We all have it: that one tiny room, no matter how you decorate it, never looks right. We’re here to help! We’re going to share with you our top 10 best tips for making a small room look and feel bigger. Let’s get started!
1. Use a Lighter Color Palette
Lighter color make a room feel bigger and brighter. Dark colors absorb light, while fair colors reflect light better, creating an open and airy feel. Looking for a paint color other than white? We recommend pale blue, silk yellow, or pastel green. Or paint an accent wall a fun color while the rest of the walls are white. If you can’t give up designing with dark colors, try buying dark accessories instead of dark furniture or paint.
2. Emphasize the Vertical
One of the biggest culprits of making rooms look smaller than they are: low ceilings. Even if a room has a lot of floor space, low ceilings can betray the space and make a room feel compact. Emphasize the vertical lines in the room. You can do this by painting vertical stripes or hanging vertical shiplap. Hang curtains 6 inches above the window, making the ceiling look higher than it is. Avoid low-hanging lighting, like chandeliers.
3. Use Large Rugs ONLY
We know, we’ll miss the 3x3 foot round rugs too. Small rugs chop up a room into smaller sections, which is the opposite of what we want. Use 1 large rug in the center of the room. Be careful to get the correct size of rug to avoid making the room look too cramped.
4. Brighten Up the Room
While painting your walls a light color makes a huge difference, there’s more you can do to brighten up a room. Hang a mirror across from a window to reflect more light. Have multiple sources of lighting, like a ceiling light, floor lamp, and desk lamp. Try to use white-light lightbulbs. Yellow light is cozy, but it washes everything else out. Another thing you can do is invest in some clear furniture. Don’t go overboard, but an acrylic desk or accent chair may be just the thing your room needs. Clear furniture gives the impression that there is more open space than there actually is. Plus, it’ll reflect light.
5. Multipurpose Furniture
Using furniture that also serves as storage is a great way to avoid clutter. And clutter is the number 1 nemesis of small spaces! Nesting tables are perfect if you host regularly. They are so easy to move and provide extra table space when needed. And when the party is over, they move easily into each other. We love a good pouf. We love them, even more, when they have hidden storage inside! Use poufs to store extra blankets or extra throw pillows. One of our favorite pieces is coffee tables with lots of drawers or lifting tops. Hiding things like remotes and magazines will help make the room feel less cluttered, making it feel bigger.
6. Clear a Path
We’re not going to beat around the bush; get rid of the furniture you don’t need. Seriously, this will help make your home feel much bigger and cleaner. Make clear paths throughout the room. The way to do this is to get rid of excess furniture and knick-knacks. There should be more than one way to enter the sitting area or get onto to bed. Give your furniture some space.
7. Avoid Thick Lines
Couches with heavy, thick legs are out. Thin and long legs are in. While extravagant, hand-carved headboards are beautiful, they draw a lot of focus. Thick and oversized furniture makes the room feel cramped. Avoid headboards that are chunky. Go for an elegant and simple look instead. Try to look for tables with a thin top, chairs with long legs, and sofas with skinnier feet.
8. Bring Nature Inside
Plants make for beautiful pops of natural color. Plants clean the air surrounding them and provide more oxygen. They give off an airy, open, and clean feel. Plus, there are so many low-maintenance plants that are great for beginner gardeners. link
9. Resist Using Noisy Patterns
We love mixing patterns, but multiple patterns can be difficult to balance. Use simple patterns in your art, pillows, blankets, and furniture. Try to use only 1 patterned piece of furniture. Avoid patterned wallpaper, unless it’s very simple. Stick with clean lines and simple shapes.
10. Above All, Keep it Simple
The best tip we can give you is to keep it simple. Don’t go overboard with color, furniture, accessories, or wall art. Declutter and donate items you don’t use or need. Decorating a small room may have given you a headache in the past, but it doesn’t need to! Keep it simple and painless.