Not everyone has the luxury of a lot of space, and this can make your home feel cramped and smaller.
However, there are some secret tactics that hotels and interior designers use to trick us into making a room appear larger and feel more spacious.
Here are some of the simplest to try.
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Manipulate the Light
Light plays a critical part in tricking the eye into all kinds of things. You can use light to your advantage when you want a space to look and feel larger than it is.
One of the easiest ways to do this is with mirrors. Mirrors reflect light and bounce it around, giving a better global illumination effect.
They also reflect the room and trick the eyes. You can even use a TV unit mirrored in just the right way, further enhancing the feeling that a room is much larger.
Take It Easy with Bold Colours
There’s nothing wrong with bold colours, but you must be careful. They can be imposing and heavy, taking away the feeling of space in a room.
The best use of bold colours is with a feature wall. Think about hotel chains, and how they use colours. The wall where the beds are is usually a bold colour, and the rest of the room is muted or neutral.
This gives the impression of a larger room. Light, airy and breezy colours combine to open up the room, helping it feel spacious.
Make a Room Appear Larger with Curtains
Curtains are a wonderful addition to a room. They not only look stylish but have several multiple functions, too. Of course, they help with privacy.
But they can also retain warmth. However, they can be used in the wrong way. Most people decorate a room every 3 years or so.
So, if you are going up to a refresh, consider replacing your curtains. Ceiling-to-floor curtains over a window, even a small one, give the impression that the area is much more vertical than it is.
Low Profile Furniture
If you want to enhance the verticality of a room, you can use ceiling-to-floor curtains, as mentioned.
However, you can further create the feeling of larger walls and windows with low-profile furniture. This is furniture that is located closer to the ground. For example, sofas without legs and lower backs.
Combined with other vertical methods and standard horizontal ones, such as colour, you can make the smallest of living spaces feel much larger.
Remove Clutter Items
Clutter is the enemy of most rooms. It can detract from the basic features of a space and also comes with safety issues. More clutter means more dust, and that’s not good for breathing or air quality.
However, clutter also detracts from the features of the room. Instead of the eye being fooled into seeing the room as a spacious interior, it will be drawn to clutter, destroying the illusion.
Clutter also contributes to making a space feel more confined and less spacious.
Summary
You can manipulate light with mirrors to make a room appear larger. Ceiling-to-floor curtains also fool the brain into thinking a room is more vertical. However, clutter can destroy the illusion.
