How to visually enlarge a room: ideas and methods, tips from professional designers

Content:

1. Basic rules for decorating a small room: how it works
2. Color nuances in the interior
3. 5 ways to enlarge a room: nuances of decorative finishing of walls, ceiling, floor
   1. Wall design features
   2. Optical illusion - how to raise the ceiling without “noise and dust”
   3. Unconventional and effective design solutions for the floor
   4. The illusion of large space: the magic of mirrors
   5. Correct lighting for a small apartment
4. Current interior styles: the best solutions for a small apartment
1. Scandinavian style
2. High-tech
3. Minimalism
4. Monochrome interior
5. What types of mattresses are there

The size of the room matters, especially in terms of practicality and comfort. But what to do if you have a small apartment, and your soul requires harmony, beauty and space? In design practice, there are many original techniques and ways to visually expand a room that “work” perfectly without a major reconstruction of the room at large financial costs.

The main life hacks for visually expanding space relate to the choice of general colors, patterns, wallpaper colors, type and texture of finishing materials, furniture and textiles. Artistic techniques such as the play of light and shadow, the choice of decor, and furniture compositions make the space more voluminous in different directions or correct its individual part. It is equally important to make the most of the benefits of natural light and create the right balance of central and background light.

We offer a short list of interesting ideas and projects for the renovation and decoration of small rooms, which can be taken as a basis, processed and adapted to the specific layout of the apartment, your own tastes and needs.

Basic rules for decorating a small room: how it works

Modern design techniques for visual transformation of space, at first glance, resemble an optical illusion. Real professionals in interior design know many secrets on how to create the illusion of space without any engineering intervention, using exclusively the means of artistic design and style.

To create various three-dimensional effects, a traditional set of tools for experienced designers is used:

• light colors in cool tones;
• clear line geometry;
• laconic functional furniture;
• combined lighting;
• minimalist decor;
• bright accent details;
• original compositional techniques with furniture, textiles, decor.

Color nuances in the interior

The ideal color scheme for a small room is a palette of light, washed out almost white tones. Light, subtle nuances and shades give the room additional volume, and the lighter the tone, the more pronounced the visual effect. At the same time, pure white color requires careful handling - in inept hands it can turn a cozy apartment into a semblance of a hospital ward, making the interior excessively cold and sterile.

Arguments in favor of white in home interiors:

• Versatility.
• An ideal background that gives objects volume and depth.
• High combinatorial properties - white is good in any combination.
• Basic color, always fashionable and relevant.
• The basis of any interior, without reference to style.

Designers often use an integrated approach, when not only the walls and ceiling are painted in a light tone, but also the furnishings, and the decor is selected in harmony with the overall background.

For the overall perception of the interior, the color of the walls is much more important than the composition of the furniture or the design of individual furnishings. The basic color shades of the walls, which visually enlarge the room, are selected in accordance with its purpose:

• Living room – light beige, pearl, olive, silver gray.
• Kitchen – apricot, cream, milk, light green.
• Dining room – ivory, dusty rose, mint.
• Bedroom – powdery, pale peach, lilac, sea foam color.
• Children’s room – pale coral, sky blue, bleached light green and pink.

5 ways to enlarge a room: nuances of decorative finishing of walls, ceiling, floor

Wall design features

The easiest, fastest and most affordable way to change the visual perception of a room is to use wallpaper with the right tone and pattern. Decorative wallpaper for a compact room must meet the requirements and tasks of color correction:

• A light palette of walls is the main condition for visual spaciousness, and you should choose plain wallpaper or samples with a discreet small pattern in the background tone.
• Photo wallpaper, accent area or wall with a geometric print is a proven way to optically expand space.
• The combination of monochrome surfaces and large volumetric patterns, wallpaper with perspective creates the necessary dynamic and spatial effect, changes the proportions of the room.
• A large pattern visually makes the room smaller - the wallpaper pattern should proportionally correspond to the area.
• Wallpapers with a shiny, reflective surface and a three-dimensional effect work well to expand space.

Optical illusion - how to raise the ceiling without “noise and dust”

If it is necessary to “pull” the walls up, choose a vertical geometric or ornamental pattern. All types of decoration with horizontal stripes - drawings, reliefs, panels - visually “stretch” the walls, increasing the width of the room. Adding a central accent wall is a proven way to make a long room feel shorter. The width of the stripes and brightness of color enhance the visual effect. The whole variety of decorative means is used as finishing: wallpaper, painting, panoramic and three-dimensional photo wallpaper, painting.

A proven way to “raise” the ceiling is a suspended ceiling structure with a smooth, shiny surface. The combination of matte, satin and glossy fabric allows you to create unusual spatial effects and add height to the room. A mirrored ceiling doubles the surrounding space due to reflection alone.

The proportions of a room can be easily modified with ceiling beams; several beams in one direction will be enough to achieve the desired effect - a long room becomes noticeably shorter, and vice versa.

A simple and creative way to add height to a room is to hang wallpaper on the ceiling with a picture of the sky with clouds. This is an excellent option for a children's room, a small living room in fusion style, based on the natural perception of endless space.

Narrow and high window openings, doors, arches initially “stretch” the room. Decorative curtains and transparent tulle with a straight silhouette enhance the “vertical” effect.

An original design technique with a color gradation from dark to light allows you to visually “move” the ceiling away from the floor, while the upper part of the walls should be closer to a white tone.

Unconventional and effective design solutions for the floor

Horizontal stripes, panels, parquet boards can shorten or lengthen a room, depending on the direction of the pattern. “Striped” decoration is ideal for rooms with irregular proportions, corrects layout deficiencies, helps to visually expand a narrow room, and remove width. The effect is emphasized by parquet boards, laminate with a chamfer, and a longitudinal striped pattern.

The color of the main surfaces - floors, walls - is decisive in the perception of the room as a whole. In this context, light, bleached floor coverings with minimally expressed patterns and textures are recommended for a small room. A self-leveling floor in a milky beige color with a reflection effect will literally double a small room.

The illusion of large space: the magic of mirrors

Light reflection is a simple and practice-tested way to expand spatial boundaries. In the reflection of mirrors, even a miniature room can seem bright and spacious - while solving decorative problems, they simultaneously create the illusion of infinity.

A tall, solid mirror covering the entire wall doubles the volume of the room, while the mirror effect must be used carefully, otherwise there is a risk of getting a ballet studio or labyrinth instead of the living room. Figured mirrors in the form of an original composition on the walls or ceiling unobtrusively and effectively increase the volume. Installing a mirror opposite the window is guaranteed to add space and light to a small room during the day. The reflection of lamps in mirrors gives the interior extravagance, filling the surrounding space with special depth and light.

An excellent solution for a small room - a mirrored cabinet, transparent glass furniture, glossy facades, doors and countertops, chrome elements. An interesting design technique is glass partitions for zoning a room, which preserve the effect of open space.

Ideal furniture for a small room: compact, functional, no frills

The furniture of small rooms has its own laws - any composition in the center breaks the room into parts, visually narrowing the already limited space. Designers recommend abandoning furniture zoning, island layouts, and tall or bulky furniture.

Useful life hacks in choosing and arranging furniture:

• in modern minimalist interiors, feel free to experiment with glass furniture;
• order doors, shelves, glass racks;
• choose models with legs - they look elegant and weightless;
• give preference to low furniture - beds without a headboard, poufs, chests of drawers;
• a wall-sized wardrobe with a mirrored facade will solve storage problems and add space and light;
• choose storage systems carefully;
• orient the furniture along the walls, leaving the center free;
• use vertical patterns and shapes;
• avoid excessive decorativeness;
• choose a furniture set in a single palette, in light pastel colors.

Correct lighting for a small apartment

Any light source gives the space additional volume, be it a natural stream of light or artificial lighting. The more windows there are in the house, the more spacious the room looks. In a small, disproportionate or darkened room, design tricks that create all sorts of optical illusions work well.

Lighting systems for a small room include different types and sources of artificial light:

• classic pendant chandeliers with adjustable height;
• modern ceiling and wall lamps with matte or glossy shades;
• spotlights as main and additional illumination with multi-mode control;
• decorative sconces and floor lamps, economical LEDs for local lighting;
• hidden background lighting made from LED strip.

In the interiors of a small apartment, it is recommended to use soft combined lighting, diffused light, lamps with shades made of matte, sandblasted plastic and glass, and light-colored lampshades.

Current interior styles: the best solutions for a small apartment

Basic design techniques for visually transforming space become especially relevant in standard and small-sized apartments. You can increase the area by skillfully playing with color, accents, texture, and lighting. In the design, stylistic solutions with a laconic functional furnishings, a moderate color palette in light colors, natural materials and shades, and elegant, thoughtful decor are appropriate.

Scandinavian style

The ascetic and “laconic” style brings a feeling of spaciousness and lightness to the house, visually expanding the boundaries of the walls. The priority is simple shapes, clean bleached colors, natural eco-friendly materials.

High-tech

The abundance of white, clear contrasts, laconic accents, and thoughtful functionality of the furniture give the setting a special charm. The chrome-plated metal elements and shiny surfaces inherent in the technological style repeatedly reflect light and create additional spatial effects.

Minimalism

In a minimalist interior, it is important to maintain the tone and correctly distribute accents. The decor should have no more than 2-3 spots of color; mirrors, combinations of metal, gloss, and matte surfaces are welcome.

Monochrome interior

A timeless classic that plays up the base color in different ways. The leading color is most often white; furniture, upholstery, and decor are selected in a contrasting color. Playing with shapes, shades, textures adds originality and variety to the interior, creating the correct volumetric proportions.

Mediterranean style

A wonderful option for a small nursery or bedroom with large windows and good natural light. Choose rich natural shades that combine beautifully with a white background - sea, sandy brown, azure, sunny yellow and bright orange. Ornamental prints, bright accents, and stylish decor will help diversify and refresh the atmosphere.

In the interior of a typical small-sized apartment, laconic modern trends and styles are welcome. 

Use little secrets and design tricks when arranging your apartment, correctly assess the architectural aspects of the premises, find unusual conceptual interior solutions at no extra cost and live in a cozy, comfortable environment!