MAKE A SMALL ROOM LOOK BIGGER

I

t’s all about tinkering with the visuals to achieve the desired effect.

You love your home – you just wish there were more of it. While you can’t grow a 1,500-square-foot house into a grand 3,000-square-footer, you can give the illusion of a bigger space. All it takes is a bit of decorating trickery to open a room and let its beauty shine through.

Here are a few things you can do easily to “enlarge” a room:

1. Hang a good-sized mirror The classic hack that makes a space go on and on: Install a mirror on a wall to take advantage of reflective light that’s spread around the room. In terms of size, the bigger the better but keep the frame simple. Hang the mirror at the average person’s eye level, which is 60 inches from the floor to the center of the mirror. Decorate the room with objects made of glass and other see-through materials that will also bounce light around and contribute to a spacious vibe.

2. Take a leaf out of the dining room table

If you have a small dining room and a big table, you can easily make the room grow visually by removing any leaf (or leaves) that is currently installed. Visitors will have more room to walk around, too.

3. Avoid huge furniture If you’re thinking of purchasing new bedroom furniture, don’t be tempted to get big pieces if you’re trying to make the room appear larger. When a huge bed frame, dresser, and a few ample lamps are stuffed into a small space, the furniture will overtake the environment. Keep scale in mind and look for furnishings that will work, size-wise, in the room’s square footage.

4. Remove heavy drapes for a lighter touch

Heavy drapes may be elegant but they absorb too much light, which reduces a room’s size. If you want an airier feel, hang sheer, gauzy, or linen curtains instead. Open the blinds to let natural sunlight come in, too.

5. Streamline every room

Get rid of extraneous, outdated, broken, or otherwise unnecessary items that can clog up a room. Evaluate every object in your view and decide what to do with it – keep it where it is or move it to a more appropriate spot, donate it, or dump it. Decluttering your home may seem overwhelming but it actually reduces stress for many people.

6. Paint everything from floor to ceiling in your favorite color but keep it light

While a dark color on the walls gives a room some decorative drama, it also makes the space feel like it’s closing in on itself. Light colors have the opposite effect and create an airy ambiance, especially if you use the same light color for the ceiling, trim, and doors (if you don’t want to paint your floors, add a rug or carpeting in the same light color as the rest of the room).

— CTW Features

Contact us with comments or questions at hotproperty@latimes.com

Sheer curtains work with light-colored walls to create an airier feel.

Photo courtesy of Content That Works