Design tricks to make your room feel bigger

A small room doesn’t have to mean a cramped space. There are plenty of tricks you can use with colour, lighting, furniture and accessories to enhance the size of a room. Here are some easy room-expanding tips to help maximise your space.

Colour

A handyman can help you to use colour to make your room feel larger, by painting the walls, trim, and detailing in different shades of one colour, such as off-white or beige. Bright white walls can really open up a room, but dark ceilings not only add some fun to the room, it can also draw the eye upwards creating the illusion of height. Or an alternative could be to use a deep tone near to the floor and the lightest shade on the ceiling, as this is another way to give the illusion of space.

Wall murals

Wall murals add a whole new dimension to a space. Using a landscape that disappears into the background is known as a linear or geometric perspective and is an easy way to create the impression of depth and the illusion that the wall doesn’t end. With a wide variety of wall murals available, from mountain views to marine landscapes you can use this technique to completely transform a room. For a modern interpretation of this effect, a vertically striped wall mural will expand a short space, whereas horizontal stripes will make a narrow area look wider.

Furniture

Pushing furniture against the wall doesn’t always result in a larger space, but creating space around the sofa or angling the bed can give the allusion of more room. Choosing furniture that has several functions is quick and easy way to streamline a room. A coffee table, ottoman or window seat with built-in storage is a great way of giving a room a clean, tidy and organised look. A dining table that can be made smaller or larger is a great way of making the most of the space and conveniently flexible for the varying number of guests you may have for dinner. Having some furniture the same colour as the walls, will blend in and give the appearance of widening the area or even choose see-through furniture to fool the eye into thinking there is more space than there actually is.

Lighting

You can create different levels of light to your room by using wall uplighters, table and standing lamps and open up the space by spreading light across the walls.

Flooring

Use an experienced property maintainer to help you choose the right flooring for your home. Flooring is one way you can make a room feel bigger, if the flooring is dark and the walls are a light colour, it will make the floor appear to expand.

Mirrors

Mirrors are a great way to make a room feel bigger. Either opt for one large mirror or add mirrors to two opposing walls, directly opposite each other. The mirrors will reflect light from their surface and give the illusion of more space and open up the room.

Soft furnishings

Curtains, especially those in a heavy fabric, can make a room feel dark. Sheer white drapes will give a room an airy feel while giving you privacy. Curtains that are the same colour as the walls will make your space look bigger. Choose fabrics and rugs with small prints or plain colours to visually expand a small room.
Using some of these tips, along with de-cluttering and keeping on top of all the maintenance jobs around the home, will help you to maximise the space you have and breathe new life into your home.