect more light which make rooms feel bigger, airier, and brighter. Light, cool colors, like soft tones of blue and green, can make a space feel open and airy. To add depth and dimension, pair these light colors with contrasting trim and moldings.
But the opposite of a common decorating truth can also be true: try painting the walls, ceilings, and trim of a small room in a dark shade of navy, brown, gray, green, or black to blur the line between where walls begin and end, which can make a compact space feel bigger (and cozier). Avoid dark, warm colors, which can make a space feel cozy and intimate.
When in doubt, paint it white
Embrace a monochromatic color-scheme
Match the wall color to furniture
We’ve mentioned the colors of the walls and furniture, but you may have questions about the floors. As you may have guessed, light-colored flooring is recommended for making spaces feel bigger. If you live in space with dark flooring, attempt covering it with a thin, light-colored rug to widen the room.
2. Utilize Vertical Space:
Incorporate shelving units, hanging storage solutions, and vertical gardens to maximize the vertical aspect of your room’s layout. These elements not only free up floor space but also serve practical purposes such as displaying decorative items or plants, keeping clutter off surfaces, and providing additional storage options. Moreover, installing tall window treatments such as curtains or blinds can accentuate ceiling height, thereby creating the illusion of greater verticality within the room. When you’re dealing with a small room, instead of cramming it full of pieces of furniture, think about using as much vertical as possible. You might not have much floor space, but by using the walls right up to the ceiling, you use the space you have more efficiently while drawing the eye upwards, making the room seem larger. Take advantage of vertical space by installing tall shelves or cabinets. This draws the eye upward and gives the impression of a taller room. Avoid bulky, heavy furniture that can make the space feel cramped.
3. Use floating furniture
Placing furniture against walls can prevent large pieces from consuming too much space visually. Opt for smaller sectionals or modular sofas if you need extra seating in your compact living area, and choose tables that fold down or stow away easily after use. Furthermore, consider arranging your furniture with alternate sides facing each other instead of directly across from one another to minimize obstructions between essential pathways throughout the room. Lastly, remember that leaving some areas empty or allowing flexible furniture configurations enables you to rearrange the setup according to specific events or mood preferences. Keep Furniture Low to the Ground Move furniture away from walkways to open up the space. Choose low-profile pieces, like ottomans, armless chairs, and low tables, and place larger, taller pieces along a wall.
Choose Multi-Functional Furniture
Keep Furniture Low to the Ground
Explore multi-purpose furniture
Consider retractable furniture
Create an illusion with clear furniture
Take up less space with exposed legs
In a small room, every piece of furniture should serve a purpose. Opt for multi-functional furniture like a sofa bed, a coffee table with storage, or nesting tables. This helps keep the room uncluttered and maximizes the available space.
Building floor-to-ceiling shelving will make a small room look bigger and create more opportunities for design. The idea behind this tip is to draw the eye up to the ceiling. This makes rooms feel taller. Furthermore, strategically placing personal photos, books and small accent pieces throughout the shelves will satisfy your inner designer.
Low-profile furniture can make the ceiling appear higher, giving the room a more open feel. Choose sofas, chairs, and tables that sit lower to the ground and have simple, clean lines.
4. Create a walkway
The layout of your furniture can make or break a small space. Before you start arranging your furniture, come up with a plan that includes a walkway. A walkway can create a sense of balance in your home. Jamming a room with everything you own can limit the accessibility of a space and leave guests frustrated when they find themselves bumping into furniture.
5. Add molding around a ceiling’s perimeter
Similarly to high shelving, adding molding around your ceiling’s perimeter will draw the eye up and make a room feel larger. This can also make shared living spaces feel polished and bold.
6 Remove all curtains or Add light-weight curtains
Off with the curtains! While curtains can be elegant and beautiful, they don’t do small rooms much justice.
Bulky curtains take up too much space that a small room can’t afford to lose. Many people find this tip more practical for shared living spaces (e.g. kitchens and living rooms) since there’s less of a demand for privacy. Not only will deciding to ditch curtains free up more space, but also bring more natural light into the room.
Hang your curtains as high as you can
If curtains are on your non-negotiable list, look for light-weight or sheer curtains. This will limit the amount of space curtains take away and still allow some natural light to flow. Another tip is to hang sheer curtains from floor-to-ceiling because it’ll add vertical movement.
8. Declutter
Making a small room look bigger starts with decluttering. The bottom line is there’s a limited amount of space. In order to make a small room feel large, the number of large furniture items, knickknacks and decor needs to be limited. Go into your next place with a plan. Draw out your floor plan, edit it, start over and draw again. The more you can cut out, the more space and open your small room will feel.
Clutter can make a small room feel even smaller. Keep surfaces clear and only display a few key pieces of decor. Use storage solutions like baskets, bins, and under-bed storage to keep items organized and out of sight.
9.Emphasize and increase natural light
We added skylights to our old primary bedroom and the natural light was amazing! But skylights aren’t an option for a lot of people (and they certainly aren’t the most budget-friendly option). Fear not! There are plenty of other ways to emphasize and increase the natural light your room already receives. One of the easiest changes you can make is ditching any dated blinds or window shutters and letting the natural light in! Emphasizing and increasing the amount of natural light makes a huge difference in making a small room feel bigger.
Just look at what a big difference removing those blinds made in our old laundry room (we also painted the walls white and added a lighter color floor, which made a big impact as well).
Maximize natural light and hang curtains to diffuse it. Lighter paint colors, like off-whites, pastels, and light neutrals, can also reflect natural light and make a room feel larger and brighter.
10. Use vertical space to free up floor space
When you’re dealing with a small room, instead of cramming it full of pieces of furniture, think about using as much vertical as possible. You might not have much floor space, but by using the walls right up to the ceiling, you use the space you have more efficiently while drawing the eye upwards, making the small room look bigger.
Take advantage of vertical space by installing tall shelves or cabinets. This draws the eye upward and gives the impression of a taller room. Avoid bulky, heavy furniture that can make the space feel cramped.
11. Use patterns
Vertical stripes on wallpaper can make a room feel taller, while horizontal stripes can make it feel wider.
12.Use Glass and Lucite
Furniture made of glass or Lucite can help maintain an open and airy feel. These materials take up less visual space, making the room look larger. Consider glass coffee tables, Lucite chairs, or clear shelving units.
13. Keep the Floor Visible
When the floor is visible, the room feels larger. Choose furniture with legs and avoid pieces that sit directly on the floor. This allows light to pass through and makes the room appear more spaciou
14.Incorporate Large-Scale Art or a Wall Mural
Incorporating large-scale art or a wall mural can significantly enhance the interior design of a space. By displaying oversized artwork or a mural, you create a striking focal point that not only adds visual interest but also makes the room feel more expansive, effectively distracting from its actual size.
4. Incorporate Mirrors and Light Reflecting Surfaces:
Decorating with mirrors is a great hack to make small rooms feel larger. Much like neutral paint colors, mirrors also reflect light in a room. They can also give depth to a room since they reflect opposing objects.
Strategically positioning a mirror across from a window will reflect natural light and mirror your outdoor setting. This will create the illusion of a larger space.
Mirrors play a vital role in enhancing the perception of size within a room. Strategically placed mirrors can increase the feeling of spaciousness by reflecting light and opening up multiple visual angles simultaneously. Consider mounting wall-mounted mirrors above mantels, doors, or windowsills to capitalize on available wall real estate while adding depth and dimension to your surroundings. Other alternatives include tabletop mirrors, dresser mirrors, and even large statement mirrors hung horizontally over beds or couches.
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15.Use flooring
Lighter-colored flooring, like cream carpets, natural tiles, or whitewashed wood, can expand the perceived size of a room. You can also try continuing the same type of flooring throughout your home to create a sense of space.
Choose Multi-Functional Furniture In a small room, every piece of furniture should serve a purpose. Opt for multi-functional furniture like a sofa bed, a coffee table with storage, or nesting tables. This helps keep the room uncluttered and maximizes the available space
Opt for Large-Scale Art and Decor
Contrary to popular belief, larger pieces of art and decor can actually make a room feel bigger. Choose one or two large pieces rather than multiple small ones to avoid a cluttered look.
Create Visual Continuity
Keeping a consistent color palette throughout the room can help create a seamless and expansive look. Avoid stark color contrasts and aim for a cohesive design that flows naturally from one area to another.
Use Glass and Lucite
Furniture made of glass or Lucite can help maintain an open and airy feel. These materials take up less visual space, making the room look larger. Consider glass coffee tables, Lucite chairs, or clear shelving units.
Keep the Floor Visible
When the floor is visible, the room feels larger. Choose furniture with legs and avoid pieces that sit directly on the floor. This allows light to pass through and makes the room appear more spacious.
Install Large-Scale Flooring
Wide planks or large tiles can make a small room feel bigger by reducing the number of visual breaks in the floor. Choose light-colored flooring to enhance the effect.
Conclusion:
Additionally, investing in lighting fixtures that reflect light onto walls and ceilings creates the illusion of increased brightness, thus expanding the room’s perceived size. For instance, pendant lights suspended above dining tables, kitchen islands, or sitting areas radiate illumination upward which bounces off surfaces before filling the surrounding area, giving the impression of higher ceilings and broader spaces.
With these expert tips and tricks incorporated into your home décor plans, anyone can transform their small living spaces into inviting, functional, and welcoming environments and make small room look bigger. Remember that maximizing room dimensions doesn’t always require extensive changes – sometimes subtle modifications in color schemes, furniture arrangements, and mirror placements can work wonders towards creating the illusion of ample square footage. Happy designing!