Sneaky hacks to make a room look bigger

Having a small living space does not mean you have to feel hemmed in. Try these nine tricks to help you make the most of your bijou home.

Let the light in

Bringing as much natural light as possible in to a room opens it up to immediately make it feel more spacious. Adding a mirror opposite a window helps reflect the light.

Rethink your furniture layout

Play around with furniture

Putting all your furniture against the walls does not necessarily mean you’ll get a bigger room. Try moving your sofa away from the wall in the living room and put a slim console table behind it. Having breathing room around furniture gives the illusion of more
space.

Light paints

If you’ve ever wondered “What can I do to make my room look bigger?”, painting your walls a light colour is a great place to start. While a statement wall in a dark colour can look amazing, it is a well-known fact that pale hues make a room airy and open. You might like to check out websites such as http://reliable-remodeler.com/rooms/ for ideas.

Make a feature of storage

There are so many great storage options around that there is no excuse to not make them a statement feature. The Guardian recommends using a wall of box shelves for storing objects and showing them off.

Curtains, colour and clever tricks

Ditch the curtains

Keeping windows uncovered by not having curtains also adds the illusion of space. Having the windows open tricks the eyes into thinking your room has depth and lets more of the natural landscape in.

Leg it up

Armchairs, coffee tables and sofas that are raised on legs help to create a sense of space and light.

Colour pop

While your walls should be neutral, being brave enough to go for a dark or bright ceiling creates depth, and the splash of colour draws they eye upwards, creating an illusion of height.

Storage solutions for small rooms

Foldaway

If you don’t think you have room for dining space, try a fold-down table or one that has drop leaves along with foldaway chairs. These provide you with more space when they are not in use.

Be tidy

It goes without saying that de-cluttering and getting rid of anything you no longer use is essential for a small space, as is keeping surfaces clear.

Lessons from new build show homes

Developers are experts at making rooms look larger, and many of their show home tricks can be borrowed for a small home. Mirrors and shiny surfaces, such as a glass dining table with chrome legs, bounce light around and open up a space. Pale, plain walls add to the sense of room and feel calming, and a light carpet running throughout the house helps one room flow into the next.

Show homes also cut back on furniture. They often use smaller pieces, such as beds made slightly undersized to leave more floor space around them, and leave out bulkier items altogether. Some even remove internal doors, because a door and its swing take up space. Open plan layouts work in the same way by doing away with walls.

Lighting plays a part too. Show homes keep every light on to make rooms feel brighter and bigger. The same ideas apply in reverse when you view a property: turn the lights off, bring a tape measure, and check how the rooms work for real.

Summary

This article gives nine tips for making a small living space feel bigger, including maximising natural light with mirrors, rearranging furniture away from walls, using light paint colours, making storage a visible feature, removing curtains, raising furniture off the floor on legs, adding a bold ceiling colour, using foldaway furniture, and keeping surfaces clutter-free.

Questions this article raises

• Which of these nine tips makes the biggest visual difference on its own?
• Does removing curtains entirely compromise privacy or warmth in a room?
• How do you choose a ceiling colour that works with the rest of the room?