Have you ever wished that a room in your home was just a little bit bigger? Unfortunately, you can’t always get a bigger space, but you can do a few things to make your space look bigger. In fact, that’s the key to good interior design. A well-designed space is meant to trick the eye into seeing what you want it to.
For instance, using bold colors on a wall to draw the eye in that direction or painting a specific wall to appear to change the shape or size of a space. There are a ton of fun tips and tricks designers use, but today I’m excited to help share a few of those insider secrets with you. So, without further ado, here are five quick tips to make your space feel bigger.
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First, Bigger Actually Is Better
The first step to making your space feel bigger may not be possible for everyone, but it sure will make the biggest difference. A lot of times homes don’t have the most natural light. The smaller windows make the space feel small and dark, which is quite the opposite of everything you want in a home. So then what’s the solution here?
If you’re able and you have the budget, I highly recommend enlarging your windows. The taller windows draw the eye up thus tricking the eye into thinking the wall is taller than it is. Secondly, the bigger window allows more light into the room creating a brighter space which also makes the room feel larger than it really is.
Fake It ‘Til You Make It
If bigger windows aren’t in your budget, don’t be dismayed! This next tip can make even the smallest windows appear bigger than they are. Honestly, even if you can upgrade your window size, you should still use this trick too.
By now I’m sure you’re wondering what this miracle secret is for making your windows look larger, so I’ll stop rambling. If you want your windows to appear larger than they are, you’re going to want to hang your curtains correctly. This means stop hanging your curtain just above the top of the window. Instead, hang your curtains at least halfway between the top of the window casing and the ceiling.
To make your room look as large as possible, I recommend hanging them all the way up to the ceiling. This draws the eye up and makes the window appear so much larger than it actually is. Additionally, you should also look to have your curtains hang on either side of the window without much overlap, if not any at all. The less overlap, the more natural you let in and you know what more natural light does.
Last, but certainly not least, make sure that your curtains extend all the way down to the ground. This creates an elongated look which visually makes the room appear larger. Cutting the curtains short tends to cut the wall in half, shrinking the room down.
Keep It Light & Bright
Similar to natural light, a bright and airy design will help your space feel brighter and larger. This is especially important in small spaces or spaces with less natural light. For instance, often times bathrooms don’t have a ton of natural light (for obvious reasons) and that is often why you see a lot of white or light colors in them.
If your room is feeling a little small, start by painting the walls a bright white, grey, or greige. Then swap out any darker furniture or accents for lighter ones. To help highlight your brighter space, try layering in some additional lighting to help reflect on the newly brightened surface to amplify the effects.
Add Reflective Surfaces
In case you haven’t got the hint yet, the key to making a space feel bigger is to make it lighter and brighter. Another trick to doing this is to add reflective surfaces to the space. One way to do this is to incorporate mirrors into your design. Mirrors not only reflect light, but a well-placed mirror’s reflection will give the illusion of a larger space.
Obviously, it’s easy to fit a mirror into your bathroom design, but here are a few of my other favorite places to use them:
- Hung above the nightstands on either side of your bed
- Placed around either side of the fireplace
- Above the entryway table or bench
- On the wall in your closet
- Over a desk
- At the end of a long hallway
Draw The Eye Up
Last but not least, use architecture to draw the eye up. For example, if you have vaulted ceilings using beams to accentuate the upward angle will help make your high ceiling feel even bigger. This is because it attracts the eye and the upward slanted beams help draw the eye up, elongating the space and therefore making it feel larger.
You can do the same thing with vertical striped pattern wallpaper or curtains. There are many unique ways to incorporate this trick into your design to help make your home feel bigger than it really is.
