11 Tips to Make a Small Room Look Bigger

Living in a small space has its advantages, but if you want your home to feel spacious or are trying to prep your home for sale, then a few changes here and there can give an instant makeover to the interior.

Here are a few ways in which you can make a small room look bigger.

Stick with a light palette on the walls and ceilings

Light colors are known to make a place look brighter and roomier; it’s referred to as optical illusion. Lighter shades are more reflective in nature which maximizes the effect produced by natural lighting. On the other hand, darker shades produce an illusion of a smaller space since they absorb light. You can also style an accent wall to make rooms look bigger.

What colors can make your interior more spacious? Well, white has the best effect, but you can also play with pastels, neutrals, and lighter shades of greens and blues. Another sneaky way to make a small room look bigger is by painting the moldings and trims of your walls in a lighter shade than your walls.

But, before you start painting anything, you might want to read my post on How to Plaster a Wall.

Use mirrors to double the space

Mirrors make rooms look more open and larger. Find a focal point in the room and place the mirror in front of it to create an illusion of depth.  For instance, in a condo on the beach, you may place mirrors so that they reflect the scenery of the water and beach.

Since mirrors have a reflective surface, they will magnify the natural and artificial lighting making your place look brighter and bigger day and night. Placing the mirror near a window creates the best effect during the day.

Using glass on tabletops and placing mirrors on the wall can enhance a place’s brightness; mirrored cabinet doors also work well.

Remove all the clutter

Nothing looks more welcoming and cozy than a clean and tidy living space. When there is too much stuff strewn across the room, it makes the place look cramped and stuffy.

When you get rid of all the junk and stack away everything neatly in a cupboard or storage, it creates more space in your house. Having the appearance of additional space in the cupboard will not only make living in the home nicer but can also help at home sell.

A lot of people also tend to clutter their walls with too many décor pieces and photos, but when your home is compact, it is better to have one large décor piece on the wall instead of too many small ones as it would create a chaotic vibe.

Create a focal point

Focal points produce an illusion of a bigger space. A focal point is one area that will draw your attention. For instance, it would probably be the sofa in the living room, and in the bedroom, it would be the bed. So make the focal point stand out.

For instance, when decorating your living room, pick a big and cozy sofa and arrange all the other pieces of furniture in such a way that the attention falls on the couch; also limit the other pieces of furniture and accessories in the room.

Use Natural or Artificial Lighting to Open Up a Space

Natural light opens up a room and makes it look warmer and inviting. If you have natural light, great, but if you don’t, no worries because there are other ways to create stunning effects, such as by using artificial lighting.

If you have enough natural lighting, move aside the drapes and let them beam into your house to connect the indoors to the outdoors. If your home has small windows and lacks natural lighting, add some lighting fixtures such as lamps or install ceiling lights to liven up the place.

If it’s an attic room, you can install a roof hath window.

Get creative with furniture

Using small-space compatible furniture is the key to make a room or loft look bigger. Look at multi-functional furniture pieces such as a sofa bed, a bed with storage drawers, folding tables, expandable tables, nesting tables, or even a chest that you can use as a coffee table. The folding types can be tucked away when you don’t use them.

Too many bulky and tall pieces can eat up the space making your room look smaller than it is. Using chairs, tables, and sofas with exposed legs and open arms allows light to move under them, making the room look livelier and airier. You can also use low-lying furniture pieces like Ottomans and low-height tables and sofa to make the room look larger.

Smart arrangement of furniture in the room

Once you have selected suitable furniture, the next step is to arrange them in a way to open up more space. Arrange large pieces of furniture against a wall to make your room look bigger.

The longest line in a room is the diagonal line. So when you keep your furniture at an angle, it creates the illusion of a bigger room. Also, don’t block the pathways with accessories and furniture, as it will make your space look cramped.

Show more floor

Don’t cover up a floor surface with objects such as rugs, furniture, and other accessories, as it will make the place look cramped up. Too many items block the view and make it look like a confined space. Move all these objects away from areas such as pathways to open up spaces and make the floor visible to give the illusion of a bigger room.

You can also try using stripped floor coverings to make the place look longer. Using reflective and polished materials for flooring also helps make a room look brighter and expansive.

Get rid of heavy room darkening drapes

Heavy curtains block the light and the outside view – two things that can make a space look small. Some home-makers use long heavy drapes, which allows privacy, but it also creates the illusion of a smaller room.

Instead of using room darkening curtains, keep it minimal: opt for lightweight mesh, shutter, cloth binds, or even sheer curtains.

You can also place the curtain rod beyond the window frame to fully expose the windows. Pull the curtains away completely or use sheer window coverings to let in more light. If the outside view is an eyesore, you can use plants, flowers, and lamp shades to make the space look pretty and bright. On that note, check out the best plants for small apartments.

Paint your ceilings the same color as the walls

When you keep the ceilings the same color as the walls, it will draw our eyes all the way to the top making the room appear taller and brighter. Another way is to add wallpaper with small prints on the ceiling, as this trick will also draw the eyes up.

Installing crown molding and trim are bonuses. Using light color for the walls and the ceilings will work wonders, and dark colors also work if there is an adequate amount of natural lighting coming into the place.

Keep everything simple and creative!

Small spaces are challenging to decorate, but you might enjoy decorating them if you have a creative inclination.

To make it look bright and roomy, keep the décor simple but elegant. Tone down the patterns, reduce the number of items and limit the number of knickknacks. When it comes to art pieces, use framed pieces and hang them on one or two walls. Stay clear of overwhelming colors and patterns. Also, consider creating an accent wall.

You could also use glass pebbles or toy marbles to decorate your house.

Conclusion

Smaller spaces are easy to redecorate as the cost stays within an affordable range but to make it look spacious, you need to play around with the tips mentioned above. Keep everything neat and tidy, follow a simple layout, choose the right furniture and play with lighter color tones to transform your home into a larger living space.