Making Little Spaces Larger

Making your little space look large

You love your little apartment, it’s cozy, sweet and just what you’ve always wanted.  Except for space!  Just because you don’t have a lot of it, don’t flaunt it.  Try decorating options that bring out the best in your apartment and make it look larger.  You don’t need a big budget to make it look like a big space.

Colors

Stark white isn’t required, and can even emphasize the size.  Use light colors, they reflect light which makes rooms look larger.  If you want the hot color for the season – choose yellows to open up a room and let the sunshine in.  Stick with white for ceilings and trim.

Dark colors aren’t prohibited, just limited to furniture, art and accessories.  This may be just the place to try a black and white decorating scheme.

If you need to wallpaper a small space, stick with solid color or faux finished papers.  Small patterns can be an option, but no large patterns to emphasize the small space.

Remember when using color in apartment decorating, dark colors make objects look closer, light colors make them look further away and enhance space.

Angle Furniture

One detail you’ll notice in professionally designed rooms is furniture is not set against walls.  Bring out your furniture and arrange the larger pieces in the room at an angle.  The longest line in a room is its diagonal, and your view will tend to focus on the longer distance rather than a shorter wall.

Trick Mirrors

One of the most popular design tricks in making a small room look larger is to add mirrors into the mix.  Mirrors reflect not only images, but light as well, brightening the room and bouncing the light around to make the room look larger. Use mirrors near a window for the most impact. 

You’ll notice when you enter many homes, there’s a mirror in the entryway.  It’s not just for checking your lipstick, it makes the entryway look larger by reflecting the light from the open door.

For small bedrooms, consider a mirrored vanity as a dresser to open up the space and lighten the room.  Mirrored closet doors can disguise plain sliding doors and put them to work in adding space.

Lighting

Use lighting to your advantage.  Torchiere lights bounce light off the ceiling making the room seem larger.  Table lamps can not only clutter surfaces, but will reflect the light down, which can be visually absorbed by the flooring.

With a few tricks of the trade, open up your apartment to some exciting design options, without spending a bundle on redecorating.