How To Make a Small Room Look & Feel Bigger  

Small spaces are both charming and challenging.  Whether you live in a dorm room, apartment or a home with rooms on the smaller size, you know how difficult decorating these spaces can be. When designed well they can feel cozy, open and inviting, but when designed poorly they can feel cramped, cluttered and anything but relaxing.  

While we would all like more space in our homes, making a room feel bigger is not a difficult task. With a few simple hacks the even the smallest spaces can give off the impression of a larger space without knocking down walls or calling a contractor. Below are six ways to make a room look and feel bigger!  

Incorporate reflective surfaces 

We doubt we’re the first ones to tell you that mirrors can make your room look bigger, but it’s true! Natural light creates the illusion of space, and mirrors create the illusion of natural light, so even in dim spaces or small, windowless corners, a mirror can help expand the look. If you don’t have room for a mirror, try other reflective materials to create a similar effect! Anything from light-bouncing backsplash tiles to metallic decor will help create that dimension that all well-designed spaces bring. 

Go vertical  

Whether up and down, or all around, emphasizing the height or width of a room is another trick for making a space feel more spacious. If you’ve got a room with high ceilings, focus on the vertical space, whether through a tall bookshelf, vertical artwork, or slim pendant light fixture, and you’ll increase the feeling of openness. While a wide room with lower ceilings will benefit from highlighting the horizontal aspects of the space (like horizontal paneling or stripes). It also moves your eye around, giving the illusion of more room. 

Scale things down  

Sometimes in a small space, you do have to think smaller to look bigger. So when it comes to furniture, scaling down the size of your sofa, coffee table or dining table can make a petite room feel proportional and bigger! Loveseats or apartment-sized sofas, round dining tables, and armless side chairs are all good options for keeping things sized just right. 

Ground the space with light & neutral tones  

Paint isn’t just for adding color: you can also use it to play some tricks on your eye and expand a space. Darker colored walls can actually make a room feel wider while extending your wall color several inches onto the ceiling creates the illusion of more ceiling height. You can also paint your walls, molding, doors, and ceiling the same shade to make the corners of a room visually recede 

Draw the eye up  

One of the greatest culprits of making your small space look and feel smaller? Low ceilings. Luckily, there’s an easy trick for combating this optical illusion. Hang your curtains high! A good 6 inches above the top of your window frame is an easy rule of thumb. Why does this help? Because when you hang your curtains too low, your room will look smaller and more cramped, but hanging your curtains high will create the illusion that your space is taller and will make your ceilings look instantly higher. Just make sure you get curtains that are long enough, so they still hit the floor when you hang them extra high! 

Layer your lighting  

In a smaller space, you may be tempted to minimize your lighting, so you don’t add more to an already small room. But multiple lighting sources are actually your friend in a small space. Don’t be afraid of an overhead light, wall sconces, and a few table lamps. These varied light sources create depth and make a room feel larger. It’s also a great way to soften the lighting if your space doesn’t get a lot of natural light. 

Our team of expert designers are here for all your interior design needs. From finishes to furnishing, we’re ready to help you, contact us to set up a consultation today!