How to Make a Small Space Seem Larger

If you’re a student who lives in a dorm or someone who lives in an over-priced apartment in a metropolitan area, you probably know about the struggles of having small rooms. Where you have bedrooms that are barely large enough to fit a bed in, in such cases, the living room has to be utilized to accommodate a dining area, a TV, and a home office in some cases. 

Fitting everything into a smaller space is not always an easy task. In some cases, the issue isn’t always about the place being too tight but more about effectively managing everything and giving enough space to feel cramped. 

For your convenience, we have narrowed down some tips that will help your tight-spaced rooms seem more extensive and spacious. These will also give you enough space to do the things you want freely and to be able to store items that otherwise you weren’t able to. 

Ways to Make a Small Space Seem Larger

1. Scaling Down on Furniture

Scaling Down on Furniture

Try to cut down or scale down on the furniture. Keeping in mind the room and your apartment’s size, buy furniture that is the right size, fits perfectly, and doesn’t make the room look cramped. Also, if you have big-sized furniture, try to cut it down to where it’s just enough for your room. This will make your room look bigger.

2. Clearing out the Unnecessary Things

Clearing out the Unnecessary Things

Clearing out unnecessary things you might have in your room will be helpful since they can take up a lot of space. You need to figure out what you need to keep and what you should get rid of and then carefully organize things, for example, behind the doors, on the shelves, or under the table. Once you arrange things nicely and get rid of the unnecessary stuff, your room will look more spacious and open. 

The people who live in small rooms tend to maximize their space by eliminating things that make the room seem smaller. But if the room is always cramped, it causes them to feel suffocated and can develop a claustrophobic effect.

3. Making Room to Move Around

Making Room to Move Around

The room looks cramped when the furniture and accessories are blocking the room’s view. You can move the furniture out or away from walkways to give the room more space and make it feel larger. You can also use small furniture like an armless chair, an ottoman, or a low table and place the large, tall pieces of furniture along the wall rather than placing them out in the middle. 

4. Grouping Things Together

Grouping Things Together

Sometimes grouping the furniture on one side of the room is better. This way, people can pass through the room without any problems. Also, it gives off a neatly arranged and clean vibe, ultimately creating space.

5. Hanging Mirrors on The Wall

Hanging Mirrors on The Wall

You can also hang mirrors on the walls, if possible. It creates a sense of openness in the room. These mirrors reflect light and the view – a trick into thinking that space is extensive, giving the impression of it seeming larger than it is. 

6. Using Monochrome Fabric Color Schemes

Using Monochrome Fabric Color Schemes

You should choose the colors that belong to the same family and use different shades of woven fabrics, tonal drape fabrics, and textured wall finishes. The more relaxed and delicately colored the surfaces are, the more they will make your room look vacant and spacious.

7. Having the Same Colored Walls and Furniture

Having the Same Colored Walls and Furniture

The contrasting colors can make the space feel a lot smaller than it is. If you have furniture that matches the wall’s color, it will stand out less and give off a feel of more room. Hence, this gives an illusion of a larger area. 

8. Avoiding Drapes and Rugs

Avoiding Drapes and Rugs

You should not use curtains as they stop the human eye from taking in the full view from outside, even if they don’t cover the whole window. Drapes and curtains take up additional space in the room. Getting rid of them can help keep the room look more simplistic and give off a spacious vibe.

For privacy, you can use shutters or lightweight mesh, or cloth blinds. Or, if you think that curtains are a must-have for you, you can use a bar that expands far beyond the window frame, so you can fully show the window.

9. Using Glass and Lucite

Using Glass and Lucite

By using the materials that you can see through, anything beyond it will appear further away. Using transparent things such as glass and Lucite can help you determine the room’s full view without making it seem like space is tighter and cramped.  Since you’ll be able to see through the glass, it’ll give off a feeling that the room is larger than it seems. 

10. Using White Paint Color

Using White Paint Color

You might know that white surfaces have reflective qualities; they help open up the room and make it feel more airy, light, serene, and calm. When you paint the walls and the ceiling with the same shade of white color, it gives a cloud-like effect. 

It also blurs the boundaries between the wall and ceiling, allowing your eyes to travel up quickly, making the top appear significantly higher. Hence, the white color is the best for small spaces as it simplifies the room and highlights the architecture, giving off a more open feel to the place.

11. Highlighting the Vertical Side of the Room

Highlighting the Vertical Side of the Room

You can get a tall shelf, a few vertical shiplap, or a bare hanging bulb using one element highlighting the room’s vertical space. This will increase the sense of openness and make the room seem larger.

12. Highlighting the Horizontal Side of the Room

Vertical Side of the Room

Highlighting the horizontal side of the room creates a sense of openness. That includes removing leggy furniture and creating room to move around or hanging mirrors that reflect light; anything that makes your eyes travel across the room in an orderly fashion will make it seem larger than its actual size.

13. Using Light Fabrics

Using Light Fabrics

You should avoid using heavy materials and fabrics that absorb light as they will make your room look slightly gloomy. You can use linen, for example, as it is a lightweight material that increases the sense of airiness in the room, making it feel more light and breathable.

14. Keeping it Simple

Keeping it Simple

Above all the things, you need to keep your room as simple as possible and avoid unnecessary items that will make your room look cluttered and unattractive. You can add frame pieces on one or two walls. You should avoid using busy patterns and overwhelming colors. 

15. Accent Wall

Accent Wall

If you think that wallpaper is necessary for your room, you can put them on one side to create an accent wall. The same applies when painting the wall; paint only one wall or door and stick with a single shade. Doing this gives off more open and relaxed vibes to the room. 

The Key is To Manage Things Properly

If you’re living in a small apartment or dealing with small spaces, you need to keep a few things in mind. You need to be strict with yourself and the things that you keep in your room. 

It’s best to get rid of stuff you don’t need. Choose decent-sized furniture that will suit your room, place them properly around the house, and make sure it doesn’t block the pathway. Moreover, make sure to paint your rooms white with cool lighting as it can help the small space look larger.

You may also check out our Guide to Cabin Kits if you are searching for a small space where you can live comfortably.