Design Tip: How to Make a Small Room Feel Bigger

Sometimes a small room can be perfect for its function (and less to clean, holla!).  But you want to make sure it doesn’t feel small, cramped, or cluttered.  It is all about scale.  Most of the bedrooms in our current home are small, and as much as I would love a king size bed, or crazy wallpaper with giant palm leaf motifs, it just would NOT be to scale.  Those things would make a room look even smaller.  So, let’s talk about what you can do to make a small room feel bigger.

Windows:

You want to avoid large flamboyant window treatments, and instead focus more on small treatments such as a solid color or a small design pattern.  A small room should typically only have 1-2 patterns throughout, and I chose to use a small pattern in my simple panel curtains.  You could also use the same color curtains as your walls to create unity and make the space appear bigger. If you choose a pattern, at least make sure the background color in your pattern matches the wall color. If you have more than one window, it is best to use the same type of treatment if possible to create uniformity in a small room.  Cohesiveness is priority in making a small room feel big.

Walls:

“FROM THE WINDOWS TO THE WALL!”  Sorry, could not resist.  Since light colors make things appear bigger, think light solid colors (I usually prefer white) for walls.  You could also do a focal wall with wallpaper that has a small pattern and a light colored background.  We did a faux shiplap wall behind the bed in our guestroom to add some texture and character.  Once again, cohesiveness is priority in a small room to create the appearance of being big, as opposed to breaking up the room by using different colors or designs on the walls which would make it feel small.  You also want to make sure the trim is the same color as the walls to create unity.  Another great trick is using a mirrored wall or a large mirror on a wall to reflect the room, adding an illusion of size to the space.  We have a very large floor mirror at the end of our small hallway to create more depth.

Flooring:

You can’t really go wrong with light or dark flooring, as long as you choose one type of flooring in a solid color (no large carpet or rug motif patterns). This could be carpet, hardwood, tile, and so forth. Floor color will not affect the visual scale of the room.  If you use carpet, it is best to have the wall to wall carpet the same color rather than an area rug which would break up the colors in the space, and make it look small.  The same goes with an area rug on hardwood.

Furniture:

Again, think about scale.  Small furniture will make a room appear large in comparison.  You want to avoid any large or busy patterned upholstery, so solid colors or small patterns are best.  You also do not want to place too many pieces of furniture in a room, because it will look crowded.  Less is more!  In a bedroom, the must-have bare minimum basics should include a bed, 1-2 nightstands, a dresser, and maybe a chair or bench for dressing.  As you probably know, light colors make things look bigger, and darker colors make things look smaller.  So, with furniture you want to try and choose dark colored pieces so that they look smaller in the space.

 

Let me know if you incorporate any of these ideas in your home!  Happy decorating, loves!

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