You don't have to knock down walls to make a room seem
bigger. Sometimes it takes a little imagination and a
lot of know how to create that spacious space you
crave.

Here are 9 easy ideas that you can do right now to make
your room appear larger.

1. Use light colors on your walls. Light colors on your
walls will give a more open, spacious feeling to your
room. Light colors on your walls will have your walls
recede, where as dark colors will create a "closing in"
feeling.

2. Unify your walls. When painting, paint your
baseboards, chair rails and window trim the same color
as your wall. If you have doors in your room, paint
your doors the same color as well. This will remove all
the visual distractions on your walls, unifying your
walls... and making your room appear larger.

3. Simplify your windows. A small room is not the place
to have fancy, fluffy window treatments. Keep it
simple, with roman shades, or simple lined drapes. Have
the fabric of your window treatments the same color as
your walls. This will unify your walls even more, and
creating a larger space.

4. Avoid area rugs. Keep the floor as clean and open as
possible. This helps to create a spacious feeling to
your room. This concept also works when creating a
spacious feel for multiple rooms. Having your floor all
one material will have your rooms flowing into each
other and creating a larger space.

5. Reduce the clutter. With small spaces, you want to
create as much open space as possible. To do this you
need to clean up the clutter, minimize the amount of
furniture and stay organized.

6. Small furniture and dark colors. Although, you
should use light colors for your walls, the opposite is
true for your furniture. A club chair upholstered in a
light color will appear larger than if you covered it
in a rich chocolate brown. The same is true for your
wood furniture. Lean towards rich dark stains that help
minimize the size of your furniture. The more contrast
with your walls the smaller your furniture will seem
and the larger your room will feel. There is one
exception to this rule. You could also consider
upholstering your furniture in the same fabric as your
window treatments and the same color as your walls...
your upholstered furniture will "disappear" into the
walls.

7. Avoid patterns. Some pattern is nice for interest,
but avoid loud, busy patterns in a small space. Stick
with patterns that read as a solid.

8. Let the light in. If you have windows, create window
treatments that allow the sun to shine in during the
day. Natural light and the appearance of windows can
really open up a space.

9. Use mirrors. Adding a mirror to a wall creates the
illusion of open space. It also reflects light to add
brightness to the room. Have a wall that you're not
sure what to do with? Add a framed mirror.

Following these simple rules will create an open,
spacious room. You'll be amazed at how your small room
will transform into a bright, larger room.

Happy Decorating!

Jennifer Thoden

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