11 Tips on How to Make Your Room Look Bigger and More Spacious

If you are an owner of a tiny apartment or need to create a design for it, space planning may be challenging. It’s also hard to pick the right colors, materials, and small room decoration elements to make the space look bigger.

You have to include all the basic furniture without cluttering the apartment and make it look well-balanced.

Fortunately, there are some simple hacks to guide you on how to make your room look bigger. Even though they won’t increase the actual space, the small room design will become more spacious. It increases comfort and improves the overall impression.

Our studio uses the following tips in our projects, so they are tried and tested.

Small Room Ideas to Make It Look Bigger

These small room ideas don’t require huge investment. Sometimes, a change of color, a mirror in the right place, a matte texture can do the trick.

1. Small room ideas. Use large mirrors

Mirrors are the most popular thing in small room ideas. They are very effective for creating a large space illusion.

A mirror should be as large as possible. Ideally, it should go down from the floor up to the ceiling. Of course, mirrors have their standard sizes and your apartment has its limits (e.g., door size) but generally, the more, the better.

Mirrors add light, create a sense of openness, and make the space look brighter, which is critical if you’re looking at how to make your room look bigger.

2. Install glossy stretch ceiling

Although today stretch ceilings are rarely used in apartments, they remain a great solution for small commercial interiors. A glossy surface makes the space look higher.

Choosing the color of the stretch ceiling for an interior, keep away from bright options. It’s better to pick something monochrome. A black stretch ceiling should be used in special cases, for example, in a restaurant with subdued lighting. The white one is universal. This option is particularly good for low rooms with large windows.

Also, note that glossy stretches are not suitable for narrow rooms because they can make people feel like inside a chimney. We’d recommend them for wide spaces with low ceilings. Only then you will achieve the expected effect.

3. Make a small room look bigger with hidden light

Hidden light around the perimeter of the ceiling or at several spots in the room allows you to add accents. It complements the natural light and other light fixtures to make your small room look bigger.

To add such light properly, you should plan it from the start. It requires drywall niches that are difficult to add once the plastering is done. Besides, it’s necessary to do the wiring, install and hide a special 12-volt transformer.

Learn How to Add Light to 3D Renderings

4. Small room ideas. Put furniture lower to the ground

When the furniture is not too high, it leaves more space above. The logic is simple. Therefore, we recommend choosing low sofas, beds, and chairs. To make a small bedroom bigger, you can choose a loft bed or even try putting a mattress directly on the floor. It’s a common solution in modern designs that values simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use.

5. Eliminate drapes and rugs

Drapes make interiors cozier and add a special romantic touch. But, at the same time, they significantly reduce the space. Even open drapes prevent some light from entering the room and close the view. If you want privacy, you can substitute heavy drapes with sheer window coverings, cloth blinds, or shutters. Besides, they are usually cheaper than the classic drapes, which is an additional advantage.

Rugs are also not recommended for small room ideas. Since you won’t be able to place a nice big rug, you should avoid them completely.

6. Make it multi-purpose

When instead of buying several items you can have one, do it. A chest used as a coffee table, a bed or ottoman with hidden storage, modular furniture, and other multi-purpose elements allow you to save space in your apartment. They can be easily transformed and have several uses depending on the current needs.

7. Consider photo wallpapers

If you like the idea of adding photo wallpapers, you should know they look great in small rooms. A picture of nature or some graphic elements placed on the main wall distract attention from other walls and make the apartment look more spacious.

8. Leave some space between furniture and walls

When furniture is right at the wall, it highlights a lack of space. Contrarily, when a sofa or chairs leave several inches from the wall, there is no feeling of scarcity. Three or four inches won’t make a difference for the furniture location or pathway but can make your room look bigger.

9. Small room ideas. Paint walls white

If you wonder what colors make a room look bigger and brighter, consider white and other light shades. Light gray, dusty blue or sage green are great options for tiny rooms. They are calm, relaxing, and suit almost any interior. Thanks to modern washable paint, white walls are also easy to keep clean.

Get Tips On How to Choose Color Palette for Your Design

10. Avoid heavy-looking furniture

When it comes to small spaces, furniture is always about proportions and details. Hence, it’s important to avoid too heavy or big pieces of furniture that eat up the room. You should also leave some space between the furniture pieces and not put them too close. Apart from that, it’s important to pick furniture with delicate legs, backs, etc.

11. Keep a pathway clear

In small spaces, you may want to scatter things around the interior. Don’t do that. When people constantly bump into things on their way, they start hating the room they live in. Therefore, you should carefully plan the pathway and think about how the future residents will move. If they will regularly get up from the living room sofa and go to the kitchen, there should be no obstacles on their way.

Need any help with interior design or rendering? Let us assist you.