Making A Small Room Feel Bigger

The space in a room or your home isn’t really confined to three dimensions. It’s not just the length, width and height of a room. Us humans are fallible and the right lighting, decoration and colours can make a small place feel much, much bigger.

It’s all about how your eye takes in a room when you enter, which is very much to do with light. It will be drawn to brightness and openness, and it will avoid shadow and clutter. The key is to expand with open space and brightness.

• Not Quite White. Light, airy paint colours clearly help brighten (and hence expand) a room significantly, but you don’t want a simple cold white. Something like Dove White or China White adds a little life to walls, while a more pure white can work well for the ceiling. Blues and creams can be effective too.
• The Lighting Trifecta. Make sure there are at least three working lights in every room. Preferably low down, indirect lighting that lets your eye move around the room. The more varied light, the better.
• Contrast Is Everything. The lightness, brightness and empty space works best when offset with a large piece of art or the odd splash of dark colour. If everything is small and light, nothing is small and light.
• Breathing room. Visual clutter can contract your sense of a room. Anywhere you have books and knick-knacks, try not to pack the space out. It’s good to leave 10-20% breathing room on bookcases, shelves and displays.
• Mirror, Mirror On The Wall. Probably not surprising for many, but mirrors really do work to expand a room by confusing the eye’s perception of space. They work very well anywhere it’s naturally dark (even in an enclosed space).

A small space doesn’t really need to feel small. These tips are just a starting point when opening up your living space. Get creative and you can see some amazing results.