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How to make your room feel bigger


7 Easy Ways for How to Make a Room Look Bigger

Your home can have rooms that are too big, too small, or exactly right – although that last may seem elusive. It may seem easier to fill a large space with more furniture than making a small space appear larger than it is. In this blog, we look at how to make a room look bigger, and in the process, make it function in ways you never imagined.

There are some benefits to having a smaller space to work with as you are decorating. It is easier to organize, and you need fewer furnishings to fill it up. The services of an interior designer can be invaluable when working with a small space to help you get the most out of your surroundings.

When you are trying to decide how to make a small room look bigger in your home, consider the following:

Paint and Color

People often ask what colors make a room look bigger when they are getting ready to paint the inside of their home. Light and dark colors, creating contrast, can give a room depth. When you look at how to make a small room look bigger with paint, keep in mind that medium shades will make your space appear smaller than it is. Using dark and bright white colors that open up a room, in contrast, creates the illusion of a much larger area.

Small rooms are not always square. Some may be narrow and long. When considering how to make a narrow room look wider with paint, keep in mind that light and cool colors recede – they seem farther away. Warm, dark colors advance towards us. For long narrow spaces, paint the opposing shorter walls a slightly darker (one or two shades) color than the two longer walls. That will make them feel closer, giving the image of a square shape. Conversely, you can also paint the longer walls a darker shade, emphasizing the room’s length – depending on which way you want to present the space.

Some painting techniques to make a room look bigger include:

When considering colors that make a room look bigger, white, in its many shades, is always an optimum choice. Its reflective qualities help to open a space and make it appear light and airy.

For more painting room ideas, check out the image below, showing how different painting options can change the appearance of your space.

Furniture

Next up in our ideas to make a small room look bigger is choosing furniture wisely. Now is the time to think about proportions. If you put your furniture up against the walls, it will make the room appear smaller. By leaving some air between the walls and your furniture, you create a feeling of roominess.

It is also good to avoid large, heavy pieces of furniture. Not only do they use up too much space in a small room, but they also draw all the focus to that part of the room. If you have tall pieces of furniture, place those against the wall to avoid breaking up the room.

Another way to make a room look bigger with furniture is to keep the furnishings lower to the ground. That also helps add more height to a low room be leaving more space above them. A chair such as the one below is an excellent example of keeping furniture lower in the room. Because it also shows the legs, it allows space, air, and light to flow around it.

Lighting

Natural light is one of the best ways to make a room look bigger. Remove the blinds and allow light to flow into your space. If possible, add some skylights to the room so that light can stream in from above.

When working with artificial lighting, place a few lamps around the room rather than one light overhead. Multiple light sources help expand the feel of the room and create ambient and even lighting.

Mirrors

Mirrors are an excellent way to make a room look bigger as they help reflect and bounce light from the windows. Another benefit of hanging a mirror on the wall is that it reflects the view and tricks the eye into the perception of increased space.

Drapery

Just as high heels will make any woman appear taller, floor-to-ceiling drapery will provide an instant height boost to any room.

Another option is to eliminate curtains, as they only add more for the eye to look at. If you do want drapes, consider breezy, lightweight fabrics, which provide an airy touch.

Decorations and Artwork

The décor you use in your room can make it seem smaller by cluttering up your space. Every surface of your room does not need to be covered in décor. The more you can open it up and let it “breathe,” the larger the space will feel. Place décor arrangements in groupings of 3 or 5 items on tables or dressers. Placing them on a tray helps to reduce the visual clutter.

Utilizing one large-scale piece of artwork on a wall rather than a gallery display of smaller ones will help open the room. If you do have many smaller pictures to display, place them all on one wall.

Reduce Clutter

Clutter is the enemy of small spaces. If you wonder how to make small rooms look bigger, getting rid of clutter is the number one thing you can do right now. That does not mean getting rid of your cherished items – it means finding creative ways to store them out of sight.

That optical illusion is especially important when thinking about how to make a small bedroom look bigger. The bedroom is our safe space – it is where we go to unwind and relax. It is hard to get a restful night’s sleep when clutter is all around you.

Baskets, such as those below, placed in the corner, can hold extra blankets, magazines, books, and pet toys out of the way. Goodbye clutter – hello space!

Another excellent way to make a room look bigger while eliminating clutter is with shelving units. Placed on either end of a window, you can even put a storage bench between them to create a window seat in a bedroom.

An excellent option is the Almora shelving unit shown below. The open back of the cubes allows for the light walls to shine through while providing plenty of room for your favorite books and decorations.

There you have it – many ways for how to make a room look bigger that are both beautiful to behold and functional at the same time.

The HK Collection is a beautifully curated collection of fine furnishings and décor for your home. We can help you find that special piece for any room or design.

Contact HK Interiors today at 954-401-8542 for all your interior design needs and more information.

Expert Advice: 11 Tips for Making a Room Look Bigger

As a former New Yorker and current owner of a wee Cape Cod cottage, I am quite familiar with both the charm and challenges of small spaces. When done well, they can feel like cozy, Zen-like retreats. But often when you have to cram all your worldly possessions into one tiny space, the results can feel cramped, claustrophobic, and anything but restful. Achieving the former instead of the latter takes some conscious effort.

The good news is that the key to successful small-space living might be easier than you think. It all boils down to tricking the eye into perceiving more space by employing three simple concepts: scale, light, and movement.

1. Scale it down.

Above: At Harbor Cottage in Maine, all the furniture, even the woodstove, has been downsized to fit the small living area. Photograph by Justine Hand from A Cottage Reborn in Coastal Maine.

Furniture for the small space is all about proportions. Simply put, if a piece brushes up against the boundaries of the room, either up and down or sideways, it’s too large. To create a sense of roominess, always leave a little air in between the sides of your furniture and the walls. (The one exception is a bed; a queen placed between two walls, for instance, creates a cozy sleeping cave.)

Also avoid heavy, weighty pieces that eat up too much of the usable space in the room. For example, a sleek sofa or chair will give you as much sitting room as its overstuffed cousin but will take up much less of your room. If you long for a large, statement piece (a piece of art or mirror), hang it on the wall. Don’t consume valuable living space by putting it on the floor.

2. Keep a low profile.

Above: Designer Corinne Gilbert uses low-slung pieces to create an open feel in her living room. Also, notice that the mirrors are hung low so that they “relate” to the sofa. Photograph by Matthew Williams from Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.

Furniture that is lower to the ground will create a feeling of openness in a room simply by the fact that they leave more space above them. In the bedroom, choose a loft bed or even try placing a mattress directly on the floor. In the living room, embrace your inner Mad Men style with low-to-the-ground midcentury pieces. Or, if your tastes run more toward the romantic and ornate, 19th-century furniture also has a low profile.

Above: Designer Michaela Scherrer’s bed feels spacious even though the bed takes up most of the room. That’s because both her bed and the art on the walls are positioned toward the lower half of the room, leaving the upper half virtually empty. The single bulb hanging from the ceiling also serves to emphasize the height of the room. Photograph by Matthew Williams from Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.

3. Show a little leg with lithe furniture.

Above: The Hudson Valley retreat of Workstead’s Robert Highsmith and Stefanie Brechbuehler is short on space and long on charm. To maximize the sense of light and air, the design duo employed leggy and lithe furniture and fixtures. Photograph by Matthew Williams from Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.

Again, creating the illusion of more space is all about creating a sense of openness and movement. Furniture that is streamlined allows light and air to flow not just over but also under and around it, so that it appears to float in space. Again, think midcentury modern pieces, which are both low and leggy. Or consider the perfect piece of soaring furniture: the butterfly chair. (See Object Lesson: The Classic Butterfly Chair.)

Above: In her London living room, Remodelista’s Christine Chang Hanway creates an open feel by employing midcentury furniture that allows light from the generous windows to flow through the room. Photograph by Kristen Perers for Remodelista.

4. Mirror, mirror on the wall…

Above: In her small bedroom in Brooklyn, architectural designer Elizabeth Roberts cleverly positions a mirror so that it actually looks like another window. Photograph by Matthew Williams from Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.

Any discussion of small spaces needs to include the idea of using mirrors to create a greater sense of openness. Not only do they reflect light, they also reflect the view, thereby tricking the eye into perceiving more space.

5. Ditch the drapes (and rugs).

Above: In their Hudson Valley living room, Robert Highsmith and Stefanie Brechbuehler of Workstead maximize a sense of space by using leggy, low-profile furniture and fixtures as well as a mirror over the couch. They also keep the space looking uncluttered by ditching the drapes and the rug. Photograph by Matthew Williams from Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.

As we saw with mirrors, it’s all about tricking the eye. Curtains stop the eye from taking in the view outside, even if they don’t cover the whole window. And drapes and curtains just add more “stuff” to the room. Eliminating them keeps the space simple. If you want privacy, consider shutters or lightweight mesh or cloth blinds. Or if curtains are a must for you, use a bar that extends far beyond the window frame, so you can fully expose the window.

Ditto rugs. Cast your eye over all the small spaces in this article. Note how few have rugs or, if they do, how simple and minimal they are.

Above: In my own Cape Cod cottage, note how with the absence of curtains, the eye is drawn right through several rooms and out the window beyond. Photograph by Justine Hand for Remodelista.

6. White it out.

Above: In the renovation of a Montauk beach house, Brooklyn architects Space Exploration painted the entire house in Benjamin Moore’s Super White, with a flat finish on the walls and satin on the ceilings. Photograph courtesy of Space Exploration from our post The Simple Life: A Montauk Beach House for a Creative Couple.

We all know of white’s reflective qualities. It opens up a room, making it feel airy and light, calm and serene. Painting the walls and ceiling the same shade of white only enhances this cloud-like effect. And it serves to blur the boundaries between wall and celling, causing your eye to travel up, essentially making the ceiling seem higher. Finally, in small spaces that can quickly become cluttered looking, white is a good choice because it simplifies a space and emphasizes the architecture. (That’s why architects love it so much. See 10 Easy Pieces: Architect’s White Paint Picks.)

If you’re worried that an all-white space will feel too cold, then pair it with warming elements such as wood, or textured elements, such as a shaggy wool throw. And remember that you don’t have choose a stark white. (See Remodeling 101: How to Choose the Perfect White Paint.)

7.

Emphasize the vertical. Above: Christien Starkenburg, a furniture designer in the Netherlands, uses vertical wood paneling to emphasize the height of her small kitchen and dining area. Photograph courtesy of Anna de Leeuw from our post Kitchen of the Week: The Curtained Kitchen, Dutch Modern Edition.

Whether it’s a tall shelf, some vertical shiplap, or the bare hanging bulb we saw in Michaela Scherrer’s bedroom above, employing one element that emphasizes the vertical space in the room will increase the sense of openness. It also enhances the feeling of movement and flow.

Above: In her wee bath, clothing designer Dagmar Daley ditched her curtains, used all white to maximize the sense of light and air, and she used vertical elements, wainscoting and a shower curtain, to emphasize the height of the room. Photograph by Matthew Williams from Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.

8. Emphasize the horizontal.

Above: In this bedroom, designer Tiina Laakonen ran horizontal shiplap right up the walls and ceiling. The effect is a seamless transition from wall to ceiling that emphasizes the height and the width of the room. Note also that the curtains are pushed to the side to frame the view. Photograph by Matthew Williams from Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.

It all boils down to creating a sense of movement. Like the leggy furniture that creates a sense of dynamism, or the mirrors that reflect light and a view back into the room, anything that causes your eye to travel around a room in an intentional and orderly fashion will make it feel larger. (I say “international and orderly” because a cluttered room with lots of distracting elements will also cause your eye to travel, but in a haphazard fashion.

9. Clear a pathway.

Above: In her Napa Valley bungalow, Remodelista’s Sarah Lonsdale cleared a path in her dining room by setting the table to one side rather than at the center of the room. Photograph by Matthew Williams from Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.

When dealing with a small room, one naturally wants to maximize the space by pushing all the pieces to the edges. But if this causes you to bump into things, it can enhance a claustrophobic feel. Sometimes it is better to group the furniture on one side of the room, so people can pass through unhindered.

10. Use breezy fabrics.

Above: To maximize the open, airy feeling of this cozy apartment in Mainz, in western Germany, Lea Korzeczek and Matthias Hiller of Studio Oink employed the reflective power of white floors coupled with breezy, lightweight fabrics. Photograph courtesy of Studio Oink from Earthly and Ethereal: An Apartment Makeover by Studio Oink.

If possible, avoid heavy materials and fabrics that absorb light and weigh your room down. Linen is a perfect example of a lightweight material that will increase the sense of airiness in the room.

11. Above all, keep it simple.

Above: As demonstrated in landscape designer Emily Erlam’s home in Norfolk, keeping your palette and furniture to a minimum serves to create an open feel. Photograph courtesy of Ionana Marinescu from A Rural Remodel in Norfolk, Tithe Barn and Piggery Included.

Small spaces are all about editing. The more pieces, possessions, and patterns you have in a room, the more cluttered it will feel. Avoid too many knickknacks or at least group them so they read as an installation. Ditto with art; concentrate your framed pieces on one or two walls. Avoid busy patterns and overwhelming colors. Or, if you absolutely must have that William Morris–esque wallpaper, consider placing it on one accent wall. Same with color, try painting just one wall or a door and stick to a single shade. Now is not the time to embrace the whole spectrum.

The bottom line is you need to be strict with yourself (actually, this concept applies to all spaces) and intentional about everything that goes into the room. If you go for the wallpaper accent wall, then keep the rest of the room simple. If you need that huge oil painting in your living room, try having it be the only art in the room.

Above: The bare bones treatment of this bedroom by Father Rabbit Limited turns a small space into a restful retreat. Photograph courtesy of Father Rabbit from Shopper’s Diary: Father Rabbit Finds a New Home.

Looking for more small-space and other design solutions? See:

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on December 28, 2015.

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Benjamin Moore $10.99 USD from Benjamin Moore

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! nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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. nine0003

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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. nine0003

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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. nine0003

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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. nine0003

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7 Floor to match the walls

bedrooms. If this is not possible, try to find a light carpet. nine0003

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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. nine0003

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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. nine0003

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10 More light

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

Learn more