How to Make a Small Room Appear Larger

It seems like every house has that one room – that one room that is small, cramped and dark. It may be a bedroom, a bathroom or even the kitchen, but you want to do everything you can to make the most of the space available without making it over-crowded. Fortunately, there are design tricks you can use to fool the eye and make a small room appear larger. Adding the proper lighting and arranging the furniture correctly will brighten and open up the room. But you can also use a variety of paint techniques that will actually make ceilings look taller and walls appear further apart.

One of the easiest ways to create the illusion of space in a room is to use lighter colours for the walls. A room with little natural light will not look good with pure white walls; they’ll be much too harsh with artificial lighting. But using pale colours like a creamy off white, or ivory or a very pale blue can make a small room look much larger. Light colours like these reflect light, making the space seem brighter. Dark colours absorb light, and can make an already dark room seem even smaller. Try pale shades of blues, yellows or greens.

If you do want to go with a darker colour, try using a lighter colour on the molding and baseboards. This will create an optical illusion making the walls look like they’re further back than they actually are, creating more space. Do keep all walls the same colour; it makes it harder to see where the edges are.

The lighting in your small room has a lot to do with how big the room will appear. If there are windows and plenty of natural light, the room will appear larger than it is, especially as the light reflects off the walls. Windows also, of course, create that pathway to the outdoors, opening a room up spatially. But what if your room lacks windows, or has a particularly unsightly view? Hanging lamps and chandelier can create a nice glow throughout the room that will make it seem larger.

Too much furniture in the room will break up the flow, making it feel chopped and small. Similarly, having a lot of clutter in the form of knick knacks and pictures on the wall will make a small room seem even smaller. The key to making the room feel big is to create long, unbroken lines. Arrange furniture so that the room has a single focal point, and keep accessories to the bare minimum. Take out any throw rugs, these break up the lines of the floor; one large area rug can be okay, but get rid of the rest of the clutter.

One of the best and simplest tricks for making a small room feel bigger is to hang a large mirror on the wall opposite the entrance. It will trick your mind into seeing the room as twice its actual size. The light reflected by the mirror also helps to lighten and brighten the room, adding to the illusion of spaciousness. No room for a large mirror? Place a smaller one next to a window. The outdoors will be reflected in the mirror, making your room appear larger. Mirrors on the wall aren’t your only option; in a kitchen, having reflective surfaces like countertops or glass front cabinets will also help to bounce the light around in the space, making it appear larger.

Hire a Professional House Painter in Waterloo

If you’re looking for a professional house painter to help you with your home renovations, look no further than Kitchener Waterloo Painters and call 519-635-0253 or contact us by email.