How to Make a Small Room Look Bigger

Posted on the 11 January 2017 by Mummyb @mummyb_kw

If you live in a high rent area, the chances are you live in a small place. A lot of us find ourselves living in properties with at least one tiny room. Me included. How you decorate these rooms has a big impact on how they look, and how you feel when you are in them. I know that there really is nothing worse than feeling hemmed in, especially in your own home, so I thought a post on decorating small spaces would prove helpful.

Let the light in

The first tip is to let as much natural light in as possible. Making sure that you do not obscure too much of the window, by allowing your curtains to drape over the glass is important. It is also worth considering fitting a door with a glass panel, as a way to let more light in. Adding a mirror is a good way to make more of the natural light that you already have. If you position it well, you can also make the room look larger.

Choose the right flooring

With a small room, your choice of flooring is particularly important. The floor takes up a high percentage of the space, which means it plays a big part in the impression someone forms when he or she enters the room. If you opt to lay wood effect laminate flooring, choose wide planks instead of narrow slats. I realize that this sounds counter-intuitive, but apparently, this makes a room seem larger than it actually is. Also, surprising is the fact that a dark wood floor can also help a room to appear bigger, especially if you decorate the walls in lighter colours.

A place for everything

A cluttered space always looks smaller than it actually is. Therefore, it is important to keep a small room as tidy as possible. It is important to build extra storage space into a compact space. Buy a sofa that has under-cushion storage boxes and fill your alcoves with shelves. Adding a door, will allow you to use these shelves in any way you want rather than just using them as a display space.

Scale your furniture to the room

It is also important to choose the right scale of furniture for the room. In a small space, you are far better off opting for a low-level unit than you are a full height Welsh dresser. Choosing low-backed sofa and chair styles will also help. You can find out more about buying furniture for a small room, on this page.

Bring the outside in

If the room has a window with a nice view of a garden, or other green space, do what you can to draw the eye to that point. Doing so helps to bring the outdoors in and make it feel like you have plenty of space. If you cannot do this, try adding some plants to one or more corners of the room. Apparently, looking at plants helps to trick the mind and make it feel like you are surrounded by open space.
Do you have any of your own tips to make a room look and feel bigger?
Mummy B xoxox
*Collaborative Post