7 Design Tips to Make Your Space Look Bigger

Last updated on May 30, 2024

Use these seven simple design tips to make your home look bigger than it actually is. Read on!

Downsizing and micro-living are popular trends as more people gradually attempt to make their lives simpler. Living in a smaller space has numerous benefits, like minimal running costs, affordability, and less cleaning. Moreover, a smaller space requires fewer decorative items and furniture.

However, choosing a smaller space doesn’t eliminate the priority of creating the feeling of space. Even homeowners with big apartments look for ways to open some areas of their homes and create a welcoming environment.

Fortunately, you can use several design tricks to make your space look bigger, eliminating the need to knock down your walls to extend your home’s dimensions. Below is a guide highlighting innovative design concepts that can make your space look bigger:

Clear the Clutter

Getting rid of the clutter is the first step in making your space look more spacious. Remember that a room with too much clutter makes the space feel cramped as it overpowers the room’s square foot, making it look smaller. Decluttering can help keep the room clean and structured, giving it an open and organized feel.

It’s also a good idea to keep your wall decor to a minimum. Covering your walls with many pictures can make the room look small. Hanging one large painting on the wall can create the illusion of more space.

Moreover, it’s also a good idea to get rid of ornamental accessories, fake plants, and other display items that don’t serve a purpose. In addition, you can also remove large rugs to keep your floor clear, creating the illusion of more floor space.

Creative Lighting

You can make your area look bigger by using natural light. Bringing natural light through large windows connects your space instantly with the outdoors. Alternatively, you can use sheers or pull them back to let in more light.

You can also add flowers and plants near the windows to enhance the look and feel of your space. You can get creative with lighting fixtures if your area has smaller windows. Adding light to the space brightens the room, making it look bigger.

Take Doors Off

You can obtain more space through home design. It would be best to remove the internal doors rather than breaking down walls to open up the space. Doors that open into rooms take up more floor space and disrupt the flow of the home.

By removing or replacing the doors with sliding ones, you can make the space appear larger. Additionally, you can also use sliding doors to replace hinged doors on cupboards, closets, or cabinets.

Minimalist Window Treatments

Using heavy, elaborate, and bulky window treatments, such as drapes, cornices, curtains, and valances, can make a room appear smaller since they take up more floor area and dim natural light.

It would be best if you opted for minimalist window treatments like rolling blinds or sheers that can allow you to cover your windows without using much space and still let in natural light.

As an alternative to hanging your curtains on the walls, you can also install a track. In rooms where complete block-out window coverings are not necessary, using light floor-to-ceiling drapes made of linen can emphasize the height of the room and make it appear larger.

Use Light Colors

You can also use light colors to make your room feel bigger and more spacious. Soft colors like pale greys, whites, greens, and blues can help deliver an optimum effect in making your rooms brighter, giving them an airy atmosphere and a more inviting look.

On the other hand, darker shades make the space feel more intimate as they absorb light, making it appear smaller.

Instead of having feature walls, you can improve the proportions of your room by using only one hue. Painting the skirting, door, and window trim in a brighter tone than the walls can add diversity and make the space feel larger by making the walls appear farther back.

Moreover, it’s vital to take into account the room’s other surfaces, particularly the floors. Instead of creating visual contrast, a similar color scheme can produce harmony and cohesiveness.

Use Mirrors

You can use mirrors to make your area appear more prominent because they reflect sunlight and allow it to bounce about the room, creating the illusion of space.

To create the impression of depth, aim your mirrors toward a focal point. You may also be inventive and arrange mirrors near windows to reflect the outside and make the space appear larger.

Get Creative with Your Furniture

You can utilize your space to its fullest potential by decorating it with multifunctional furniture. For instance, a chest you can use as a coffee table, a bed with pull-out drawers, or a sofa bed.

Furthermore, you can create space by using pieces of furniture, such as folding tables or expandable dining tables, which you can tuck away when not in use.

Since bulky furniture takes up a lot of space, you can opt for chairs and sofas with exposed legs and open arms, which enable light to pass under them, freeing up space and making the room feel more spacious.

The Takeaway

A room that is open and airy is more inviting than one that is crammed with furniture. Homeowners are constantly looking for new tricks to make their spaces appear larger than they are. Instead of breaking down walls to expand your home’s dimensions, use the design techniques mentioned above to make your home’s interior look more spacious.

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