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How to make small room look larger


7 Tips to Make a Room Look Bigger

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Need to add some pizzazz to a small space? When outfitting small spaces, everything counts. With a few well-placed items and smart design choices, you can actually make a room look bigger. 

Ready to transform your space? Here are seven tips for making your small room look much bigger.

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7 easy tips to make a room look bigger

1. Use contrasts and light colors  Photographee.eu / Shutterstock

Here’s how to make a room look bigger with color. (Hint: It’s an optical illusion.) In the design world, it’s well known that light paint colors make a room look bigger and brighter. Light and bright walls are more reflective, making a space feel open and airy, which helps maximize natural light’s effect. Dark shades tend to absorb light, making rooms feel smaller. 

Accenting walls to make a room look bigger is another way to go. Accent walls add to the decorative space in color without being too overpowering. Start your painting journey with a color palette that suits your style.

So, what colors make a room look bigger? For an optimum effect, go with soft tones like off-white, blues, and greens, and always remember that brighter rooms feel bigger and more inviting. And here’s another hack: Try painting your wall trim and moldings in a lighter color than your walls. By doing so, the walls will appear farther back, making your living room seem even bigger. To get you started, consider looking at some of the best neutral colors.  

2. Open up your space with creative lighting

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Natural light opens up the interior of any room and makes it look larger. That’s great if you have natural light. If you don’t, that’s totally fine. Add some creative lighting effects using light fixtures. You’ll be amazed at how this small addition can make a big difference.

If you have access to natural light, bringing it into your home through large windows will instantly connect the room with the outdoors, no longer limiting your space. Use sheer window curtains, or pull them back completely, to allow more light in. If the view is bad, put plants or flowers near the windows and use lamps to brighten the space.

3. Cut the clutter

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Keeping a room tidy and organized can physically and visually open up space in any room. With things neatly arranged and out of sight, the space that is in view will feel orderly and open. Try to keep the floor as clear as possible. Remove large rugs to create the illusion of more floor space.

This approach also applies to your walls. Don’t cover your walls with a lot of pictures. One large painting or tapestry works better than a group of small paintings when you’re thinking about how to make a room look bigger.

4. Create a focal point

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Learn how to make a room look bigger through an established focal point — one area or feature that will draw the eye’s attention. In the dining room, that’s probably the table. In the bedroom, it’s the bed.

Make that focal point the star of the room. Arrange the furniture so that focus is drawn to that area, and keep the décor in the rest of the room to a minimum (limit the number of accessories).

Yvonne Pratt, a designer at StoneGable, calls the focal point “the star” of its space. She explains how you identify that star and shares some examples like fireplaces, large art, or a window “with a breathing view.” 

5. Use mirrors

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If you’ve ever wondered, “Can mirrors actually make a room look bigger?” the answer is a resounding yes. Mirrors can make your room look larger and more open. Use a focal point and angle your mirrors toward it to give the illusion of depth. 

Leoma Harper, interior design expert with Style the Clutter, says that mirrors can, “totally transform a space, reflecting light into dark corners, frame details, help you get ready in the morning, but most importantly, they can completely open up a room giving the illusion of space and light.”  

Mirrors also reflect both natural and artificial light to make a room brighter during the day and night. Placing a mirror near a window to reflect the world outside is especially effective.

Mirrors on the walls and glass table tops also will give your room a more open feel, or use mirrored cabinet doors. Ever considered mirrors on the floor? That’s another clever way to make a room look bigger.

6. Get creative with furniture

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Using the right furniture is a key way to make a room look bigger. You can use multi-functional furniture, such as a chest that can be used as a coffee table, a sofa bed, or a bed with storage drawers. Expandable dining tables, folding tables, and nesting tables, which can be tucked away when you don’t need them, are also good picks.

Keep in mind that tall and bulky furniture can take up precious space. Choose a sofa and chairs with open arms and exposed legs. This allows light to filter under the furniture, making the room appear airier.

7. Maximize your room arrangement

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Scale your furniture to fit the size of the room. Place larger pieces of furniture against the walls to maximize the open space and make a small room look bigger. Also, don’t block pathways. If furniture and accessories block the view into a room, it will look cramped.

The longest straight line in any room is the diagonal. When you place your furniture at an angle, it leads the eye along the longer wall. Bonus: You often get some additional storage space behind the piece.

Making the most of your space can also be achieved by floating shelves or creative uses of closet space as well. Have an empty wall? 

Color techniques, furniture arranging, mirror placement, and creative lighting design can fool the eye and make interiors seem much more spacious than they actually are. But don’t stop there – let your interior designer side take over, and discover what works best for your home. 

Frequently asked questions

Q:

What colors make a room look bigger?

A:

If you’re searching for colors that make a room look bigger, look for light colors, like off-white, dusty blue, light gray, and sage green.

Q:

Do built-ins make a room look bigger?

A:

You can learn how to make a room look bigger by maximizing space through the use of built-ins or multifunctional furniture. This gives you a place for clutter while also maximizing precious storage space.

Q:

What furniture style can make a room look bigger?

A:

Multifunctional furniture, or pieces that can double as other items, is a good way to make a room look bigger, as are pieces with exposed legs.

Q:

What colors make a living room look bigger?

A:

The decorating rules for any  room apply to living rooms as well. If you want to make your living room look bigger, stick to lighter colors that reflect more light and make the space feel more open. Neutrals, like off-white, beige, or light grays, are a great way to add a level of sophistication and calm.

Virginia Brown contributed to this post.

11 Easy Ways to Make a Small Room Look Bigger

You may lament the lack of space if you're in the process of decorating a small room, but there are plenty of reasons why small is better: small spaces are easier to decorate, easier to keep clean, and easier to organize. So what can you do to make a room look bigger? Think of easy fixes like clearing out clutter, adding reflective surfaces, choosing neutral colors, and more, Read on for more simple tips that will help you make a small room look bigger without breaking the bank.

Clear Out the Clutter

There's nothing that makes a small space feel more cramped than having too much stuff. Work out ways to get collections out of view, organized behind doors, table skirts, or on shelves. With things neatly arranged and out of sight, the space that is in view will feel orderly and open.

Open the Way

When furniture and accessories block the view into a room, it will look cramped. By moving furniture out and away from walkways, you'll open up the space and make it feel larger. You can also choose short pieces of furniture like an ottoman, an armless open chair, or a low table, and place large, tall pieces along a wall rather than out in the open space. If you can see the floor, the room will look larger.

The Spruce / Sophia Reay

Chooser Soft, Light Hues

Whereas dark, warm colors make space feel cozy and intimate, light, cool colors make space feel open and airy. For optimum effect, select soft tones of blue and green.

Use a Neutral Color Scheme

Choose colors that are in the same family, and use tone-on-tone woven upholstery fabrics, textured wall finishes, and tonal drapery fabrics. Cool colors and delicate warm colors on most surfaces give a small room a more open look.

The Spruce / Sophia Reay

Coordinate Wall and Furniture Colors

Contrasting colors tend to break up a space, making it appear even smaller than it is. Pieces of furniture that match the wall color are less jarring and tend to blend with the space, giving the illusion of a bigger room.

Let in the Light

Any room will look larger if it's well-lit, either by natural light or artificial lighting. Get rid of heavy draperies, and open up the windows to let the light of the outdoors into the space. Add more lamps or install track lighting or recessed lighting.

Utilize Glass and Lucite

By using materials that you can see through, anything beyond will appear farther away. For example, in a tiny bathroom, get rid of an opaque glass shower enclosure and substitute a clear, frameless one. The room is the same size but it will look bigger. Now you can see all the way to the wall at the back of the shower––it may only be three extra feet, but the difference it makes is dramatic. You can also use glass or lucite for tabletops. With a sturdy base of wood, stone, or metal, the space around the table will open up the view beyond.

The Spruce / Sophia Reay

Add Reflective Surfaces

Use a large framed mirror on a wall, or stand an oversized framed mirror against a wall. You'll get the same room-enlarging effect as a mirrored wall, but with more style. The room and light will be reflected, resulting in a more open feeling. Top a coffee table or side table with a piece of beveled plate mirror, or purchase a mirrored chest of drawers for a similar effect.

Go Big

Use a few large, simple pieces of furniture or accessories in place of several smaller pieces, which makes a small space look cluttered. With open space and large blocks of color, the room will appear to be more calm and comfortable.

Keep the Upholstery Plain

Select solid-colored upholstery for furniture instead of bold plaids, stripes, or prints. Use texture for interest and neutral tones whenever possible.

Stick With Airy, Light Fabrics

Sheer fabrics allow light to pass through window treatments, bed skirts, and table covers. If you want something other than plain colors, find soft floral vines or simple stripes to keep the look simple.

20 simple tricks - INMYROOM

Interior decor

Tiny kitchen, low ceilings, limited options - you can discuss the disadvantages of small spaces for a long time. We have selected 20 tricks to transform a small space as easy as shelling pears. But talking about ways to solve these problems seems endless. Today we have chosen 20 main techniques for visually modeling a room, with the help of which it is easy to transform a space constrained by a small footage!

Tip #1: Choosing the Right Curtains

When choosing curtains, make sure they match the color of the walls. A similar color scheme will help to make the space more voluminous. In addition, the curtains should not be too thick and heavy. It is best to combine roller blinds and light cotton tulle or curtains.

Trick #2: More Natural Light

Don't use your window sill as a bookshelf and don't plant flowers on it. Glasses should always be clean: even the smallest room filled with light looks cozy and airy.

Reception No. 3: furniture with legs is a must-have

A sofa or a bed, a coffee table, a chest of drawers, a wardrobe - all furniture should “hover” above the floor, and not grow into it.

Technique #4: Organize the House

Consider storage systems, always put shoes and clothes away. Refuse the abundance of sofa cushions and accessories so that they, in turn, do not create a sense of chaos.

Technique #5: Neutrals - Basics

Pastel light walls are your choice. Choose warm, light colors to decorate the background - walls, ceiling, floor and overall furniture.

Technique #6: Use bespoke tailoring

Don't neglect custom textiles or sew pillow covers, curtains and tablecloths yourself. A single style and color in the textile design of the house helps to visually expand the space.

Technique #7: Multifunctional Furniture

Opt for multifunctional furniture: an armchair-bed, a folding kitchen table, a closet in which the bed is stored, chairs on wheels - the space of small rooms should not be static.

Technique #8: Using Mirrors

Mirrors placed in front of a window visually make the space appear larger. Make wardrobe doors or doors mirrored and the room will look much larger.

Reception No. 9: balance in the choice of furniture

A few dimensional interior items will help visually increase the space. For example, a wide corner sofa can take up half of the room, but if the rest of the furniture is smaller, then the room will look larger in contrast.

Technique #10: Use Ceiling Height

A very simple and functional trick is floor-to-ceiling bookshelves or cabinets. They seem huge, but along with them, the room itself seems larger and higher.

Technique No. 11: Enlarge the window opening with curtains

Hang a wide cornice as close to the ceiling as possible: curtains to the floor will look elegant and visually make the window wider and taller.

Technique #12: Tidy Shelves

Leave space on the shelves so you can create a sense of harmony and give the room a spacious look. It is better to put heavy books on the lower shelves, and place photographs, trinkets dear to the heart or candles at eye level.

Tip #13: Don't place furniture along the walls

This looks outdated and, contrary to popular belief, does not contribute to the visual expansion of the room. Don't be afraid to place a table or sofa across or even in the middle of the room. Create a cozy functional space, not a dance floor. Then you will stop paying attention to crowding and will just enjoy being at home.

Technique #14: Accent Walls

Highlighting one or more walls with a more saturated color will create the volume that small rooms lack. You can also use floral print wallpaper or decorative plaster.

Technique #15: Bright Ceiling

One of the biggest myths about small rooms is that the ceiling should always be white. This is not true. Paint the ceiling a darker and brighter color and you will be surprised how much more spacious the room will appear.

Technique #16: Striped Floor

This is a bold but very effective solution. The striped floor will create the feeling of an infinitely long or, conversely, wide room.

Technique #17: Place transparent furniture

Glass table and chairs made of high-quality transparent polymers are the perfect solution for small rooms. Even dimensional pieces of furniture look weightless and visually do not clutter up an already small space.

Technique #18: More Lights

Lighting should be varied. Spot lighting of paintings, a lamp above the table, sconces on the walls - this is a great solution for small rooms. It is better if the light is directed upwards - so the ceilings will visually appear higher.

Technique #19: The best decor is works of art

Just because a room is small doesn't mean that art objects shouldn't be there. On the contrary, a large-format picture in an elegant frame will make the room more voluminous.

Technique #20: Tall Doors

A tall doorway raises the ceiling visually and looks stylish and elegant.

10 non-obvious ways to make a small room bigger

1 Solid colors

Almost all tips say that a small room is best decorated in light colors, but at the same time the main shades, even if they are light, in such an interior should be quite a bit, ideally one or two. Therefore, before repairing and decorating, select the main color, find its name according to the Pantone table and at the same time write down a couple of the next shades. This will simplify the search for finishing materials. Print the selected shades on a color printer and go with them to a furniture store, behind curtains and doors, so as not to try to determine “by eye” how much they will fit into the interior.

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2 Clean straight lines

The smaller the room, the easier it should be perceived. Therefore, choose laconic furniture without unnecessary decorations, avoid a large number of accessories on the walls. Ideally, if there are no large differences in height or a bright contrast of shape and material between adjacent pieces of furniture.

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3 Lack of small details

Don't rush to complete the room with a lot of small and flashy accessories. Start with some minimalism, let yourself get used to the interior and understand what accents it lacks. Perhaps a couple of well-chosen little things will perfectly complete the image. But the excess will make the room overloaded and emphasize a small area. This is especially true of window sills - it is better to leave them empty and not force the window.

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4 Open storage

You have to be careful with open shelves and racks - they must not be overloaded and must be kept in order. In addition, the rule of maintaining a single color direction applies to them too. Therefore, if you need a bookshelf, take care of the same book covers, this will preserve their appearance and turn them into beautiful accessories.

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5 Furniture with legs

Try to find furniture with legs for a small room: sofa, wardrobe, armchairs. Legs make any furniture visually a little lighter, which will benefit the interior.

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6 Tall cabinets

Surprisingly, ceiling-height cabinets look better in a small space than dressers and two-thirds of the height of the room. The fact is that visually they look like a continuation of the wall, especially if they match in color with it. This is true for both the bedroom and the kitchen. In addition, it will increase the amount of storage area.

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7 Floor to match the walls

bedrooms. If this is not possible, try to find a light carpet.

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8 Wallpaper with discreet pattern

When choosing wallpaper, pay attention to models with discreet pattern, textured. Due to the fact that the interior does not have a wide variety of colors, the room may look a little boring and a variety of textures will solve this problem. You can try to decorate a contrasting wall with light wallpaper with a small, infrequently repeated bright pattern, for example, polka dots or small flowers.

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9 Proper Curtain Placement

In order to visually enlarge a room, you need to enlarge the window and raise the ceilings. One way to do this is to hang a curtain rod above the top edge of the window. Curtains at the same time should be fabric, without unnecessary folds, just above the floor or just below the ceiling.

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10 More light

If there is not enough natural light in the room, add more additional light sources.

Learn more