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by Ahna Fulmer // Hammers N Hugs (IC: blogger)

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HOW TO MAKE SMALL ROOMS LOOK BIGGER [13 HACKS!]

Discover how to make small rooms look bigger using these 13 design ideas and
transform your home into a relaxing, spacious retreat.

As many of you know we just wrapped up the renovations in the basement of our
current fixer-upper home.!

This space was incredibly small and I had to employ all of my design tips and
tricks to make it feel as spacious yet functional as possible.

Be sure to read to the end to get my #1 tip to make small rooms look bigger!

Watch this podcast episode on YouTube or click below to download the audio for
later!

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/imperfectlyempowered/EP43_Make_A_Small_Room_Look_Bigger_Final_1.mp3

HOW TO MAKE SMALL ROOMS LOOK BIGGER

1. CONVERT A STANDARD CLOSET INTO AN OPEN-CONCEPT DESIGN.

Similarly to knocking out walls, converting a standard closet into an
open-concept design will instantly make a small bedroom feel more open and
spacious. Here we framed this master closet using reclaimed wood from a
150-year-old barn in Lancaster, PA, and a custom closet system was installed
using the ClosetMaid SuiteSymphony line.

Shop Closet Systems

In a hallway – knock out a closet and turn it into an open concept coat rack or
drop zone.

2. CREATE VERTICAL STORAGE WITH FLOATING SHELVES.

Vertical storage provides a focal point that draws the eye upward and opens up
the floor, making the small rooms feel larger. Make sure to neatly arrange the
decor items on shelves for added visual appeal.

Here we chose to build a tv stand with storage in the corner to help keep the
room feel more open. You will also notice we knocked out the walls between the
family room and the foyer.

This concept works very well in any area of the home. In a living room consider
creating floating shelves for toy and book storage leaving the least used items
on the top shelf.

Shop Corner TV Stands

In a bedroom, I created two vertical storage areas for my shoes including this
wall of floating shelves.

Shop Floating Shelves

3. ADD A LARGE LIGHT-COLORED AREA RUG.

Not only can a well-chosen area rug add a stylish accent, but it can ground a
room while also making it appear bigger. In order to optimize this more open
sense of space, choose a rug that has lighter colors as opposed to darker, as
darker colors will make a room feel smaller albeit cozy.

In a large room such as this basement, adding a rug to the sitting area helps to
define the tv space although the rug arguably does very little to make it feel
bigger as the room is already quite open.

In our master bedroom the light colored rugs help to brighten up the room
against the dark wood flooring.

Need help choosing a floor stain? Be sure to read this guide on choosing the
best farmhouse style wood floor stain?

In our girls bedroom we actually removed the rug that used to lay in between the
two beds. In this case it helped to make the room less busy and make it feel
more open.

The primary difference between the two bedroom is that the girls room was
already full of white, light colors. Our master bedroom was busier and had more
of the dark floor space

Shop Area Rugs

4. REMOVE EVERYTHING FROM THE WALLS EXCEPT ONE STATEMENT PIECE.

If a room is exceptionally large, then one of the easiest ways to make a space
feel more cozy is to add a large picture wall.

In the opposite manner, removing decor from the wall can make a small space feel
larger and more open.

Choose one eye-catching statement piece to highlight, and remove the others. If
you can’t choose just one piece, then arrange the pictures in oddly numbered
groups – preferably in groups of three.

In this master bedroom of our first fixer upper, there is one large canvas above
the headboard.

In the girls bedroom, they each have one piece of wall art hanging above their
beds.

In this master bedroom, we have one shadow box flanked by two candle sconces.
Remember the groups of 3 mentality.

Shop Wall Art

5. INSTALL SHEER CURTAINS 4 INCHES FROM THE CEILING.

One of the easiest ways to make a small room feel larger is to elevate the
curtain rods. A standard recommendation is to install them 4 inches from the
ceiling with the bottom of the curtain just slightly sweeping the floor. A
neutral color and sheer material can help keep the space more airy.

These semi-sheer linen curtains are my very favorite!

Shop Curtain Hardware & Accessories

6. ELIMINATE CLUTTER WITH MORE EFFICIENT STORAGE.

Consider creative storage solutions to add visual appeal and practical utility
such as floating shelving, under-bed zip-up storage boxes, wall baskets, or
custom-designed closet systems.

This added storage space will allow you to hide any seasonal items and visual
clutter, thus clearing and allowing for a more minimalist aesthetic.

Shop Organization Solutions

7. PAINT THE WALLS A LIGHT BRIGHT COLOR.

Color psychology has been well studied and offers a great way to promote a sense
of joy, rest, and well-being. Colors also make a big difference in the sense of
space.

Shades of white, light gray or blue, light greens, or yellow can help to open a
small room up.

Simply White

My favorite white paint colors – Simply White by Benjamin Moore and Alabaster by
Sherwin Williams.

Wall Color: Silver Strand

Light gray/blue paint colors – Agreeable Gray and Silver Strand Sherwin Williams

Wall Color: Sea Salt

My favorite green paint is Sea Salt by Sherwin Williams.

Yellow paint color ideas include Philadelphia Cream by Benjamin Moore and
Morning Sun by Sherwin Williams.

8. PLACE SMALL OR TALL & NARROW LAMPS ON THE SIDE TABLES.

When choosing a bedside lamp, or a nightstand opt for a smaller size to give
more space on the nightstand.

Another tip is to keep the size of the nightstand itself smaller as well.

In this bedroom, one night stand was larger, and in order to center the
king-size bed in the space, a smaller stand was used as a bedside table on the
other side.

Shop Table Lamps

9. HANG AN OVERSIZED MIRROR.

Mirrors reflect light and always make a room appear larger.

Installing an oversized mirror above a dresser will improve visual appeal as
well as functional utility.

Shop Mirrors

10. INSTALL QUARTER ROUND FOR BASEBOARDS.

This basement ceiling is less than 8 ft from the bottom of the rafters. In order
to give the illusion of height, we installed quarter round for baseboard instead
of traditional baseboard.

11. OPEN UP THE CEILING.

In this basement, we opened up the ceiling and painted it Simply White by
Benjamin Moore. Exposing the rafters added another 8ish inches to overall
height.

Need any ideas on what to do with your basement ceiling? Don’t miss this article
on 44 Basement Ceiling ideas!

12. SEMI-GLOSS PAINT FINISH.

The sheen of a paint can drastically change the brightness of the finish.
Semi-gloss finishes generally will make a paint color appear lighter and
brighter by reflecting more light. Semi-gloss finishes are also easier to wipe
down.

Although satin is the standard choice for wall paint, in a room like this
basement and the basement bathroom where there was little to no natural light,
the semi-gloss finish helped to lighten it up making the space appear bigger.

13. LIGHTS, LIGHTS, LIGHTS.

Lighting makes ALL the difference in a room. The color or temperature of a light
bulb is noted by the measurement, Kelvin, as noted by a k.

For a really large room you may want to consider a warmer white to help the
space feel cozier and less bright. Warmer light bulbs are typically less than
3500K.

For our purposes a whiter, brighter light will make a space feel bigger and more
open. The brightest light bulbs almost have a hint of blue and are typically
50000k or more.

My recommendation is to find light bulbs that are considered a daylight
temperature which range from 3500K – 5000k.

My personal recommendation – these 4000k dimmable LED light bulbs. Energy
efficient with the ability to lower for more intimate lighting or brighten up a
room considerably.

To update a space consider adding some recessed lights approximately every 4 ft.
of ceiling space.

Hopefully one of these 13 design ideas will help to transform your home into a
relaxing, spacious retreat!

Pin any of the images below for later!

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Published June 14th, 2022 11:28 AM

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