When tackling the smaller spaces in our homes, every inch counts. In order to prevent your offices, bathrooms, or guest rooms from feeling too cramped, there are a number of tips and tricks you can utilize to make these spaces feel larger. Some of these tricks are as simple as removing an extra furniture piece while other tips may require a deeper dive into your creativity—but there is something for every person and every space! Whatever the situation calls for, these tricks are sure to open up even the smallest of spaces.
Contrasting Colors
Before you look towards furniture and décor, it is important to think about your desired color scheme. To make a small space, like an office, look larger, MyMove.org suggests using a contrast of bright and dark colors. Try incorporating black tile, dark light fixtures, or splashes of darker color to effectively use this trend in a smaller half bath. Adding subtle splashes of black to your bathroom is one of the newest and hottest bathroom décor trends. Contrasting colors does not just mean black-and-white. This trick can be utilized with almost any color scheme. However, soft tones like white, grey, blue, and green typically work best.
It is a known fact in the design world that bright, white walls help to draw light into a room, but adding accents of darker color intensifies the use of white walls. You can also choose to paint wall trim and moldings in a brighter color than the walls. This gives the illusion of your walls being set further back, which then creates more visual space.
Lighting
Natural light is a small space’s best friend. If the room you are trying to open up happens to have large windows or ample natural lighting, try to keep that light captured within the space. To do this, you can choose to incorporate sheer or semi-sheer curtains which allows some filtering of light without it being blocked out completely.
If you are tackling a space with little natural light or no windows at all, all you need is a bit of a creative lighting touch. Bring unique light fixtures into the room such as hanging lights or small table lamps to free up floor space. Warm lightbulbs, rather than harsh, blue fluorescent bulbs are always advised since they help give the space a softer, more inviting feel. For the ultimate combination of space-saving fixtures and soft light, look for fixtures that use Edison bulbs. These bulbs give off warm, orange light and are often installed with a glass shade or no lampshade at all.
Mirrors
Mirrors can help maximize your use of light in any small space. Not only do mirrors reflect both natural and artificial light, but they can also be strategically used to create more depth. This is especially helpful in smaller bathrooms. Adding a large mirror above the bathroom sink can help draw natural light into the room and create the illusion of a larger space. You can further exploit this trick in the bathroom by incorporating our first tip of using contrasting colors.
Clear Out the Clutter
Perhaps the easiest way of opening up a space is to remove items from it. Clearing out clutter from small rooms does not mean getting rid of your belongings. Instead, try to find ways to utilize your small space in a more efficient manner.
For offices, when items on our desks don’t have a specific place to go to, they can often get lost in a pile. This creates visual clutter and even in larger spaces makes the room feel small and clustered. When creating the best home office space, try stowing unnecessary items in bins that can be hidden beneath tables or behind doors. Floating shelves are also a great option to help declutter since they do not require any floor space like a traditional shelving unit or a bookcase. When using floating shelves, you can also have more of your belongings on display.
TheSpruce.com also suggests clearing away any objects that are obstructing your path to the door. By moving furniture closer to the wall, the room will look wider and more open. They also suggest opting for low tables, chairs without arms, and tall pieces of décor that can be placed closed to the wall. By incorporating decorative elements like these, your furniture also has to look like a free, open space and can give off the illusion of maintaining a larger area.
Here at Holland Homes, we understand that you should love every space in your house. We want to help you find your dream home, with rooms that you’ll feel both prepared and excited to make your own. With multiple houses in our custom communities available, we are certain we can connect you to the home that is right for you. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you find the perfect home.