HOW TO MAKE A SMALL ROOM SEEM BIGGER?

HOW TO MAKE A SMALL ROOM SEEM BIGGER?

1. DECLUTTER! DECLUTTER! DECLUTTER!

I know, it sounds very obvious but, clutter can make a room look much smaller. When things are not organized, they are not in their designated place and therefore take more than the required space, which ultimately steals from your overall room style. So, the very well known trick, I definitely recommend to you is to designate a space for everything and everything must be in its designated space at all times! This design tip will do wonders and you’ll notice a big difference immediately.

Another way to reduce clutter AND to make the room look more refined is to use the same color/matching storage bins. These will give the room a more cohesive and aesthetically appealing look and you can use them to put your things to reduce clutter.

2. USE RUGS AND USE THEM WISELY

Area rugs are an investment worth making, believe me!

Rugs can give life to the room by adding a pop of color and make the space look bigger. However, you have to make sure that you get the right size carpet, having an area rug that is too small can make the room feel even smaller. So, invest a little more money in a good rug.

In term of size, here’s what would make your space look larger:

• • Living-room: the front legs of the sofa must be over the rug and it should extend for about 7″ on both sides of the sofa. 
  • Dining-room: pull all the chairs out as if you are about to sit, keep them that way, and tape the perimeter because that is the right size of the rug. 
  • Bedroom (Queen size bed): the rug should extend about 2’6″ on each side of the bed and 3″6″ at the end of the bed. 

OR you can layer multiple rugs to give the same impression a large enough rug would.

Another important role a rug plays in your home is the definition of areas. Your area rugs in an open space can define where each space is within the room. It dictates where the living room ends and the dining room starts, where the bed ends and where the reading nook begins, etc.  

Also, don’t be afraid to add a pop of color to the room through the rugs you choose.

3. PAINT THE WALLS AND FRAMES WITH THE SAME LIGHT COLOR

A cheap and effective way to make your interior seem bigger is PAINT and you don’t even need a professional for it!

To make a room look bigger, you should go with light color paint and make sure you also paint the door and window frames with the same color.

Bonus Tips: 

Here are some paint illusion tricks:

• • If you paint all the walls, frames, and ceiling of the room a shade of white wall paint, it will give the illusion that the room is larger. 
  • If you want to play with a darker color to add a pop of color, you can use it to your advantage. For instance: 
    
    • if you paint the lower half of the wall a shade of white and the top half a dark color, it would expand the room horizontally
    • if you paint about 39″ (~100cm) off the bottom of all the walls a dark color and the remaining space and ceiling a shade of white, it would elongate the room vertically.
    • If you paint vertical stripes with a dark color, it would also increase the height of the room. 

4. HIGH RISE CURTAINS

Curtains have a major impact on a space, have them too short or too narrow and you waste an opportunity to make your space seem larger and higher.

You should always hang your curtains as high as you can and wider than the window frame, as it gives the illusion that the room is bigger. To add to this illusion, you should choose airy light-colored long curtains, preferably the same color as the walls.

5. MULTIPURPOSE/NESTED FURNITURE

What can make a room look bigger more than actual free space! But, how do you make free space in a small room? Well, I’m glad you asked!

Free space can be achieved by reducing the amount of furniture in the room, using multi-purpose furniture. 

Having one piece of furniture that can be used for multiple uses will reduce the amount of furniture that you have to fit in the room. For instance, you can have:

• • An ottoman that has storage. 
  • A living room coffee table that has incorporated seating, which means, no need for sofa chairs. 
  • A bookshelf that can be used as a desk,
  • A bed that has storage underneath it or has drawers on each side, 
  • A floor lamp that has incorporated shelves/side table
  • A coffee table that doubles as a desk
  • Etc. 

Having multipurpose furniture can free up space to allow for an airy room and a bigger walkway, which gives the illusion that the room is bigger than it would be with a full set of single-use furniture.

6. TRANSPARENT/LIGHT COLORED FURNITURE

See-through furniture will make your room look larger than it is because there’s no visual barrier. Your eyes will continue looking until they meet an opaque object, which gives the illusion that the room is bigger than it actually is.

Here are some ideas:

• • Transparent nightstands, 
  • Transparent chairs
  • Transparent tables
  • Etc.

However, if you are not a fan of transparent furniture, you can purchase furniture or paint your existing furniture a light color. In the same way as see-through furniture, light-colored furniture also gives the impression that the room is larger than it actually is. Having furniture that is similar in color to the wall can trick the eye into believing the interior is larger.  

Transparent or light-colored furniture also gives the room an airy and modern look.

7. USE OFF THE FLOOR & AIRY FURNITURE

If you cannot have transparent/light color furniture or that you are not into it or if you just want to add to the illusion. Another way to create the impression of having a larger room is to give it an airy feel. This design can be achieved with your choice of furniture as well.

An airy look means that we want as little eye blocks as we can and since we can’t really poke holes in the furniture itself, we can take away from its bottom. Say good-bye to the bulky couch, bookcase, bed, etc. you want furniture with thin legs or better yet, no legs. When you can see the floor, the space seems much larger.

The optimal furniture piece for a small interior is a floating one! You want to have:

• • Floating nightstands, 
  • Wall sconces, 
  • Overhead light fixtures
  • Floating desks
  • Etc. 

I know, we have to be realistic! You can’t really have a floating sectional or bed, if you can, GREAT! If not, you might want to get furniture that is off the floor and that has thin legs, we don’t want any furniture that would be fully touching the floor. This will allow for an airy look and doesn’t block the eye as would a bulky-on-the-floor type of furniture. 

8. USE MIRRORS AND LIGHT FIXTURES TO ADD LIGHT 

Now that we have covered the many ways you can use furniture, let’s look at other accessories. Another aspect of interior design that can play a big role in enlarging a space is LIGHT. A bright room looks much bigger and airier.

Mirrors have been used for a long time to bring light into the home. Place a tall large mirror facing a window and will not only bring the light in and reflect it to the rest of the room but it will also give the impression that your space is higher than it is.

Similarly, if you don’t have as much natural light and would like to brighten up the room, instead of having one focal light source, you should spread the light around the room. Have many sources of light in the room to reduce dark spots because darkness will make your interior seem much smaller and less inviting. Have a few floor and table lights maybe add ceiling lights if possible.

Another way to avoid those hard-to-reach dark spots and to add depth to the space is to take the light to those spots by using backlighting, instead of directing the light towards the room, you turn it to the walls, behind the furniture, towards corners, etc.

The key here is to bring in as much natural light as possible or create the effect of natural light.

9. CHOOSE YOUR WALKWAY AND DO NOT BLOCK IT

You want to designate a walkway where you can walk to get from point A to point B and not be disturbed by furniture or obstacles along the way. This is a safety but also key design feature.

This will allow your space to be bigger than it is because it will make your room airy and appear clutter-free. Nothing is blocking your view and you are able to see the floor when you walk and that makes the room feel larger.

10. DECORATE VERTICALLY

Low ceilings can make the room seem much smaller and more cramped. So, in addition to the tips mentioned above, you want to use the vertical space to attract the eye upward. Add floating shelves and put your pops of colors there, layer your wall art, add interesting pieces to draw the eye of the viewer upward, and give them the illusion that the space is vertically stretched.

One more pop of color that would give life to your design is PLANTS! Use plants, alive, dried, fake, it does not matter, this accessory can add some color but also if placed on a shelf can add height to your room.

Alright my lovelies, there you have my tips to create the illusion that a space is bigger than it actually is. The better part is that these tips can be applied to almost every room in your home and you can either use all of them at once or mix and match depending on your 

interior design needs and preferences.

Try my tips and let me know how it went!

Don’t forget to tell me if you enjoyed this post and if you found it helpful in the comment section. Also, if you have any additional tips don’t hesitate to write them down as well.

Do you have an interior design block or are you looking for advice on a specific issue?

Please send me an email or write to me on Facebook or Instagram and it would be my pleasure to help you out.

Cannot wait to hear from you!

Oh! one last thing, don’t forget to follow me on social media and join my newsletter to stay up to date :