6 Tips & Tricks For Making a Small Room Look Bigger
9:27 PM
Decorating a small home is challenging. After moving from a large spacious house to a tiny townhouse, I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to making a tiny room look larger than it actually is. Here are the 6 tips & tricks I’ve learned to making a small room look bigger.
1. Choose the right paint color.
Paint color is probably the most crucial element to making a room looker bigger than it actually is. One thing I have noticed, through all my room paint transformations, is that painting a small room in a dark color generally results in a smaller looking room, but using a lighter color is the key to making a room look larger. It makes the ceilings look taller and the walls seem longer. The room doesn’t appear as closed in as a room painted in a darker colors.
Here’s a look at a room in my house that was repainted with a lighter color and the impact it made on the size of the room. The powder room on the middle floor of my parent’s house looked small and claustrophobic with the old paint color which was a dark beige with a strong tint of yellow. After painting the room with Glidden Bluegrass White, the room looks much larger and spacious. Even without a full glimpse of the bathroom, you can tell that the room appears much larger with the new paint color.
Another good example is this living room from Four Generations One Roof. The lighter paint color makes the room look much more spacious and open.
For More Examples Check Out These Posts
2. Make sure the furniture placement is on point.
Bulky furniture can make a room look a lot smaller, especially if the piece of furniture is in a dark color. Keeping bulky furniture in a small room can be ok, if its strategically placed to ensure its not hindering the size of the room. Natural light is crucial toward making a room look larger. If bulky furniture is blocking the natural light it can create, what I like to call, the “cave effect,” where the walls appear to be caving in and the light isn’t able to flow. One example from my parent’s home is their living room area, where my mom had crammed so many pieces of furniture you could barely walk {well that might be an exaggeration, but it was really cluttered with bulky furniture}
Here’s a perfect example, from The Kim Fix Six Room Staging for MLS Listing Photos (Flashback Friday), of how furniture placement can change how big {or small a room looks}
This room from BluLabel Bungalow is another good example of how furniture placement making an impact on the size of the room.
3. Add the right accent colors.
If you’re like me, it might be hard to pick the right accent color because you like so many colors, but picking the right accent color is crucial in making a room look larger than it actually is. Too many different colors can make a room look cluttered and clutter usually results in a room looking smaller {less space because of all the clutter.} Keep it simple and clean by choosing accents colors that are neutral, even colors that are only a shade or two lighter than the wall color. Don’t get me wrong, adding a pop of color is still an awesome way to add a little flare to a room that is overall, pretty neutral, but just remember to keep the pops of color to the minimum and choose a pop of color on things that make an impact, but aren’t too focal.
Check out I Heart Organizing’s Dining Room, where the China Cabinet adds a little color to the room but the rest of the room remains neutral as to not create chaos and clutter in the room.
4. Use over-sized mirrors.
Adding mirrors reflects natural light around the room, opening it up, and making it look larger.
Wayfair.com is a great place to get large mirrors at a reasonable price. Or if you’re in a hurry check out Home Goods or Marshalls.
5. Keep the trim light and bright.
Dark trim darkens a room, which makes it look smaller. To keep a room looking light and bright and larger, make sure the trim is painted white. It’s crazy the impact white trim can make.
A perfect example of this is the Live Love DIY House
Here’s another example from Live Love DIY
6. Use storage furniture.
Eliminate clutter by adding as much “secret storage” as possible. Less clutter makes a room appear much bigger than it actually is.
This storage bed from The Sawdust Girl is a perfect example of bedroom storage.
I’ve struggled in multiple home to create a big house feel in a small space. It’s hard enough to simply decorate a home to make it feel like home, let alone make a small box of a home feel like something other than a box. But, follow these simple rules, and creating a bigger feel in a small space will be cake!
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