5 Tricks to making your home look & feel bigger!
If your anything like me, I flourish in breathable spaces where the clutter is to a minimum, the spaces are open, decor is to a minimum and EVERYTHING has a purpose!
You know when you move out of a house or apartment and suddenly your back in love with the empty spaces and they look so much bigger? Then you realize it was all of the clutter, furniture and decor around that made you feel like the walls were closing in on you and maybe the space wasnt that small after all! Its a bittersweet feeling for sure and you usually end up promising yourself to let your new home feel and stay more open and airy.
In some cases, the space is ACTUALLY just small and the clutter isn’t the issue but you need the space to feel bigger.
Whichever the case is for you, I am here to share some designer tricks for you to use and trick the eye into believing the space is bigger than it is!
Trick #1 - Start Painting
Photo By: Jgoodtime
Everyone usually dreads painting! I am one of them for sure! But! When the painting is all done you feel like you are in a whole new space and it ends up being totally worth it! One thing the design community knows really well is that white paint will make spaces look much larger compared to dark paint. But how can you use paint to trick the eye into believing you're in a larger space?
Start with a light color palette and use eggshell or satin finishes as they will reflect the natural light more than any other finishes. I am a lover of contrasting trims and moldings… But! If you are trying to make the space look and feel bigger than what it is, painting your trim and moldings to match you light colored walls will give the effect that your walls are further away than what they actually are! If you are more of a colorful type of person and white walls, trim and ceilings make you feel uncomfortable don’t fret! Other colors that are great for creating a larger looking space are light blue and green tones.
Additional Tip: A monochromatic space of light shades will provide good dimension but still make your space feel larger.Trick #2 - Declutter!
Photo By: Home Decor Bliss
Maybe my favorite way to explain good design? I talk about decluttering pretty often (oops)…BUT! It truly is so important for all things design!
It is good for the soul! It is good for mental health! It is good for your rushed and busy mornings when you're trying to locate things last minute! In regard to this post, it also helps make your space feel larger!
Consider a bookshelf. Filling each shelf with a collage of your rock collection and then another shelf for your owl collection and then another shelf for your spoon collection and so on and so on WILL distract you from the importance and beauty of each piece AND it also weighs down your space acting like a giant sculpture of clutter in the room. Declutter. Create some negative space between your decor and collections. Clean off your countertops. Minimalize your console tables and bookshelves.
Once you are able to create some visual negative space between your pieces, you will notice it will naturally start opening up your space and making it feel much bigger!
Trick #3 - Go with the large Area Rug!
Photo By: Studio McGee
Buying an area rug to fit your furniture feels like it takes forever to decide on. You have so much to consider!
What colors are going to work? What patterns are going to work? What shape? What size? Shag or natural? Suddenly you find yourself on Wayfair for hours and yet have nothing in your cart. I will have to write another post about area rugs and the sizes needed for specific furniture arrangement because it gets pretty deep.
To make your space feel larger, go big! The further you can get your furniture spread out in your living room and still allow circulation from space to space, the better! Having furniture squished together on a small rug makes things feel heavy and awkward. I recently purchased a rug I thought could be too big as it reached from one end of my living room to the next and I LOVE how it turned out! All feet of the furniture easily fit, it opened up the space and it feels very comfortable!
Always avoid squishing furniture together and remember to consider negative space and balance when arranging!
Trick #4 - Let the light in!
Photo By: Architectural Digest
All of design enjoys a flood of natural light! We also like to be able to close off our windows from time to time. Although some large spaces we have been in featuring layers of beautiful drapery on a heavy wood curtain rod does look beautiful, they are not made for small spaces!
When deciding on drapery for our smaller spaces, consider light drapery! Sheers are a great option as they visually don’t come off heavy and weigh your space down. Sheers allow in filtered natural light, provide cover when needed and when they are pulled open, they don’t stack heavy on either side of the window.
Trick #5 - Mirror, Mirror, on the wall…
Photo By: Feng Shui Nexus
A commonly used design trick is to use mirrors in your space to make it feel larger! Mirrors reflect the background. They offer dimension and space where there actually isn’t any.
Have you ever been some place where you thought the mirror was actually just another part of the room? If not, consider visiting Norwood Pines Super Club in Minocqua, WI. People are frequently thinking the mirror to the left of the tappers is actually just another entrance to the dining room.
Mirrors also reflect light. If you’re ever having a lack of natural light in your space, consider installing a mirror opposite the window to allow the light to bounce off the mirror and back into the space.
