How to Make A Small Room Seem Larger

We all have a room that’s a little on the small side. A room we’d like to be a bit bigger. Aside from putting an extension in or knocking a few walls out, there’s nothing you can do to increase the size of a room. However, there are a few nifty tricks you can use to make a room look bigger…

To help make bulky furniture appear smaller, try painting it the same colour as your walls. This will seamlessly merge your drawers and cupboards into the background; giving you a bit more breathing space. In the living room, try painting your wall the same colour as your sofa.

Keep the colour of your ceiling lighter than your walls. This will give the illusion of a higher ceiling resulting in a larger looking space. This little trick is commonly used in new builds; where the ceiling is painted white, and the walls are painted in magnolia. This tricks the buyer into thinking they’re getting more space than they really are.

Take a look at the colour wheel above. Choosing colours from the cooler side of the wheel will help to create the illusion of both light and space; broadening the appearance of a small room.

Instead of using curtains to cover your windows, try to implement blinds or Venetian shutters. Curtains take up a lot of space. Firstly, there’s the pole, which sits higher than the window frame. Secondly, there’s the curtains themselves, which sag away from the wall in thick, clumping curls. Blinds are fitted and compact. They fill only the necessary space. Make sure you choose a light colour.

If it’s in your budget to renovate your wall spaces, try to introduce more glass. The more light allowed to flood into a room, the larger it will appear to be!

Make the most of awkward spaces. Don’t be obstructed by slanting roofs or intrusively-placed boilers. Find a way to cram your stuff into them. Get your possessions out of the way, to free up your floor and surface space.

As in the world of fashion, where horizontal stripes can make a man or woman appear wider, stripes on a wall space can also make a small room seem broader. Well worth considering when that paint tin comes out.

A great tip when it comes to amplifying a small floor space is to use large format floor tiles. We have lots to choose from – mostly in realistic stone effects.

Don’t be afraid to downgrade your furniture. Buy smaller furniture which fits in with the shape and size of the room.

Create a visual focal point on one of the walls – something to draw the eye of your guests, and to distract them from the size of the room.

Using light colours will make a room look bigger and feel brighter. The most effective colours range from creams to a pale blue. Blending these lighter colours together will give your room a clever contrast, creating a sense of space.

Lights are a great and relatively affordable way of opening up the space. If your room is not blessed with natural lighting some simple adjustments could go a long way. Try adding small lamps and mirrors to take the focus away from the size of the room.

Keep things away from sight. A cluttered feel will make rooms look smaller. Keeping things out of sight will help dramatically.

Adding mirrors to a small room will create an illusion of depth. Mirrors reflect all types of light, using a central focus point and directing the mirror towards it, is a clever way of tricking your eyes into thinking space!