How to make a small room look and feel bigger?

June 05, 2020

How to make a small room look and feel bigger?

Welcome Back! It has only been a week that I haven’t posted but it feels so much longer! But I’m more than happy today to write about the topic you chose on my Instagram question poll!

In case you have missed it, today I will be guiding you on how to make a small room look and feel bigger.

Can we actually make a small room bigger? Joy will you really change my space with these tips? Well, YES! Everything I am going to share with you in this post is actually proven and tried so don’t even worry about it!

One more thing, some news before we start! WE GOT A HOUSE! It is the perfect small apartment and I can’t wait to show you the whole transformation process! Yes, it is small and hopefully, I will get to apply all the tips I am sharing with you today! 😊

Okay, Joy great CAN WE START NOW?

Let’s make some magic!

Tip #1: Wall and Floor Color

This should go without saying, you should always start by painting your walls a light color. Light colors reflect more light, and more light means more illusion of space. (Dark colors absorb the light making the room feel even smaller). This goes also to your flooring if you have the luxury to choose your flooring in a small apartment/ house always pick light-colored flooring.

Note that by light-colored wall paint I don’t necessarily mean white. Even saying white for me means 101 different white colors, but you can paint your walls any light color. I will share some inspirations below!

Tip #2: Pull furniture away from the walls

WAIT, WHAT? Joy my space is already small how will this help make it bigger? Okay take a deep breath now and listen to me. Pulling your furniture away from the wall gives the illusion of having more space. And you can definitely use this space. You can add a shelf or a table behind your couch and it will actually create more space to put some decorative items or even your glass of wine. See! Now I know you are smiling because I mentioned wine! 😊

Tip #3: Multi Functional Furniture

I think this tip is very important and most people often forget it. When we have a small apartment or a small room we might miss some essential spaces. For us, in the new house, we are missing the dining area. So it is extremely important to think about how can the space function in different ways. Can your coffee table be your dining table? Can your sofa turn into an extra bed if needed? Can your wall unit work as a working station if needed? These are all things to think about and take into consideration. You can always find the best inspirations in tiny houses. I will share with you some of my favorite YouTube videos below!

Tip #4: Furniture that fills the room

We usually think about this tip differently. We assume that if a room is small we need to get small furniture pieces. WRONG! Buy a large L sofa that fills the room and it will make the room feel so much bigger, and it will also fit more people so it is a win-win situation! But always take your room dimensions before going shopping!

Tip #5: Low profile furniture

Always remember you don’t plan your room in 2D, you design it in 3D. It is very important to always consider low profile furniture in your small rooms because it will emphasize height and will immediately make your space feel larger.

Tip #6: Visible Legs

This is one of the most important tips. Always remember to perceive a small room bigger, your eyes should be able to navigate easily through the space. The room should feel continuous and nothing should interrupt your “ eye navigation”. Always choose your sofas and tables with visible legs. Even consider floating wall units and shelves. This will make the room feel larger and it will help you clean faster without having to move everything!

Tip #7: Transparent Furniture

This tip goes hand in hand with the previous one. No additional information to be added. Having transparent furniture is like having something to sit on or use but camouflaged in the room taking no actual visual space.

Tip #8: Draw your eyes upward

I usually face this problem with my clients. A room always feels so small and crowded when you look at it in a plan, but we forget that we experience the space in 3D. Here is a small question that will help you figure out if you are actually doing something wrong in your house. Stand in the room, do you feel it is cramped and very busy? If yes it is because you have a lot going on the floor below eye-level and you forgot about your walls and ceiling. Your eyes should always be drawn upward if you have a small space. This will directly make you feel that the room is larger. A quick fix would be adding shelves on a high level on your walls or painting your ceiling. You can even hang greenery from your ceiling it will also help.

Tip #9: Big Items and Art pieces

The rule is: the smaller the room the bigger the art. Choose one big art piece and let it be your focal point and everything around it will disappear. Even in your accessories, shop for big items and keep some white space don’t over accessorize the room. Having some empty space will make the illusion of having a bigger room. Try it and thank me later because this is the easiest tip to implement.

Tip #10: Rugs

Having a large rug will unify the floor and make the room feel larger. Shop a striped rug for your small space. Just like we apply this in fashion, stripes elongate the room. (Stripes should go along the largest width or length of your room. Meaning let us say you have a rectangular-shaped room the stripes of the rug should go along with your room.)

Tip #11: Mirrors

This works like magic. All you have to do is place a large mirror on the opposite side of your window and let it do all the work!

Tip #12: Color palette

I already shared with you this tip on my Instagram account last week. Go for a monochromatic color palette. Start by choosing a color for your walls and work from there. Choose your furniture and accessories with the same color but maybe a different shade and tone. This will give the room more depth.