Interior decoration solutions for small spaces
When done properly, Interior decorating can be like a magician playing a trick. The magician makes us believe in something that is just an illusion. While I can’t explain how magic tricks work, I can tell you how the magic of good interior decorating can work wonders in your home.
If your goal is to make your space look bigger, there are numerous elements that will help you to achieve this:
Color
There are a few color methods to trick our eyes and make a space look bigger. By painting both the walls and ceiling white, they merge together and make it harder to tell the height and width of a space.
Two possible solutions: vertical stripes draw our eyes upwards which increases the feeling of height while horizontal stripes increases the feeling of width. Painting your wall with stripes can feel like a big statement and I’m usually not a fan, but if I would choose stripes I would go with two shades of one color and probably a neutral color so it’s not super loud and will still achieve the illusion.
One accent color on a short wall decreases the depth but increases the width of the room. Using strong colors on two long walls in the room can create a long and narrow space. A dark color on the ceiling or on the floor brings the space down.
Lighter colors are usually preferred in small spaces and that is my preference, but dark colors and patterns work as well. As mentioned above, it depends on what you are trying to achieve with your space.
You don't have to paint your walls or put up new wallpaper to maximize the look of your space through colors. This can be done through the use of a dramatic feature like a TV, media stand, or Sofa. Personally, I would go with light colors for these items if your space doesn’t have much natural light in it. I would only use darker colors if you have floor to ceiling windows or a big window with a lot of light coming through. Also, decluttering a small space by organizing your books and accessories by color will create a better flow in the room and will be easier on the eye. After all, color is the first thing humans process when looking at an image.
Multifunctional Items
Choose multifunctional furniture; A sleeper sofa, ottoman with storage, extendable table, coffee table that can double as a dining table, a bench with storage and so on. Decluttering is the key in small places so using items that serve more than one functionality is the way to do it. I love searching in Pinterest for ‘multifunctional furniture’ or ‘multifunctional small spaces’ and seeing all of these cool ideas. Some of them will blow your mind and can be a great DIY project.
Off the floor
Lift furniture off the floor on legs, wheels or even hanging. It will look like it's levitating! This creates that magical 'wow' effect like magic. When furniture is off the floor it gives a sense of space. It’s also much easier to clean!
High & Low
In college, I remember having only a mattress on my floor in my room. When I decided to bring in a bed frame I remember thinking how much bigger my room looked without it.
Low furniture creates an illusion of higher ceilings and makes the room look bigger. The ideal is low furniture on legs, high shelves, floor to ceiling curtains and art above eye level.
Reflections
Mirrors, especially when placed opposite a window, reflect the light from the outside and create an illusion of space. The bigger, the better.
Magic Carpets
Rugs indicate the purpose of the space, frame the space and add color, warmth and comfort. A rule of thumb with rugs is that the whole piece of furniture or at least the front of it should be on the rug. If it helps, think of a rug as the picture frame and the furniture as the picture image.
Curtains down
Leaving your windows uncovered will create depth and let more natural light in. I live in the city so no curtains is a little bit out there but you can use sheer blinds or sheer curtains. One trick with curtains is to hang them as close to the ceiling as you can to create the illusion of a higher ceiling.
Maximizing your space really comes down to techniques that trick the eye. You can’t change the size of the space you're working with but you can choose the right furniture, color and texture to make it look bigger and more beautiful!
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