11 Tips for Making Small Spaces Look Bigger

Do you have small rooms in your home that you wish had more space? While there aren’t many ways to actually add space to your home that do not require an invasive remodeling project, there are plenty of ways to make a room look larger with some creative design tricks and optical illusions.

Follow these decorating tips for making small spaces look bigger from a professional decorating company.

1. Clean & Declutter

One of the fastest ways to make a room look bigger is by removing the visual clutter stacked on tables, countertops, and even on your walls — too many paintings or pictures can make an already small room feel even smaller.

Keep decorations in your living room, kitchen, dining room, and other living spaces to a minimum, and store bulky items, like appliances, in the pantry. Find drawers and cabinets to keep other things neatly arranged that would normally collect on your coffee table or countertops, like car keys, mail, and books.

2. Paint Your Ceiling

Most people paint their walls a different color than their ceiling — but this is a mistake for a small room. If you want an entire room to feel larger, you should paint your ceiling (and even baseboards and trim) the same color as your walls.

Painting your ceiling the same color as your walls can create an “optical illusion” that the room is taller than its actual height — making the small space feel larger and airier.

3. Utilize Mirrors

It’s a well-known fact that a well-placed mirror can make a small room appear much larger by reflecting (and doubling) the opposite view.

If you have a small living room, consider placing a large mirror as an accent piece across from a window, so it will reflect natural light and make the room brighter. You can also place mirrors above the bed in your bedrooms in place of artwork to absorb light and add desirable open space.

4. Embrace Patterns

Many people assume that patterns make a room look smaller, but sometimes, the opposite is true. Patterns can enhance tight spaces by adding more visual appeal.

Finding a beautiful floor-to-ceiling wallpaper with a timeless pattern can give a tiny space more depth and character. For example, a tiny bathroom can appear larger when paired with bold wallpaper with vertical or horizontal stripes and soft tones — just stay away from busy patterns.

5. Choose White & Light Colors

Dark colors in small spaces, like black, navy, or grey, can leave you feeling suffocated. Though darker colors are trendy, it is much better to use lighter colors in smaller rooms. In fact, white is the best shade to choose if you want to make a small room look bigger.

However, this doesn’t mean you have to coat all your walls in pure white paint. Instead, simply choose a lighter color instead of the darker one you have in mind. For example, if you want to paint your small kitchen hunter green, consider sage green instead. Or, if you were thinking of a navy blue for your bathroom, opt for a light color, like powder blue.

6. Select a Focal Point

Every room needs a focal point, but this is especially important for a small space. Small rooms can feel cramped easily when too much stuff is crowded in the room.

For some rooms, it is easier to determine a focal point than for others. For living rooms, the couch can be the focal point, and for a bedroom, it Is the bed. Then, place other necessary furniture pieces around the focal point and eliminate as many “extra” pieces of furniture as possible to make your room feel orderly.

7. Incorporate Natural Light

Natural lighting is one of the best ways to make a room look bigger. If you have a window in your room, choose sheer, gauzy window treatments that feel airy and allow more light to shine through. Heavy drapes minimize natural lighting and make a room look smaller and darker, so it is best to stay away from stately curtains in a small room.

If your small room doesn’t have any natural light, don’t worry. You can still use artificial light, like lamps or light fixtures, to make your room look bigger. For optimum effect, select bright white lights instead of yellow lights to mimic natural sunlight.

8. Select Functional Furniture

As we have already established, clutter is one of the worst ways to waste precious space in a small room. So, replacing bulky furniture with multifunctional furniture is a fabulous way to cut down on clutter and maximize the space in your room.

Multi-functional furniture is the key way to utilize a small space — you just have to find the right furniture for your unique needs. For example, consider getting an ottoman in your living room that doubles as a storage bin, or replace the queen-sized bed in your guest room with a futon that doubles as a bed. In children’s rooms, consider investing in a loft bed that doubles as a desk and storage space. When it comes to multifunctional furniture — the sky’s the limit!

9. Find Light-Colored Flooring

When people think about making a room look bigger, they often focus on the wall colors, furniture, windows, and mirrors. However, many people overlook the power of floor space!

If possible, try replacing your dark hardwood flooring with hardwood with a lighter stain and black or brown tiles with white tiles in a small room. If replacing your flooring is not an option, you can always cover your dark flooring with light-colored rugs that will match the color of your walls to create the illusion of lighter flooring.

10. Create Clean Lines

Clean lines can give any small space a sleek, modern and uncluttered appearance. These lines, often created with furniture, windows, or rugs, can create visual breaks that make a room appear larger,

11. Hire a Professional Decorator

While there are several ways to create the illusion of space in a small room on your own, one of the best ways to maximize space in your home or vacation rental is to hire an interior decorator to help you.

THE STAGING COMPANY offers interior decorating services for homeowners and property owners in Texas and Florida. We can experiment with different colors, clear furniture, and other interior design techniques and trends to make your small spaces appear larger. If you are ready to get started, contact us today to request a quote!