If you live in a small apartment or a townhouse, it can be hard to maintain an interior that not only looks great but also gives off the impression of a spacious living. There are a few basic rules to follow when it comes to designing a small space, and we’ve gathered some experts who offer their advice for faking your way to a bigger living space.
Mirror, Mirror On Every Wall
It’s an oldie but a goodie; use a mirror (or a bunch of mirrors) to reflect light and create the illusion of a larger space. As refracted light bounces off your walls, it gives the illusion of a larger space, and it makes any small room look bigger than it really is. You can choose to feature one large mirror on a wall or scatter multiple across the wall. It doesn’t even matter how you’d like to style the mirrors, as long as you feature one or two on the wall; they really do make a difference. Emily Ayers, from Service.com.au, offers her advice why mirrors are a great investment for small spaces. “One of the most effective ways to make any space feel more open is to install mirrors. If you have low ceilings, large mirrors are especially useful in creating the illusion of space. When planning the placement of mirrors, make sure you don’t reflect any unsightly areas like the laundry room or the washroom.” Find out more about Service.com.au by following them on Facebook and Instagram.
Avoid The Darkness
It’s common knowledge that dark colours make spaces look smaller, so if you’re trying to make your living room, bedroom or bathroom look more spacious, avoid those dark colours. If you want to make a statement, follow Sophie Kost’s advice. As an interior designer with My Beautiful Abode, she has a few tricks up her sleeve. “Be confident! Just because the space is small doesn't mean you should go wild with lots of little accessories. Choose a style, colour palette, and have a strong focal point. This might be a boldly coloured piece of furniture or dramatic artwork on the wall.” Get inspired by following My Beautiful Abode on Instagram and Facebook. Bold colours look great as a feature wall, but if you don’t have space for one, make a statement with your doona cover. You can make sure your bed is the centrepiece, and keep the rest of your room minimal. The same goes for your living room. Make a statement with your couch or your rug. You don’t have to overcrowd the room with bright colours, as it makes even the largest room look minuscule.
Up Against The Wall
If you would like to make your room look larger, you should consider moving your furniture off the wall. Once again, it’s all about illusion. You may think moving your furniture as close to the wall will make your room look larger, but in fact, it does the opposite. If you push your furniture against the wall, it makes your room look cramped and tight on space. You don’t have to keep your furniture in the centre of the room, but keeping your couch away from the wall by a few centimetres will make your room look quite a bit larger. If your furniture is quite large, it may make your room look smaller and cramped. Taking your couch or entertainment unit a few centimetres away from the wall can prevent your room from looking even more cramped and open the space up a bit. Jenny Williams from Creative Style Interior Design offers her tips for styling a small space. "Just because you can fit a piece of furniture in the space doesn't make it look right. It may still look out of scale for the space. For example, a sofa with large rolled arms, a high back and a skirt to the floor will look out of scale in a small space. A sofa with compact arms, a lower back and no skirt will look more in scale." Find out more about Jenny by following her on Facebook and Instagram. You can also download her iBook here.
Dancing On The Ceiling
This trick is for those who are conscious of their low ceiling, a great way to open up space is by adding wallpaper of a feature piece of art on the ceiling. Once again, avoid those dark colours, as they close in your room. Instead, paint stars on your ceiling, hang fairy lights or paint it a feature colour. Anything that draws your eyes upwards can make the ceiling appear higher. Of course, it’s a gutsy move, but it will totally transform your room and make it look larger. The same can be done in your bathroom. If you have a low ceiling in your bathroom, add a statement shower head. Choose a shower head that attaches to the ceiling, rather than the wall. Drawing your eyes upwards will once again make the room feel larger and more spacious. It’s all about illusion, people!
Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner... Or A Sofa
With a small space, it feels necessary to make use of every inch of space. However, this can make your small room look even smaller. Who would've thought? Interior designer, Crystal Amesbury has the perfect solution for those who need the space, but ave run out of ideas. "Avoid corners. Sounds weird right? At first yes, but if you avoid square corners with your furniture and instead look for rounded pieces you will visually have more room. Think of the space a square coffee table occupies, versus a round or elliptical one within those same dimensions. Replace those sharp cornered items with rounded ones and suddenly you’ve found room where there wasn’t!" Get inspired by following Crystal on Facebook and Instagram.
For more tips on designing your small apartment like an interior designer, go here.
Living in a small space can be a great thing, and your home can look like it’s been taken straight out of a catalogue, all it takes is a bit of help!
