There are tons of design mistakes that can make rooms feel smaller than they actually are. Whether you’re a professional interior makeover artist or simply someone who loves styling their home, it isn’t uncommon for these mistakes to appear in living spaces all over the world. The good news is that once you’re aware of them, they’re easy to avoid, and you can take steps to ensure your rooms feel open, light, and airy.
From clutter that eats up valuable space to heavy furniture that overwhelms a room, or even the misuse of mirrors and lighting, these simple oversights can have a big impact. By recognising and addressing them, you’ll be able to transform your interiors and make even the smallest of rooms feel more spacious and inviting.
Using the Wrong Curtains
There’s a lot that can skew the perception of a room, especially the layout and design. Ready-made window coverings won’t necessarily fit correctly, and this can affect how a room feels in terms of its size. Made-to-measure curtains from Sewing House are effective for making smaller spaces feel larger as they are fitted, even offering floor-to-ceiling options. Of course, the materials also matter, and more light through voile and sheer drapery helps flood the room!
Rooms Feel Smaller when they’re Messy
The dog’s rubber bones, misplaced coffee mugs, and, of course, LEGO bricks on bare feet are common worries in a modern home! Jokes aside, a messy space can reduce how large a space feels. Fortunately, there are some easy ways you can remove clutter for a soothing space:
- Whizz around the space and remove anything that shouldn’t really be there.
- Check your tables, shelves and window surfaces for misplaced items and clean them up.
- Make a bit of moolah by getting rid of the stuff you no longer need or use anymore.
Placing Large Furniture
All rooms are different and have various requirements, and not thinking about these can be a mistake. So, maybe you want that stunning leather Chesterfield for your reading nook. But will it really fit, and how will you place it? Oversized furniture will definitely detract from the sense of space in a room. When placing furniture, always keep the three dimensions in mind! Low-sitting furniture can help a smaller room feel taller, especially when combined with other tricks.
Unused Vertical Space
Have you ever found yourself staring blankly at a wall? Well, maybe your brain is trying to tell you something. While we often decorate a room by placing items across the floor space, there are tons of vertical spaces just going to waste. Walls are handy for shelving, racks and placing artwork and mirrors. The space can help you free up floor space, which makes a room feel larger. But you can also take advantage of mirror placement for bouncing sunlight.
Bold Colours Make Rooms Feel Smaller
Made-to-measure curtains can help you control the light and help a room feel spacious and taller, but colours are still critical. Colour plays an essential role across any design and décor theme, but can significantly impact how a room feels, especially in size. For example, the use of bold colours makes rooms feel smaller with imposing walls. Yet, a study by ResearchGate found that using cooler colour hues across around 10% of a room increases the perception of space.
Try light and airy hues
When it comes to helping a room feel more spacious, whites, creams and lighter greys are your best friends, as they don’t impose and bounce natural light around a room more easily.
How about monochrome?
Harsh contrasts can trick your eye into believing a room is smaller than it is. Colour blocking by using various shades of the same colour can help make it easier on your vision and senses.
Don’t forget about accent walls
Good old accent walls are a nifty way to draw attention when designing a space. If you must use a dark colour, adding it to just one wall will help define the space, helping it feel much larger.
How You Light the Space
Light is a critical design element that is often overlooked. Most people get so caught up in colour and texture that they forget this is actually defined by how materials interact with light. Natural light is a powerful factor in reducing how small a room can feel. However, you shouldn’t forget about artificial light either. Layered lighting with spotlights, lamps and LED strips can help a space feel cosy, larger and inviting, especially when decorating for seasonal changes.
Blocking Out Natural Light
As mentioned, natural light is a powerful element in modern home design. Blocking out light is almost guaranteed to cause a space to feel dim, dingy and cramped. Of course, you may need privacy or perhaps the light is reflecting off the TV! However, allowing natural light to flood a room when possible allows you to breathe easier in a light and airy space. Combined with tricks like mirrors, natural sunlight can help even the smallest rooms feel spacious.
Rooms Feel Smaller without Mirrors
It’s no secret that most people want more space, and in Britain alone, around 78% of people feel they don’t have enough. This can contribute to how small a room, or indeed, home, feels. But did you know that mirrors can actually be a massive advantage when transforming a room?:
- A single large mirror can be enough to bounce tons of light for brightness and space.
- Positioning is key, so of course, mirrors must be in a spot to reflect natural light.
- Even narrow hallways can feel much bigger with a strategically placed mirror at the end.
Placing Rugs Incorrectly
Rugs are among the most widely used home features in modern interior design. As well as offering comfort for your tootsies, they also help a room feel much warmer and more inviting. A rug ties the room together, and alongside made-to-measure curtains, you have a winner. Or do you? Placing a rug incorrectly can mess up the arrangement, especially when choosing the wrong size. A large area rug that furniture can sit on will create a zone and anchor the space.
Summary
The wrong curtain type can make rooms feel smaller. Lighter options like voile are excellent for flooding a space with light and helping the area feel larger than it really is. However, you must also keep colours in mind, as bold hues can make the walls feel imposing. Of course, it also helps to consider the style, material and size of any rugs you place when designing a room.