Stylemaker Secrets: Fake a Bigger Small Space

June 08, 2015
Small spaces can unfortunately come with big issues -- mainly, how to get the look of a wide-open room when working with pint-size square footage. Here, some of our favorite designers offer tips that give your rooms room to breathe.
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Fake It with Paint

I will often paint the walls, ceiling, and trim in the same color. Lighter colors make a space feel larger and airier.

-- Lauren Liess, decorator, textile designer, and blogger

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Float the Furniture

Don't push all the furniture against the walls! Float some pieces when creating conversational seating arrangements. Choose pieces that can help to create distinct zones in a small area without taking up too much visual space, like clear acrylic pieces.

-- Khristian A. Howell, color and pattern expert

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Edit, Edit, Edit

It has been said before, but it is so key: Edit, edit, edit. And when you're done editing, edit some more. If your space is full of stuff, it will never feel spacious. 

-- Darlene Weir, owner and principal interior designer of Fieldstone Hill Design

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Divide and Conquer

The best way to make a small space feel spacious is to make sure that you have designated areas to make everything seem larger. A studio, for example, should have a bedroom area, dining area, kitchen area, etc. Use different rugs in some of those areas to help make things feel larger.

-- Camila Pavone, interior decorator and blogger

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Try the Rug Trick

I like to use a large rug to cover the majority of the floor. It will draw your eye across the entire space, making it appear more spacious than it actually is.

-- Tina Ramchandani, founder of interior design firm Tina Ramchandani Creative and blogger

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Stretch the Space

A smaller room calls for full-size rather than smaller furniture, and lower seating heights. Color rather than white walls always makes the space feel bigger, too.

-- Sarah Sarna, founder of Sarah Sarna Interior Design and blogger

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Reflect Light

Mirrors can add depth to a room and also can add more light. I always hang mirrors where they can reflect a window.

-- Kirsten Grove, interior stylist and blogger

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Fool the Eye

Hang roman shades behind the drapes -- also at ceiling height, but rolled down to just below the top of the window -- in order to trick the eye into believing that the windows go all of the way up to the ceiling.

-- Erin Souder, founder of Grandiflora and blogger

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Slim Down

Be mindful of visual weight when you have a small space. Try a sofa that has exposed legs versus a skirt, or a pedestal table for a dining room instead of something with four bulky legs. 

-- Camila Pavone, interior decorator and blogger

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Scale Smartly

Play with scale. Try using larger pieces versus multiple, smaller pieces in a room. Instead of multiple chairs, try a love seat, and pair it with one larger art piece on the wall above instead of an art collage.

-- Britany Simon, designer and HGTV Design Star finalist

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