Tips for making small rooms feel bigger

Source: http://freshome.com/

Modern houses are often built with smaller rooms. A lack of space and higher costs are the cause, and it means you end up with a more cramp living space than you might have if you bought a house a number of years ago. Paint these rooms in dark shades or fill them with clutter and you can soon end up feeling as though you live in a space barely bigger than a cupboard.

If you’re clever with your decoration though, you can maximise the available space, and trick the eye into thinking your room is a bit bigger than it actually is. Whether you prefer vinyl flooring or a carpet, paint or wallpaper, the colours and patterns you chose will have a big impact in a small space, with how the room is arranged adding to the overall effect.

Light and colour are your tools.

Clever lighting

Look at what you have. Are there big windows or is there little natural light? Light will make the room feel considerably larger, so if you don’t have big windows, you’ll need to use something artificial. Rather than using a single central ceiling light, multiple lights placed at lower levels are more flattering both for people and for the room itself. There will be less shadow, and therefore the space will seem almost endless.

If you are lucky enough to have large windows, make the most of them. The outside can easily become the centre piece of your room, and so all furniture should be slightly angled towards it. In doing so it will break down some of the boundaries created by walls, and make the outside feel like an extension of your space.

Mirrors

Mirrors are another good thing to use as a focal point. They add space by reflecting what you have available, and making the room feel more light and airy. They can be particularly effective when placed next to window.

Flooring

Wide planks of wood or vinyl flooring while help make your room look and feel bigger. Place them so that they run parallel to the longest wall and it will help to elongate the space.

Laying vinyl flooring tiles on the diagonal will also create an effective visual illusion. When you place the tiles in a uniform chessboard arrangement, you’ll subconsciously be measuring the room by how many tiles fit across and up the room. The size of the tiles will impact how this looks. If you have particularly large tiles which will need to be cut down awkwardly to fit on the diagonal you might find that laying them straight will look better. Place in different arrangements to see what looks best before fixing them.

Another trick which will make you space appear larger is to keep consistency of colour through adjacent flooring, making the space extend outside of the confines of the walls. They don’t necessarily have to be the same type of flooring as long as you stick to a colour palate. For example, you could use a warm carpet in your living room, through your hall and for your stairs, but in your kitchen you might choose a more hygienic and easy to clean Vinyl Flooring. As long as it’s of a similar colour to the carpet, your house will flow through well and seem more unified.

Colour



Source: http://freshome.com/

As we’ve come fairly naturally on to the topic of colour, now seems like a good time to discuss how colour can be used to make a room feel bigger.

Light colours are a given, but have you considered painting the trims and woodwork in a slightly paler shade to the walls themselves? It will make them feel further away, and counteract any shadows which fall on them.

Cool colours will cause walls to recede, while warm colours make things feel closer together, meaning light blues and greens are ideal.
You don’t necessarily have to use a light coloured floor if the walls are pale. You can even use a dark wood if you’d prefer. If you use too many light colours then it will looks as if you’re trying to make the room look bigger. The more obvious the visual trickery, the less effective it will be.

There are plenty more ways you can make your room feel bigger, by careful furniture arrangement for example.

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