Small is the New Big: Design Ideas to Make a Small Room Feel Bigger
Posted on 28. Oct, 2011 by LuxSpaces in Design
Design ideas to make a small room feel bigger.
Believe it or not, some of us actually prefer to live in smaller homes, and devote the savings to other pursuits, such as travel. Today’s economy plays its role, too, and combined with high property tax rates, a more modestly sized dwelling can make sound financial sense. Still others of us are fortunate to own a summer home at the shore or a winter chalet in the snowy regions.
Whatever our reasons for owning a smaller house, townhouse, or condo, we do not have to feel constricted by our cozy spaces. Design and decorating experts have developed countless techniques to pump up small rooms, giving them an airier, brighter, wider look and feel.
Design Ideas to Make a Small Room Seem Large
The best approaches to coax a larger room out of a small box work more or less from the ground up. Moving the curio cabinet to a new spot won’t cut the mustard. To give a room more virtual volume, comprehensive changes are in order. Later on, you’ll have plenty of new options to locate the curios.
Laying the Groundwork: Choose Flooring to Make a Small Room Feel Larger
Designers suggest that, rather than wall-to-wall, hardwood flooring, perhaps accented by area rugs, are the way to go. The natural sheen of hardwood, the elongated lines of the seams between its planks, the gentle echo of footsteps and ambient sound work in concert to render a small space much more roomy.
True hardwood with a proper finish is best for the effects, but today’s laminates are virtually indistinguishable and considerably more economical.
In general, a lighter wood tone will likely be most appropriate, however, when it comes to hardwood flooring, deeper shades won’t draw the walls in upon you. If, however, you must or prefer to stick with carpeting, light, neutral colors and shades will invariably have greater impact on the size of the room. Forget dark chocolate; think taupe to sand.
Up Against the Wall? Create the Illusion of More Space With Paint
If your current color is making you climb the walls, it’s definitely time to paint them! With the right color, you can virtually move them back to open up a small space.
Take some time to look at interior design magazine on and off line, paying close attention to room featuring light, soft colors. If you find yourself gravitating towards rooms of a certain color, you will probably like it in your space, too.
We have no need at all to stick to white walls in a small room. Colors can add luxury if harmonized with your flooring. Make the pilgrimage to the paint store, and don’t just grab the swatches. Monitor your reactions to the colors you see.
Bring your favorites home and hold them up against your walls- colors will change depending on the light in which you see them. Your living room, for example, probably does not have the fluorescent lighting of Home Depot! Since you are looking at light shades and minute variations in hue, it is important to view them under your unique lighting conditions. The wrong choice will keep you on edge; a good selection will “feel right” and move the walls back, increasing your room dimensions.
Overthrow the Overstuffed: Scale Down Furniture to Make a Room Look Bigger
When we move from a house into a condo, the furnishings that were perfect in the old space suddenly balloon and consume the whole room. We tippy toe and twist between the long sofa and the settee, limbo below the swag lamp.
Both literally and figuratively, there’s no way around this: your huge furnishings of yore won’t fit in your new décor if you want the room to feel larger, unless you go very minimalist and, for instance, have a huge sofa and virtually nothing else in the room save for what can hang on a wall.
Sell the sectional. Learn to like loveseats and far fewer armchairs. Minimize the billowy. The room may be small, but elbows still need clearance to swing and unobstructed paths give the impression of a bigger room because you won’t feel squeezed.
Rethink the need for end tables, planters, occasional tables, benches, chests, ottomans, phone tables and the rest of the spectrum of small pieces that are fine in large rooms, but can quickly clutter small rooms until you feel the walls falling in on you.
Use Overhead Lighting to Make a Room Seem Large
Raise your lamps high; in fact, install overhead lighting. Lamps create nooks and cozy corners. Overhead lighting, whether on tracks or in chandeliers, make more complete use of vertical space, stretching the area upwards rather than snuggling it close.
Now is most likely the time to replace the drapes, too. Avoid heavy, opaque fabrics. Opt for breezy, lighter colors and fabrics that can reflect some of the sunlight and seem to glow from within.
During daylight hours, open all the blinds and curtains! It really makes rooms different, bigger places than they are in the evening.
Don’t let a small space cramp your style. Lighten, brighten, and simplify your furnishings to open new vistas in all of your rooms.
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