If you want to learn how to make a small room look bigger
Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a big fan of small space living. Although sometimes it would be great to have more room to play with, having a small place doesn’t have to feel suffocating or closed off.
Though it may be miniature in size, your decor can still be mighty!
Although you can’t do anything about the square-footage, there are so many tricks to make a room feel more spacious.
RELATED: 50 of the Best Command Hook Hacks
Broaden your tiny apartment’s horizons with these clever tips that will have you living-large in even the smallest of rooms!
Some links in this post may be affiliate links. We may get paid if you buy something or take an action after clicking one of these.
- Wall mount whatever you can
Don’t clutter the floor space with freestanding lamps, house plants, or a bulky TV unit when you can wall mount them instead.This super-cool television will even turn your living room wall into an art gallery. - Nix the large furniture
When you have a smaller space, the temptation is to put in a large, oversized sofa or other big furniture to make it feel more luxurious.The problem is, however, using out of proportion pieces will only make the room seem smaller in the long run.
If you want to know how to make a small living room look bigger, resist the urge to overcompensate.Instead choose an edited selection of chic, smaller furniture, and the room will feel bigger and less cluttered.
- How to make a small living room look bigger – go low
Choose sofas, chairs, and tables that are low profile so the room looks taller.If they have legs so there is visible space underneath, all the better. - Give a small room breathing space
This next tip doesn’t just show you how to make a small room look bigger.It’s a tactic that anyone can use to make a room look professionally designed or laid out.The secret? Don’t push all your furniture back so it sits flush against the wall, but leave a gap of at least a couple of inches to make space feel roomier.
- First impressions count
Similarly, move furniture away the doorway so that it’s not the first thing you see when you walk into the room. - Use shrink-down furniture to make a small dining room look bigger
Use folding furniture, or drop leaf tables like this one so that you can make dining space when you need it without adding extra clutter. - Leave paths clear
Make sure you also leave space wherever you can so that natural walkways flow through the room rather than taking up all the available floor area with furniture.This is another area where using vertical space and wall mounting will be important if you usually need the floor areas for storage.
For instance if you have a bicycle or scooter that you keep indoors, buy a wall mounted rack for it, rather than having it on the floor.
- Choose multitasking pieces
Avoid clutter by choosing multi-functional furniture; like an ottoman with internal storage that’s also a coffee table, or a console table that could do double duty as a desk or craft table. - How to make a small room look bigger with paint
When it comes to colors to make a small room look bigger, keep things light and avoid dark colors at all costs.It doesn’t have to be bright white, but use the same cool-toned, light color palette on both walls and ceilings to draw eyes upwards.
Warm colors tend to look cozier and therefore smaller; cool-toned, light shades will expand the space and make any small room appear bigger.
If plain white is too stark, go for a delicate shade of palest blue, gray, or green.
Opt for ceiling colors that are either the exact same hue or a very pale shade of your wall color.
If you feel like mixing your own paint for your ceiling, add in some white to your wall color, but make sure you get the quantities right to ensure an even paint color across the whole ceiling.
Don’t mix up the colors in a small room, but stick to the same monochromatic color palette, throughout and choose only from the same tonal family.
What the heck does that mean? Basically choose lighter and darker tones of the exact same color, don’t use clashing or different pain colors if you want to make a small space look bigger.
You could use a slightly darker color on the floor for some variation, but try to keep things as light as possible.
- Forget feature walls
Feature walls used to be a huge trend, but in a small room, they can make the space feel enclosed, which is the last thing you want.If you want to know how to make a small room look bigger whilst still creating interest, choose framed wall art instead of a feature wall, to draw attention to it.
This is especially important when you want to know how to make a small bedroom look bigger (besides being able to get in the door).
The last thing you want is to have to squeeze past an old chest or table just to get in.
Think about whether your furniture really fits with the place you have right now, and consider donating it or putting it in storage if not.
If you want more inspiration and tips on decorating with color, check out these resources
Living with Color Book
Color Wheel
Want to shop all our DIY & Craft supply picks in one place? Check out our dedicated shopping page, full of all our best finds from the interwebs!
