How To Make Your Home Feel Bigger

Rising rent prices, shrinking property sizes, and increased demand for multi-functional homes (more folks are continuing to work from home) mean we’re living in smaller spaces now more than ever.

But that doesn’t mean you have to skimp on style. Here, we’re sharing simple but game-changing furniture and design ideas to make you feel less cramped and more expansive, no matter the size of your space. Even if you’re not moving to a new place or starting from scratch with a whole new set of furniture, there’s still a lot you can do to freshen up almost any area of the place you call home.

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Here are some of my best design tips to make your home feel bigger and less crowded — no interior decorators needed.

Optimize bedroom storage

Besides your bed, the dresser is usually the next largest piece of furniture in your bedroom, so it’s important to decide on a layout and design that won’t overwhelm your small space. Here’s a sleek and beautiful bedroom dresser for by Mopio, but if you can, go as big as possible with the dresser since it’s a smart way to maximize storage while having minimal furniture. In the bedroom below, the dresser cleverly serves as clothing storage and a nightstand since it’s so close to the bed. You can place jewelry, a glass of water, and a book there and they’ll be easily within reach.

Highlight Windows

Small spaces don’t always have big windows to play around with. But don’t fret if that statement applies to you. A great design trick is to create an illusion to make windows look larger by hanging curtain rods higher and wider than the window frame. This will make the window frame seem larger than it actually is. As a general guide, try to overhang curtain rods by around 15 inches width past the window frame and 6-10 inches taller.

Decorate With Lighter Colors

Dark colors are a stunning way to add a chill and intimate vibe to a room, but they also absorb light and make the room feel smaller. To open your space up and trick the eye into thinking the room is bigger, choose lighter colors. Any neutral tones work well and coordinating the color of your furniture and walls will create an illusion that makes the room feel bigger. Add fabrics with texture, accents of black or metallic (or both), and interesting furniture shapes so the room doesn’t go into a bland and boring zone.

Use Mirrors To Reflect Light and Add Depth

When positioned creatively, mirrors capture light and reflect it into darker parts of the room, making the space feel bigger. This can be used for both natural and artificial light. Hanging mirrors opposite or adjacent to a light source will reflect the light into darker areas and make the space feel more open. Mirrors can also be used to add depth and appeal to a room, making it feel larger. Try this: on a plain wall position a mirror to highlight an object in a different part of the room that has a contrasting texture or pattern. This gorgeous mirror, below, is less than $200 on Amazon.

Play With The Scale Of Furniture

If you don’t want to use multifunctional furniture and you’d like to have everything in one space, then you’ll want to scale down on the size of your furniture. Keep it low-profile and compact, opting for one or two larger pieces which will keep the room visually balanced. Alternatively if you like a minimalist look, you can use less furniture overall but with larger-scale pieces. However, make sure you measure your space including doorways and all access points before you purchase a large piece of furniture, to ensure you have adequate room to both walk and transport it through your home. The size of a rug can also play a part in how big the room feels. Rugs should be large enough to tie the room together, which brightens and opens up your floor space. A rug that is too small for the furniture around it will make the room feel smaller.

Declutter

How many times have you cleaned your home and instantly felt lighter? Most of the time, right? That’s because the easiest thing you can do for your home to clear your mental space, elevate your mood, AND make any room feel bigger is to clear the clutter away. We’re not suggesting you go all Kim Kardashian decor style with an extremely minimal space (though I’m not mad at it), but purging the room of unnecessary items will make it feel much larger. If you just can’t bear to get rid of any stuff, then additional storage is your best friend; baskets under tables, floating shelves, and hanging storage behind doors will keep your rooms organized, spacious, and clutter-free. Other ways to declutter? Coordinating your colors will help to keep the visual story of your space simple and easy on the eye. A minimal palette of three colors max will help to create a cleaner look.