21 easy ways to make a small space feel bigger

Tiny living and downsizing homes have become a popular trend recently as people try to simplify their lives and minimize their belongings. Living in smaller spaces comes with many benefits. The price is more affordable, utility costs are lower, they require less cleaning, and are easier to keep organized.

While living in a smaller place can be beneficial and liked by many, it can sometimes be difficult to achieve a comfortable living space that doesn’t feel cramped and cluttered. Some people living in a smaller home want to have a feeling of a larger place without the price tag and square footage. Luckily there are many options to make a space feel larger than it actually is.

There are several ideas and interior tricks that can make a space feel more spacious than it actually is. Small areas can be tricky to decorate, but when a room is styled well, the size of the room is usually forgotten. This list of simple but stylish ideas are easy to incorporate into any area of the home to make it feel bigger and feel complete. 

• De-clutter and use Multifunctional Furniture

Clutter in a small space can make the area feel extremely cramped and claustrophobic. There are many options to eliminate the clutter and begin an organized lifestyle. In small spaces, furniture can be limited. The best way to get the most space is to use multi purpose furniture options. For example the Monty ottoman with storage allows for an extra seating option, but also serves as a functional storage solution. This is a great piece that can store extra blankets, pillows, jackets, and other small household items that easily pile up.

• Open Up Walkways

When furniture and accessories block the view into a room, it can cause the room to look cramped and messy. Moving the furniture out from the walkways provides a clear path and an open space that feels larger. A tip to remember is, if you can see the floor, the room will appeal larger. If moving the furniture is not an option, a way around it is to place open chairs, or a low table. For larger furniture pieces, try moving them away from the wall to create the illusion of spaciousness. Contrary to popular belief, pushing furniture up against the wall does not make your space appear larger.

• Add Mirrors

If you are working with a tight budget or you want a simple solution that can make rooms feel larger, adding mirrors will help achieve that feeling. Mirrors retract the sunlight, which makes the light go around the room and give off an illusion of extra space in the room. There are many different options that can achieve a larger look. For example, one option is to use a larger framed mirror like the Viv full-length mirror, and hang it on the wall, or lean it against the wall and corner it.  A simple but effective way to create the illusion of spaciousness is to hang a circular mirror, making sure to pair it with a light source to increase the brightness and dimension of a room. 

• Proper Window Coverings

Using different window coverings can result in a spacious living space. There are different ways to increase the look of a bigger room using curtains or panels. For example, panel curtains can make the room seem more spacious when mounting the curtain rods closer to the ceiling compared to the window frame. Using floor length panels can create an illusion of height by drawing the eye up the length of the curtains. Incorporating light colored curtains will also make the size appear larger, this is because the light opens up the space of a room. It’s also important to include fabrics that absorb the light such as linen, it’s a material that also increases the airiness of the room. 

• Utilize Different Materials

By using different materials that are see-through like glass, or clear acrylic objects, these pieces will appear to be far away, providing the feel of a larger space. Common furniture pieces that achieve this look are glass coffee tables, clear acrylic chairs, or small tables. Since they are clear, the designs don’t require much visual space. It will take the attention off the pieces and make for a larger feel.

•  Give Furniture Extra Space

Most people feel the need to push their furniture against the walls of a room. Moving the furniture away from the walls can make the area look bigger. Items and furniture need space. Most interior design experts say to avoid placing furniture items in the corners of rooms as it could make the areas feel cramped and cluttered.

• Choose The Right Artwork

There are different sizes of canvases and wall art that can play a role in how large the room feels. A smaller area can still have great pieces of art regardless of its size. Instead of choosing smaller paintings or artworks, picking a large scale item can make a room feel bigger. 

•  Incorporate Plants 

Plans are a great addition to any room in the house because they bring life and light up any room. Plants are a great way to add dimension to rooms, tall plants create the illusion of height within a space. Draping plants down the wall or leaving them on a shelf can help add depth and make it feel larger.

• Remove Doorways

This is often a drastic change, but removing the doors in certain areas of the home can add an open flow feel and create a larger space. Most doors that are often taken away are living room and kitchen doors. Doors have the ability to add a dimension and create an open space.

• Coffee Table Space

In most living rooms there are coffee tables usually in the middle or near the couches that are easily accessible. A great way to include a stunning piece of furniture and get extra storage to reduce clutter is to add a multi functional coffee table. It’s important to look for pieces that have multiple drawers or areas to store things such as magazines, cup holders, paperwork, books and more.The Marina lift top table, is a multi functional coffee table that allows for at home home work to be done, extra storage, and a beautiful piece for any room. 

•  New Colors

In the design community, it’s known that lighter paint colors make a room look bigger and brighter. Lighter walls are often more light reflective, they make a space feel open and airy. Stray from darker shades and colors as they make a room feel darker. Another option is to include an accent wall, they make the room feel bigger as well as add a decorative touch. Colors that make a room appear larger have softer tones like off whites, lighter blues and greens. Painting the trim or moldings a lighter color than the walls will make the walls appear farther back, making the room appear larger. 

• Make The Floor Pop

A great way to make any room feel more spacious is to move all the furniture against the wall and bring them out about 3 or 4 inches. This creates an optical illusion that the wall is further away than it really is. Having furniture against the walls can make the room seem crowded, removing the pieces and making sure to not block any windows is crucial to not disrupt the flow of the room.

• Choose The Right Size Rug

Deciding on the proper rug for any room can sometimes be a difficult task. There are many different options such as color, size, patterns, and textures. Each option comes with different pros and cons. When wanting to make the room feel larger a great option is to use a large area rug compared to several smaller ones. Most textured rugs can easily be overwhelming in small spaces, it makes the room seem very cluttered. The best colors for smaller rooms would be light colors, and natural neutrals. Patterns can also interfere with the size of the room, avoiding them as much as possible on rugs will open up the room. 

• Add More White

The color white comes with many different qualities, it’s very reflective, opens up a room and makes it feel airy and calm. In small spaces a shade of white can be extremely beneficial, it simplifies a space and makes the architecture stand out. A fear when using all white can be that it will feel too cold or too bright, a great idea is to pair warming elements with it such as wood, or other textures.

• Create Focal Points

Choosing a point that is the farthest away from a door and adding a decorative item such as a planter, dream-catcher, or a painting can make the eyes of guests drawn to it, increasing the size and appearance of any room. The most common piece is to hang a shelf with books and plants, keeping all the decorative options to the same size to limit the amount of clutter.

•  Lighting

• Smaller Furniture

Furniture pieces can take up a lot of space throughout the area of the room. If the area is already small it’s important to limit the amount of pieces or choose smaller furniture pieces. Downsizing furniture can be scary since no one wants to give up their extra space for storage and decorations.The Atelier side table is nature inspired and adds a modern look to any room while allowing to display items. There are many options that are smaller and give extra space for decorative and storage needs. 

•  Keep It Simple

When wanting to make small spaces feel larger, it’s important to stick to simple designs and furniture pieces. The key is less is more when trying to achieve a larger feel. The more pieces and patterns incorporated into the room, the more cluttered it will feel. This also applies to any art work pieces, make sure to avoid the busy patterns and overwhelming colors.

•  Avoid Excessive Furniture

When wanting to make an area appear larger a great first step is to see what furniture is already present in the room. This also goes along with decluttering, there are some pieces that are not always necessary to have in a room. An example of this is, if there is a small bedroom sometimes it's more realistic to not need two bedside tables. When removing unnecessary furniture, the room can feel more open and larger.

• Empty Space

When seeing bookcases and wall shelves, most people want to fill them to the brim with books, magazines, figurines, and more. Leaving some amounts of empty space is essential for a smaller room. When left empty it helps the room breathe more and feel open. Shelving is extremely easy to pile up and collect clutter over time, keeping it organized is crucial to make the area seem bigger.

• Include Leggy Furniture

Most modern furniture pieces come with legs that are slim and appear more open compared to the old style. Due to the legs being more open, more air is able to travel around it and make it appear to be floating, which makes the room feel bigger and more open. 

Having a small area doesn’t mean it has to feel like a tiny space. There are many ways to increase the size appeal. Some of the best options are to use mirrors, multifunctional furniture, and lighter colors. Everyone’s areas are different and some style tips may not work for others. The key to successfully making a smaller room feel larger can vary based on the area. It’s important to try different options and include different things. 

Keeping a room clean and organized can almost always make a room feel larger. Before taking any steps in redoing anything, remember that rearranging the layout or simply building some shelves can maximize the space of a room. Rearranging the room can give a new feel and experiment in different ways throughout the room before adding or removing any items. 

By incorporating some of these tips into smaller areas, the space will begin to feel much larger. Finding what works best for each area is the best way to go about it. Trying with small things like new curtains or adding new rugs is a great place to start. Then moving along with drastic changes such as new furniture pieces or repainting the entire areas of the room.