Expand small spaces
You are not the only one who has ever wondered, "How to make a small room look bigger?". Although efficient and comfortable, small spaces can more often feel claustrophobic and unorganized.
Though there are obvious solutions (renovate, expand, move), the following suggestions are much less expensive and time consuming. Many of them may appear counterintuitive or unexpected, but that is the beauty of design.
There are numerous little tips, tricks, and design choices that can be made to compensate for a home's physical limitations so that the space doesn't feel nearly as small as it is.
Room arrangement
Scale down your furniture to fit the space. To make a small room appear larger and to maximize the open space, position larger pieces of furniture against the walls. Don't block any pathways either.
A room will appear claustrophobic if furniture and other decor block the entrance. The diagonal is the longest straight line in any room. By positioning your furniture at an angle, you can draw attention to the longer wall.
Streamlined/low-slung furniture
Everything about small space furniture is about proportions. Remove heavy furniture that will absorb light from your living room and chunky pieces that are just too big if you want to make a small living room appear larger. Think "light" with tapered legs and narrow frame sections.
Glass is another option to take into account. Simply by leaving more space above them, furniture that is lower to the ground will give a room a sense of openness. Simply by leaving more space above them, furniture that is lower to the ground will give a room a sense of openness.
Multi-functional furniture
Decorate with furniture that can serve multiple purposes, such as a sofa with pull-out storage, an ottoman that opens for additional storage, or a steamer trunk that can also be used as a coffee or end table, to make the most of the space in a small room.
Look for a bed with built-in drawers so you don't have to struggle with numerous storage containers. Alternatively, choose a dining table that extends for guests and retracts for regular use.
Mirrors/reflective surfaces
Mirrors can give the appearance of a larger, more airy space. To create the illusion of depth, use a focal point and direct your mirrors at it. In order to increase a room's brightness during the day and at night, mirrors also reflect both natural and artificial light.
To reflect the outside world, it works especially well to place a mirror close to a window. Use mirrored cabinet doors to create the illusion of more space in your room. Mirrors on the walls and glass table tops will also help.
Emphasize vertical/horizontal space
It all comes down to expressing motion. Anything that makes your eye move intentionally and orderly around a room will make it feel larger, such as the leggy furniture that evokes dynamism or the mirrors that reflect light and a view back into the room.
The sense of openness will be enhanced by the use of one element that draws attention to the vertical space in the room. Additionally, it improves the sense of motion and flow.
Use breezy fabrics
Bed skirts, tablecloths, and window treatments can all be made of sheer fabrics to let light through. Find gentle floral vines or simple stripes if you want something other than plain colors to keep the look simple. You can still use pattern and color; just go with soft hues and understated patterns.
These drapes are the perfect addition to the living room, and the large checkered rug, which is another thing to think about as it helps to draw attention to another light feature in the space, also reflects the design.
Use more lights
It's important to layer your lighting heights, so make sure you have wall lights, lots of lamp lights, and an overhead pendant light with a dimmable control.
Select window coverings that can direct light for activities like reading and also produce pools of light for the atmosphere. Wall lights that cast gentle upward and downward slants of light will also give the impression that the room is taller.
Declutter
Decluttering is the quickest and simplest way to make a small space feel larger. Nothing makes a small space feel more crowded than having an excessive amount of possessions. Find ways to hide collections by placing them on shelves, behind doors, or under table skirts.
The room will appear clean and open if everything is put away and out of the way. To give the impression that there is more floor space, remove large rugs. Your walls can also benefit from this strategy. Avoid plastering your walls with too many pictures.
Contrast paint scheme and light colors
A room appears larger and brighter when painted in light colors. Light and bright walls are more reflective, creating the impression of space and airiness, which enhances the impact of natural light. Dark colors tend to absorb light, shrinking spaces.
It widens a space, giving it an airy, light, serene feeling. It only makes this cloud-like effect more pronounced to paint the walls and ceiling the same shade of white. Besides that, it helps to obfuscate the distinction between wall and ceiling, which directs your gaze upward and gives the illusion that the ceiling is higher.
Floor-to-ceiling curtains
In order to give the impression of a larger room, hang curtains from the highest point of the wall that extends all the way to the floor. This creates a soft and subtle guide for the eye to follow and encourages you to take in all of the available space.
Ceilings appear higher right away. The eye deceives you into believing that a room is larger than it actually is when there are vertical lines in it.
Go for large decor items
Small trinkets everywhere can make a room feel cluttered and appear smaller. Instead of creating a gallery wall of smaller pieces, choose one large piece of art or a wall accent.
If you really want a gallery wall made up of smaller pieces, keep it to one wall and decorate the other walls of the space in a simple large-scale manner. In order to keep the space from feeling crowded and overpowering, it's acceptable to leave some walls empty.
Use area rugs
A simple way to define a space and make a small apartment appear larger is to lay down a rug. Rugs are a great way to divide your sleeping area from the rest of your studio apartment if you have one.
If you want to freshen up an older rental, a rug can detract from worn-out carpeting or outdated flooring. For example, a long runner for a hallway or a large round rug for your living room can be used to fit your space.