It all boils down to creating a sense of movement. Like the leggy furniture that creates a sense of dynamism, or the mirrors that reflect light and a view back into the room, anything that causes your eye to travel around a room in an intentional and orderly fashion will make it feel larger.
Keep your furniture refined
To make a small living room look bigger, you need to remove visually heavy furniture which will drain the light from your living room, and chunky pieces that are simply too big.
You can add bold and bright accessories like cushions, lamps and trimmings to add character and style. It's an old trick, but one that does work. Using large mirrors across wall surfaces helps to reflect light, especially when angled towards focal points or near a window to generate more natural light.
'A light-toned sofa in neutral colors, such as beige, cream, light gray, or white, can create a sense of openness in any room. These soft hues reflect the natural and artificial light that enters the room, making the space look brighter, airier, and more spacious.
Mirrors are one of the most effective ways of expanding space, adding depth as well as character, so it is an ideal solution to making a narrow room feel wider.
Empty rooms actually look smaller than furnished ones (even we have to measure up sometimes after all these years to make sure our chosen items will fit). Carefully selected furniture gives buyers a measurement of scale to compare their items to – “my dining table is bigger than this one but I can see it will fit”.
Although it's true that dark wood has a heavier visual look, that mostly just means it's bolder and more imposing, not that it actually makes the space look smaller. The key is you have to do it right. If you have too much dark going on in a space, yes, it will make the room look smaller.
Dark furniture can be a good choice when you have a large, spacious room that feels too big to be comfortable. It helps shrink that room, making it more intimate and more inviting. If you have a small room, however, furniture in darker tones may appear to shrink it even more, so that it feels stifling or overcrowded.
A low bed frame can be a great choice in a number of situations. It can make a small room feel bigger than it really is, leaving maximum open space above the bed. A design without a footboard is preferable although you can still opt for a high headboard since this is against a wall.
An empty room almost ALWAYS looks smaller than it really is. People have no imaginations and let's face it, how could buyers intuitively even know if furniture will fit into a space.
Slide 1: Too Much Furniture Makes Room Look Smaller
The fewer pieces of furniture you have cluttering your rooms, the more spacious your place will feel.
Floating furniture means that you place it from the center out. The backs of the furniture aren't against the walls. This technique creates a more intimate seating arrangement while freeing up the wall space that gives the illusion that the room is larger than it actually is.
Gray can make a room look bigger. A light gray can be a great pick in place of white; it will reflect natural light, but it looks less architectural and cool than white, which you might prefer.
Lighter colors such as whites, creams, and light grays can help a room feel more open and spacious. Darker colors tend to make a room feel smaller and more enclosed.
Here's the first surprise. Painting a small room dark can make it look bigger. 'Contrary to traditional thinking, dark paint allows the room to appear larger and taller than it may be. Dark colors add depth, visually enlarge the space, and make a great statement,' says Lichelle Silvestry.
In general, a staged home will sell quicker than a non-staged home, and at a higher price too! 95% of staged homes sell in 11 days or less, and a staged home will sell for 17% more than a non-staged home.
Big furniture can put the squeeze on arranging small bedrooms. If you have closet space, tuck your chest or dresser in the closet. You'll free up valuable floor space, make your room appear larger, and have your clothes in one convenient spot.
Stick to 3 Pieces of Furniture
These would be your bed and two nightstands or a bed, a nightstand, and a small desk. Another option is a bed, a nightstand, and a bench or accent chair. Depending upon the number of people sleeping in the bedroom you may need to adjust your combination.
Stay Light and Bright
The best small kitchen ideas use materials to an advantage. Reflective surfaces, such as ceramic tile, marble countertops, or stainless steel, subtly amplify the effects of natural and artificial light, thereby making small kitchens seem larger.
An accent wall draws in all the attention when one enters the room and it ultimately becomes the focal point of the room. Painting an accent wall can also make a room appear larger and more spacious than it actually is. This can be a huge benefit if square footage is a concern of yours.
If your room is particularly long, divide it into two separate zones. Consider two different conversation areas. A seating area and a small office or dining area is another option to make the most of the space. Use area rugs to define each area.