I remember the first time I walked into my 1890’s terrace house in London after we had settled, and the previous owners had moved all their furniture out. I walked into the dining room and almost burst into tears at how small it looked! I wondered how on earth I was going to fit in my dining table and sideboard. But, did you know that a space actually appears smaller with nothing in it?
Don’t freak out if you’re looking at places with small rooms and you think they’re too small. With the right size and placement of furniture you can make it feel bigger than it is. Here are my five tips for making a room look bigger.
1. Floating furniture
It can be tempting if you have small dining room to put the dining table against the wall to allow, what you think, is enough room to move around it. I live in a townhouse complex and I can’t tell you how many of the townhouses in here have their tables against the wall! Putting the table against the wall actually creates a whole lot of wasted space in the middle of the room. By pulling it way from the wall you will actually give the sense of there being more visual space. Of course if you’ve got the wrong size dining table for the space, then regardless of whether it’s on the wall or not, you should look at an alternative that suits the room.
In small bathrooms and powder rooms, consider wall hung vanities (floating) rather than floor mounted ones. The more floor you can see, the bigger a space feels.
2. Draw the eye up
Anything that draws the eye up will give the illusion of high ceilings and more open space. Having your curtains ceiling mounted is a great way to do this! Another trick is having kitchen overhead cabinets and storage cabinets in your living room go to the ceiling.
3. Use soft colours
Using cool colours will make a space appear open and airy, as opposed to warm colours which make a space cozy and warm. Using cool whites will help achieve that sense of openness. The same goes for furniture, steer away from heavy, bold prints and colours and keep to a more neutral tone.
4. Mirrors
It’s an obvious one, but a large mirror on a wall, or a full height mirror leaning on the wall, is a great way to make a room appear double the size, as the mirror is reflecting the room back at you and bouncing light around.
5. No more clutter
Get into Marie Kondo mode, and truly look at each of your items and ask yourself does it bring joy? If you have items that are just collecting dust and you can’t even remember how or why you have it, then perhaps it’s time to donate it charity so it may bring joy to someone else.
Need more help?
There are so many ways to make spaces look bigger, but these are my top five tips. If you need help or more advice, then feel free to get in touch with Bec and arrange for a free 15 minute phone consult.
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