How to make a small space feel large

With interiors becoming increasingly pushed for space, being smarter with interiors is becoming a growing trend. There are many ways you can create the illusion of having a larger space. In this blog we will discuss a few of these design techniques that you can implement into your space today.

By painting your walls, trims and ceilings all in different tones of the same colour, you can actually make the room look larger. White is good at making a space feel larger e.g. by painting the walls in an off-white, the trims one tone lighter than the walls and the ceiling two tones lighter you can open the space up to feel like a larger room.

The colour palette you select when creating this design makes a big impact on the space. By using light and natural tones you can make a space feel instantly larger. If you use bold clashing colours it will instantly make the space feel smaller.

It is important that you utilise as much natural light as possible, natural light will also help to make a space feel larger. You can bring more natural light into a room by uncovering your windows.

Reflective and see-through finishes will also help to make the space feel bigger. Mirrors reflect light and make the space feel bigger. If you place mirrors strategically e.g. using a wall length mirror opposite a window will give the illusion that the space carries on further, reflecting large amounts of natural light will help the space to feel bigger.

Glass allows more light, making space feel bigger. Even in bathrooms, if you use a see-through shower curtain you can make a tiny bathroom feel instantly bigger. Even in a dining room, using see-through chairs can make a space look aesthetically much bigger, you can accessorise chairs with a throw or cushion to make this more aesthetically pleasing.

Smart storage solutions and furniture that is multifunctional has boomed because of this trend and growing demand for smart interior solutions. Examples of smarter storage solutions you can implement include using adjustable dining tables that can be elongated or shrunk according to demand, poufs that open up, doubling as a storage container for any throws and shelving solutions to take stuff off the floor. By making sure the floor-based furniture you do have uses exposed legs, you can also make the space feel more spacious. Any furniture that blocks out large chunks of the floor will make the room feel small, as visible floor space has been dramatically reduced.

Minimising clutter will be your new best friend. By implementing a more minimalist look and reducing the clutter you own, you can open up spaces. Having fewer smaller furniture pieces and using a single, larger statement furniture piece, which fills the room, can also help to make a room feel larger. Colour coding the items you do have can also make a room feel more streamlined.

By using furniture that is the same colour as the walls can also open up the space, as it gives the illusion of depth, broadening the space.

Not all of this information means you cannot incorporate statement pieces; in fact, you can still use statement art pieces. This can actually make the interior feel instantly more expensive. The use of a striped rug can elongate a small room. You can also use rugs to break up a smaller room, contrary to what you may expect, by dividing the room in this way you can actually give the illusion of having more space and will help to give the illusion of zones. This technique is good for studio flats.

In fact, we encourage you to break the rules! For example, just because it is a living room it does not mean you have to have a sofa on the floor, have a swing sofa if you want! This can actually benefit the space, as it will mean that more of the floor is visible.

Finally, the lighting, the removal of overhead lights and implementation of pendant lighting, smaller floor and shelf lights reduces harsh lighting; this softer lighting evokes a more natural feeling and draws your eyes around a room.