How To Make Your Small Room Appear Bigger

We’ve all got that one room in our home that’s too small to make much use out of. With many of us living in the classic British semi, we are all too familiar with the box room that the youngest sibling ends up with. If it’s not used as a ‘bedroom’, it’s used as the untidy office or a dumping ground for things that don’t have a home. It makes sense; why would we want to spend time in the cramped room, when we have a gorgeous, spacious open-plan kitchen/diner waiting for us downstairs? Whether we like it or not, it’s there and we may as well make as much of it as we can. Keep reading to find out how you can make it appear bigger and make use of the space. 

It’s all about utilising space

You might be thinking, ‘well obviously…’ – but many of us haven’t quite got to grips with this fully. Storage boxes under beds, installing a small shelf, purchasing a door hanger, these are all ways in which you can make use of the space you have available. It’s a fact that you’re just not going to get as much stuff in a small room as a larger one, so we’d recommend not making it the dumping ground. Remove any clutter and keep the surfaces clear or ornaments. Put the TV on the wall to save on floor space too! 

The importance of colour

Shade is an important part of any room, especially the small one. The best advice to follow is to keep things as simple and as minimalistic as possible. Dark colours not only make the room appear dim, but the room can end up looking narrower. The use of light colours like white, magnolia and pastels will make the room look like it has more depth and appear brighter and airier, creating the illusion of more space. 

Flooring

If you’re going for a full-on renovation, why not consider changing the flooring? It is one of the main features of your room and is usually the first thing you notice, therefore the first thing you notice if it’s not right! Nothing beats the natural magnificence of real wood and the good news is it can help your room appear bigger too. You need to pay attention to which wood and plank type however, don’t go for a darker colour like walnut. Instead, opt for a light shade of oak – the colour rule works for flooring too. We’d recommend wider planks for a small room as again, it can create an illusion of more space. If you’re looking for something a little more affordable, then laminate and Luxury Vinyl Tiles mimic real wood very convincingly. 

Furniture 

Exposed leg furniture is where you want to begin. Avoid beds with skirts and anything boxy. Multipurpose furniture is great too, pull out beds and chest of drawers that can be used as a bedside table. Don’t think that small furniture is the best route to go down either, fewer larger pieces of furniture will actually make the room appear bigger rather than lots of little pieces.

Lighting

The same rule works for lighting, keep the room as bright as possible. Introduce natural light instead of hanging heavy, dark curtains and consider blinds instead. If the room doesn’t have much natural light coming through, then spread the light around the room with lamps so all corners are lit up and you’re really maximising that space. Avoid low hanging light fitting though, these will intrude on space!

Although there are loads of interior ideas for a small room, we hope these little easy and inexpensive tips have given you some inspiration and hopefully, your small room will be as loved as the rest of your home!