How To Create A Space That Feels Bigger
Do you feel like your space is small, cramped, or unwelcoming? Do you long for your home to feel open, airy, and spacious?
Well, I’m here to tell you that you can make any space bigger. There are simple and small changes you can make to achieve this. Keep reading to learn what they are!
Space is something that my husband and I struggled with when designing our home. We came from slightly different living arrangements; him having just enough space to me having more space than I really needed. During the designing and even parts of the building process, I found myself struggling to come to terms with the amount of space I would have.
We also have different styles when it comes to how we want our home to feel. I love spaces to feel open, spacious and welcoming while he prefers spaces to feel cozy, comfortable, and intimate.
So what did we do?
Well, we had to compromise of course. In the areas of the house that were truly my spaces, however, I had to use the tricks below to make them feel bigger, brighter, and more open.
Let’s dive into those hacks, shall we?
Room Design
Paint color. It can make a huge difference. The more places you stick to lighter, softer colors the airier the space will feel. This goes for ceiling and furniture too, not just the walls.
Windows are key! One of my absolute musts with most of the spaces in my home is to leave the space in front of the window open and free from any bulky items. This is because so much light comes in through the windows. The more light you have the brighter-and bigger a space will feel.
A good general rule of thumb is this: Lines that go up and down-i.e.vertical make the walls seem taller, Lines that go from left to right- i.e. horizontal make the space seem wider.
The more floor space that is exposed the bigger the space will feel. Things like shelving on the wall, furniture pieces with glass, and spacing furniture further apart give you more visible floor space and thus, help to trick the eye into thinking the space is bigger.
The Furniture
Avoid big, bulky furniture. Any big furniture you have should be items that are absolutely essential to the space and cannot be compromised on such as a bed, or a couch that fits every family member.
Things like bookcases and bureaus should not be overly deep; meaning that they should not stick so far out from the wall. Most standard bookcases tend to be about 24 inches deep. You want one about half as deep as that. Same for bureaus.
Decorating The Space
Choose light and airy fabrics
Mirrors, mirrors, and more mirrors. Okay well, maybe not that many. They act as mini windows as they do a wonderful job reflecting light around a room.
Your artwork should have lines that come to a central, converging point-think of pictures that disappear into the horizon.
Essentially, what all of these hacks do is create optical illusions; they trick your eyes and your mind into thinking the space is bigger than it actually is.
Sometimes this is all we need. You don’t know how many people-myself included at one time, feel that they need to add more square footage to get the big, airy, open feeling space that they desire. There’s nothing wrong with wanting more space. What it comes down to, however, is can you afford it? Can you afford the time, money, and energy?
Try these hacks the next time you feel like you need a bigger space. You just might be surprised at how you can get a space to feel bigger without having to spend the time, money, and energy to physically make it bigger.
~MeganRelated Posts
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Disclaimer: The information presented in this post is accredited to Frida Ramstedt and her work in The Interior Design Handbook.
