If you love your cozy little home, you'd probably love it even more if it didn't feel quite so small. Whether it's your first home or your post-retirement downsize, you have lots of options for making your small spaces feel bigger. Here are some of our favorite ideas to get the job done.
Declutter
Letting go of the furniture, accessories, and knick-knacks you rarely use or don't really need is the first big step in making your small spaces feel bigger. When you have too much stuff, it crowds small rooms and makes them look even smaller.
Transform Your Home With Color
Color won't make your rooms bigger, but it's a key element in any scheme to enhance the illusion of space.
- Monochromatic decor: Brighten your walls with eggshell paint. Toss eggshell pillows on your eggshell sofa. Place an eggshell throw rug on the floor. You don't have to use eggshell, but focusing on a single color will make any room appear more spacious.
- Floor-to-ceiling pale: Off-white, pale gray, and similar neutral tones can brighten and enlarge an entire room. Used from floor to ceiling, pale colors reflect natural light. They illuminate your darkest corners and enhance your sense of space.
- Dark Ceilings: If you prefer to avoid a singular color scheme, make your ceiling the exception. Darkness overhead adds depth and style and increases your overall sense of space.
- Stripes: Stripes aren't for everyone, but they're great for "lengthening" a small space. You can accomplish this easily with a stripe-patterned rug or a DIY paint-striped wooden floor.
Revamp Your Furniture Rules
If you're like a lot of homeowners, when you buy furniture, you're likely drawn to the same classic styles. When you arrange it in your home, you probably lay it out in a familiar configuration. You must let go of these unwritten furniture rules to give your home a more spacious look.
- Away from the walls: Experiment with furniture ideas that bring sofas, buffets, and side tables away from the wall. You'll create a cushion of space that makes your rooms look bigger
- Hidden storage: Use ottomans, tables, and other furniture items with built-in storage that allows you to hide clutter.
- Furniture that transforms: Consider buying a table you can also use as a desk. Use tables and chairs that you can fold up and store when not in use or a dining table with removable leaves that reduce table size.
- Leggy furniture: Furniture with skirts or enclosed bases close off valuable space. Open up that space with sofas, chairs, and tables with visible legs.
- Toss some furniture: Does your living room really need a sofa, two overstuffed chairs, a cocktail table, and two side tables? Probably not. For a more spacious look, use only the furniture you need.
- Lucite and glass: Not only do lucite and glass furniture pieces give your home a contemporary look, but the transparent materials will also make your rooms look bigger.
Glass and Mirrors
Glass and mirror decor lighten your rooms and make them feel bigger with little effort. A hallway mirror or large framed mirror leaned against a wall reflects light throughout the area. When you replace solid doors and shelves with glass versions, they allow light to enter and open up small areas.
Window Choices
Finish your single-color room-expanding theme with drapes or curtains that match your walls. Or leave your windows bare to expand your inside space with an outdoor view. Unadorned windows also increase your sense of space by allowing more light to enter your rooms.
