Small spaces and tiny houses may be all the rage, but unless you’re a minimalist with a thimbleful of personal possessions, it can be challenging to make that small space look bigger. If you’re looking for ways to make your small apartment or home look grand, we’ve got some ideas we think you’re going to love.
Do It With Drama
Adding drama to your small home with a splash of deep color on the walls or a dramatic lighting fixture is a great way to go. A feature like this draws the eye and captures the imagination, drawing attention away from the fact that the space itself is tiny.
Think a hanging chandelier—it doesn’t have to be big—or some cool, funky sconces on the walls of the entryway. A hanging light will help to make the room feel a little bigger because it draws the eye, but if this approach doesn’t work, there are other ways to accomplish the same thing.
Go Big On Your Wall Art
Oversize wall art is a great way to add some counterpoint to a cramped space. A lot of people tend to think that just because the room is small that they have to put smaller-sized things on the wall, but this is categorically untrue.
Even if your photos are standard 8 x 10, you don’t have to put them in frames that are that size. Choose oversized frames for your photos or art—and it really doesn’t matter what it is, it could be wedding photos, pictures of your kids, landscapes, whatever you like—if it’s done on a larger scale, it will make the room a lot cozier and provide more of a visual impact.
You might even want to consider a mural that covers a whole wall.
Room-filling Furniture
Instead of having lots of smaller pieces of furniture, choose fewer, more substantial pieces that fill up the space. Having a multitude of smaller pieces will make the room feel cluttered, while one or two large pieces, like an oversized sectional couch, will give it a more expansive feel.
Adding Mirrors To Amplify Space
A mirror will help to reflect light and will definitely make a smaller space feel bigger. Also, if the mirror is your focal point, for instance, in a small bathroom or an entryway, it’s also a functional piece.
If you have the choice, choose a mirror with a frame as opposed to one that either has no frame or just a simple, dainty frame. Max out the available space. Even if it isn’t just décor, if it is providing some functionality, a big ornate frame is always more eye-catching and appealing. Yes, it’s a mirror, and you need it in there, but also, it will make the space feel bigger and grander.
Glass, Lucite, and other clear or reflective surfaces also add shine and dimension. They also don’t take up a lot of visual space – meaning if you can see through them, the room won’t look cluttered or as small.
How do you make small bathrooms and small kitchens seem bigger?
We get this question quite a bit. People tend to think that—especially in a small bathroom and sometimes in a small kitchen—they can’t use larger-format tiling on their floor because it will make the room look smaller. They have an instinctual tendency to choose smaller tiles for those spaces, but it’s really the opposite of what you should do.
In reality, if you put a larger-format tile down, it’s going to break up the space much less. You’ll have fewer grout lines and less interruption of the tile pattern, and it’ll make the floor look bigger, which is ultimately what you want.
In the bathroom, using a clear shower curtain or opting for a doorless shower will give the room a little more depth.
Put The Visual Focus Near The Ceiling
If you hang bookshelves close to the ceiling, it will accomplish the dual purpose of drawing the eye upward and giving you some much-needed storage or display space.
If your primary light source is from an overhead fixture, you might also want to choose lamps instead. Overhead lighting tends to pool in one area, leaving parts of the room in shadow. A few well-placed lamps around the room can add some visual appeal and create zones within the room.
Have a small space you don’t know what to do with? We’d love to help! Reach out today and let’s talk about how we can make your small space look simply grand!
