ways to make a room appear larger

[sweet_mayhem]

besides putting up mirrors, what ways do you know can make a room appear larger? thanks...

[vicki2]

Oddly enough, if the room is an interior room with no windows, painting it a dark color will make it appear larger. I once read that in a Terrance Conran book and didn't believe it until I tried it. Worked like a charm.

[brian]

I presume the reverse is true when windows are present? It seems that pale walls and a couple of good mirrors are superb for making light and airy rooms even bigger.

[vicki2]

Yup. One of my tricks if I've got several rooms to do which all flow together is to buy a gallon of each of the paint colors on a paint family chart ...usually there are five. That way you can do one room darker and then the next room in a much lighter color. Because the family of color is the same, it always works.

[sweet_mayhem]

thanks for those suggestions..i did some researching too and most of what i've read say that painting your walls a light color will make your room visually larger...they probably overlooked the case of rooms with no windows...

another tip they said is to have a dark flooring, and a lighter color for the ceiling compared to your walls...also, they said that sometimes, setting your furniture diagonally in the room may do the trick since you get to see your room in an angle instead of in a straight line when you're just facing a side of your room...

[juol7]

Can make a room significantly bigger and the more mirrors you can use without ruining the décor the better. You could for example use mirror tiles all along one wall or one big mirror as a centre piece

[fitnessk]

Isn't the way you arrange furniture and the style flooring also a way to make a room look bigger than it is?

[vicki2]

Yes, fitnessk, it is. There are all sorts of tricks that are great to try. Moving furniture around is the cheapest and quickest way to find out. Someone mentioned furniture on the diagonal. That's one thing I just won't try as I hate the way it looks. There's always a corner with nothing in it! LOL.

[homewatch]

I've read an article that says if you want to use big size furniture, use them sparingly and place it the corner. This can help add space to your home.

[vicki2]

I'm a big believer in using furniture that is in proportion to the room size. I know we all like big over stuffed furniture because it's comfy but if you have a cottage with small rooms, it just won't work. There are alot of furniture manufacturers who have realized this and are making the same styles but scaled down for smaller spaces. I think that's grreat.