Whether you’re downsizing your life or moving into your first apartment, small space living is common for many people. It can be easy to get overwhelmed with a blank canvas, but exploring these tips on how to make a small room look bigger may give you peace of mind.
- Using colors
- Organizing furniture
- Leveraging design
- Incorporating lines
- Removing curtains
- Extra tips
Make small rooms look bigger with color
Let’s start with a fun topic: colors! We all have our favorites, but selecting the right color is a crucial component when making tight living arrangements feel grand. From the color itself to designing with color, there are a variety of ways to make color match your style tastes and preferences.
1. Use light colors
Resist the urge to join the dark side. Dark colors make rooms feel tight and claustrophobic. On the bright side, light colors create the opposite effect. Light colors make rooms feel spacious and airy. This is arguably one of the most important ways to make small rooms look bigger since walls take up a large surface area.
Stick with light grays, pale blues or beiges to brighten the walls and make it feel bigger. You can add pops of color with an accent wall or decor like pillows and artwork to brighten up the space without losing the open and airy effect.
2. When in doubt, paint it white
If design isn’t your strength, a rule of thumb is to paint it white. The shade white reflects natural light, which creates a sense of openness. This makes white a popular shade for small bedroom walls. Remember to discuss with your landlord any home improvement or customization projects before executing them.
3. Embrace a monochromatic color-scheme
A monochromatic color scheme is based on one color, hence the prefix “mono,” and incorporates different shades and variations of that color. This is a great strategy for folks who are committed to creating simple, clean designs. Consider saving the dark shades for small accent pieces such as throw pillows to keep the spacious illusion.
4. Match the wall color to furniture
Consistency is key when making small rooms look larger with color. Incorporating large furniture with contrasting, bold colors can create a sense of separation. Thus, it’s important to match wall colors with furniture like bed frames, dressers and bookshelves. This can enhance a room’s openness.
Make small rooms look better with furniture
If you’re unable to change the color of your walls, organizing your furniture is an excellent way to make a small room feel spacious. A couple to note is purchasing multi-purpose furniture or furniture made of clear materials.
5. Explore multi-purpose furniture
When picking furniture for your small space, focus on selecting items that will both fit the space and are multipurpose. While that sectional couch may look great in the store, it’s going to take up way too much precious space in your small apartment.
Look for condo or apartment-size furniture that’s both stylish and functional. Expandable tables, beds with built in storage, couches with hidden compartments and chests that double as coffee tables can all be great options.
6. Consider retractable furniture
In the same realm of multi-purpose, retractable furniture makes a small room look bigger by simply taking up less space. For example, retractable snack tables. Instead of buying a bulky coffee or kitchen table, pull out a snack table when you’re ready to eat a meal. Then, simply store away once you’re done using it. This can be a great option for folks living in tight studio apartments.
7. Create an illusion with clear furniture
If storage space is limited and retractable furniture isn’t realistic, continue the airy illusion with clear or glass furniture. Try a glass coffee table or see-through dining chairs. These are excellent ways to fabricate the look of a larger space. Instead of blocking hidden elements, furniture made of clear materials (e.g. glass and lucite) draw the eye past it. As a result, it makes a room look longer.
8. Take up less space with exposed legs
Exposed legs on furniture items are a simple way to improve air movement in a room. It creates more space both above and below furniture. Bulky furniture items like ottomans can make a living room overcrowded and dense.
Make small rooms look bigger through design
Design in a rented apartment can be an exciting challenge for interior designers. Since built-in storage isn’t a likely option for renters, strategically opening a room with mirrors and small accents are popular alternatives.
9. Embrace small accents
As mentioned earlier, aim to take up the least amount of space possible in a small room. It’s likely big furniture like beds, tables and couches will be the main focus of a space. Crowding walls with bold canvases and cluttering nightstands with numerous picture frames are fast ways to cram a space. If you’re including a large art piece, consider making it the only accent in the room.
10. Build high shelving
Looking for a win-win solution to creating storage in small spaces? Building floor-to-ceiling shelving will make a small room look bigger and create more opportunities for design. The idea behind this tip is to draw the eye up to the ceiling. This makes rooms feel taller. Furthermore, strategically placing personal photos, books and small accent pieces throughout the shelves will satisfy your inner designer.
11. Decorate with mirrors
Decorating with mirrors is a great hack to make small rooms feel larger. Much like neutral paint colors, mirrors also reflect light in a room. They can also give depth to a room since they reflect opposing objects.
Strategically positioning a mirror across from a window will reflect natural light and mirror your outdoor setting. This will create the illusion of a larger space.
12. Create a walkway
The layout of your furniture can make or break a small space. Before you start arranging your furniture, come up with a plan that includes a walkway. A walkway can create a sense of balance in your home. Jamming a room with everything you own can limit the accessibility of a space and leave guests frustrated when they find themselves bumping into furniture.
13. Add molding around a ceiling’s perimeter
Similarly to high shelving, adding molding around your ceiling’s perimeter will draw the eye up and make a room feel larger. This can also make shared living spaces feel polished and bold.
14. Light-colored flooring
We’ve mentioned the colors of the walls and furniture, but you may have questions about the floors. As you may have guessed, light-colored flooring is recommended for making spaces feel bigger. If you live in space with dark flooring, attempt covering it with a thin, light-colored rug to widen the room.
Use lines to make small rooms look bigger
Lines create a sense of movement in a room and they attract the human eye. Whether your goal is to make a room feel wider or taller, both vertical and horizontal lines are great ways to make small rooms look bigger.
15. Create vertical lines
Vertical lines draw the eye up and make small rooms feel taller. An easy way to incorporate vertical movement in a room is stacking accent pieces. For example, placing a few books under a lamp on your nightstand.
16. Create horizontal lines
Horizontal stripes draw the eye out and make small rooms feel wider. A simple way to incorporate horizontal stripes is by selecting a stylish wallpaper. Be careful when selecting a design because stripes can overpower a room. A safe bet would be choosing a wallpaper with few or thin lines and embody a simplistic aesthetic.
How curtains affect a small room’s openness
Although curtains are a necessity for many peoples’ bedrooms, reconsidering the need for curtains in kitchens and living spaces can increase or decrease an airy feeling.
17. Remove all curtains
Off with the curtains! While curtains can be elegant and beautiful, they don’t do small rooms much justice.
Bulky curtains take up too much space that a small room can’t afford to lose. Many people find this tip more practical for shared living spaces (e.g. kitchens and living rooms) since there’s less of a demand for privacy. Not only will deciding to ditch curtains free up more space, but also bring more natural light into the room.
18. Add light-weight curtains
If curtains are on your non-negotiable list, look for light-weight or sheer curtains. This will limit the amount of space curtains take away and still allow some natural light to flow. Another tip is to hang sheer curtains from floor-to-ceiling because it’ll add vertical movement.
Extra space optimization tips for small rooms
All in all, downsizing your belongings and tapping into your creativity are your keys to success when creating space in a small room.
19. Declutter
Making a small room look bigger starts with decluttering. The bottom line is there’s a limited amount of space. In order to make a small room feel large, the number of large furniture items, knickknacks and decor needs to be limited. Go into your next place with a plan. Draw out your floor plan, edit it, start over and draw again. The more you can cut out, the more space and open your small room will feel.
Pro tip: List your belongings and start prioritizing what items you want to hold onto vs. let go of. You got this!
20. Get creative
There are so many unique ways to store household items. When decorating each room in your small apartment, take the time to research creative and functional storage that strategically uses all the nooks and crannies in your apartment. There are more options than you think to fit everything you need in an organized way to maximize small space living. Think corner units, wall shelves and even your radiator—with a cover it makes a great shelf.
Make your small rooms look bigger with our simple tips
Small apartments can have a big feel when you use the right solutions. It just takes a little strategy and planning to make the most of small space living. Check out these steps on organizing a small room to help maximize your open space.
