It doesn’t matter how big our homes are; They never seem big enough! However, if your house is quite small, chances are, you wish it were a lot larger. Unfortunately, unless you plan to build extensions, it’s impossible to increase the physical space itself, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do more with what you already have. Regardless of its size, there are always ways to make your home look a little bigger. With that in mind, here are eight interior design tricks you can try out.
Opt For Cool Colors
While warm and dark colors can make a space feel intimate and cozy, those cooler and light have the opposite effect, making it seem more airy and open. For this reason, you should try to stick to these cooler tones in your home. Of course, white has the biggest effect, but if you’d rather not have an entirely white house, you can go for soft and light shades instead. Pastel blues and greens work especially well.
Stick To A Scheme
Contrasting colors can break up a space, making it seem much smaller than it actually is. To avoid this effect, you should opt for a monochromatic color scheme consisting of different shades of the same light color. Ensure that all of the furniture and upholstery coordinate with one another and choose blinds or curtains that match the color of your walls. This creates the illusion that your walls don’t end at the window.
Clear Out Any Clutter
Cluttered rooms rarely feel spacious, which is why you should tackle the ever-growing piles of junk in your home. Make sure you go through all of your belongings and get rid of anything you no longer want or need. Make sure that anything you have left at the end is stored away properly, rather than just placed wherever there’s space. If you have bookshelves in your home, avoid filling them completely with books and ornaments. Instead, leave gaps to open up the room.
Invest In Multipurpose Furniture
As a general rule, the more things you have in your home, the smaller it feels. You may have already thrown out any unnecessary junk, but there’s no reason why you should stop there. Considering furniture takes up the most space in a room, you should find ways to have less of it. Investing in multipurpose items, like an ottoman, is the perfect solution, as it gives you a table, chair, and storage, but only takes up the space of one piece of furniture.
Work On Your Windows
Rooms with lots of natural light tend to feel more open and airy. Unfortunately, you’re going to struggle with the natural light in your home if your windows are always full of ice and condensation. To remedy this problem, you should invest in better ones, like Renewal by Andersen windows. You should also ensure that you clean them regularly and use light-weight window treatments. Wherever possible, these should match your walls too.
Use The Reflective Surfaces
A wall entirely covered in mirrors may not be the best choice for you, but no one can deny that it makes a room look larger. For something a little more low-key, you should maximize the number of reflective surfaces in your home. You can place mirrors on the walls, buy glass tables with metal legs, and keep other shiny surfaces on show. This creates the illusion of extra space, while also reflecting light back into your home.
Plan The Lighting Carefully
Lighting can be the difference between a room you enjoy to spend time in and one you hate. While natural light is crucial, you should consider every other source in your home too. Our eyes are naturally drawn towards light, so you should avoid relying on an overhead source alone. This will only emphasize the ceiling and make your rooms feel smaller. Instead, you should use wall lamps, table lamps, candles, and other sources all around the room to show its size.
Try Ditching The Doors
Although a seemingly drastic move, removing your interior doors can create a more open space, without the commitments required of a true open-plan design. It will add extra space to every room, allowing you to add storage, hang photographs, and more. To give yourself some privacy, and keep the heat in separate rooms, you can add a curtain rail above each door. This way, you can draw it across whenever you need to.
Living in a small and cramped home can be a pain, so remember the tips above, and create a more comfortable space for you and your family.