5 Surprisingly Effective Ways To Make A Small Space Look Bigger

Decorating a small space doesn’t get any easier, just because it is smaller. In fact, having less space to decorate can cause problems of its own. Here are five ways to make a small space look bigger. Three of them may seem counter-intuitive, but they are surprisingly effective. Lets have a look at what they are.

1. Think Big in a Small Space

People living in a small space often think that it is a must to have small furniture. It makes sense right? I mean if there is only a limited amount of free space in a room then you will naturally only have a limited amount of free space to put furniture in it. If you live in a tiny house then you need to have tiny furniture. The problem with this is everything starts to feel tiny. It is almost like you’re living in a toy house. How about trying something different. How about adding some large pieces into a small room. You don’t think it will work? Trust me it does.

For example, if you have a small living room and you put a small rug on the floor, then it just looks like a small living room with a small rug. However, if you put a large rug in a small living room then it makes the floor look that little bit larger. A large rug will make the room space, look and feel larger.

Other examples of large pieces of furniture that can be a focal point in a small room are a large armchair, a large bookcase, a tall wardrobe or large dresser.

Tip – Having one or two larger pieces of furniture will give a small room a sense of scale. However, having a large piece of furniture that is rarely used might be a waste of limited space. For example, if you live alone and rarely have visitors, then a full size sofa will just be a waste of space that can hamper your movement. Remember you have to live in this place everyday.

2. Go Big on Storage

If there is one common complaint that people living in small spaces have is the lack of storage space available. This can be a real issue and many people struggle to find enough free space to store all of their belongings. Just like in tip no.1, how about having one large piece of storage furniture as your focal point in a small room. This large piece of furniture will not only look great but can also have plenty of storage space inside. A tall wardrobe closet, dresser or trunk could be an ideal choice.

If you live in a small space, then there is one area of a room that you should really take advantage of and that is the walls. The walls in a room are often underused and having shelves high up on these walls are a great way of using valuable free space for storage. No matter what room it is in a tiny house or apartment, any free wall space, even above doorways, is a fantastic area for decoration and storage and definitely doesn’t have to be an eyesore.

Tip – Remember to store things that are lightweight in upper shelves. The last thing you want to do is hurt your back lifting something heavy from the upper shelves. Of course, you want your place to look great but most of all it has to be functional. So maybe place lightweight and pleasing to the eye stuff up high and store the not so pretty and heavy things down low and behind closed doors.

3. Mirrors and the Light Illusion

This one is nothing new, however continuing on with the going large in a small room theme, leads us to this. Adding a large mirror to a small room not only looks great but it will make that room feel so much bigger. The reflection from the mirror makes the room feel deeper than it actually is and gives the illusion of added space. What is more, where you place that mirror in a room can also make a big difference. If you place the large mirror across from the window then the natural light and sunrise will reflect on the mirror. This reflection will brighten up the whole room and make it feel a lot more spacious.

4. Don’t be Shy with your Walls

Going large on the walls can also make a small room feel a lot bigger than it is. By placing large artwork on the wall of a small room, it gives the illusion of being a bigger space than it actually is. Just like the mirror tip above, the paintings or portraits on the wall will not take up any more space in an already spaciously challenged area.

5. The Bold and the Brave

Ways to Make A Small Space Look Bigger Due to the fact that free space is limited, it can be quite difficult to go bold and brave when designing a small room. However there is one area that you can take up a lot of space without eating into your comfort, mobility or storage space. This area is the ceiling. Not many people think about adding a large chandelier to a small room however it can work. It can be the focal point of that room and the first thing that a person notices when they walk in. As long as it’s not too low, so a person will not walk into it, then going big and bold with a chandelier or designer lighting can really add some personality to a potentially dull room.

Tip – Many Pinterest worthy images where small rooms have chandeliers or beautiful hanging lights usually have one thing in common. The ceilings are high. Don’t be fooled by this trick. If you have a high ceiling then a hanging chandelier or ornate light can look fabulous. However, if your place has a low ceiling then it probably won’t work.

So there you have it. Five ways to make a small space look bigger. Some of them you may have already tried in your small space. Let us know in the comment section below if you have already tried some of these ideas and if they have worked out well for you.