12 Ways to Make Small Spaces Look (And Feel) a Lot Bigger

Learning how to make small spaces look bigger (and being able to pull it off) is incredibly satisfying.

Yet small-space living isn’t always the easiest. You have to work with the furniture you have, and find ways to make things feel more roomy and attractive.

But thankfully, there are some simple ways to make a small space seem larger. These easy moves help to create a feeling of spaciousness and keep you relaxed. So read over these ideas on how to make a small space feel bigger and try implementing them this month.

Light Hues

Light colors will brighten up any room and make things feel more airy and open. So try creamy whites and warm hues along with some light colored curtains and furnishings. It’s a simple way to make a room look bigger, and it can feel so much more relaxing.

Play With Layers

Mirrors are an incredible way to give the illusion of depth to a room where things might feel a bit narrow or constrained.

So get a couple, maybe in different shapes, and experiment with them in different positions. Or get tiled mirrors to cover one of your walls and make your small space feel more spacious.

Also, they help to reflect a lot more light, which as we talked about before, can really make things feel a whole lot bigger.

Three is the Magic Number (When it Comes to Color)

Try to limit the color scheme of a room to no more than three colors. Anymore has the potential to stress out your eyes and make things feel overwhelming and closed in.

Create a Storage Systems

Work out a storage plan for each room in your home or apartment. Or if you’re in a studio, create a storage plan for each space. So how do you want to organize the beauty products in your bathroom, the pantry goods in your kitchen, or the books in your living room?

Can you use a RÅSKOG cart or command hooks to keep things off your counters? Write down the system you want to create and then find time to invest in your storage.

It really is one of the best things you can do if you’re really trying to learn how to make a small room look bigger.

Light Up Your Corners

The corners of your rooms are where the shadows pool, and this can really make the walls feel a lot closer then they really are. But you can easily fix this by lighting them up.

Floor lights or lamps that angle upwards can help to open up your space without a lot of effort.

Don’t Overcrowd Your Walls

We all like pictures, posters, photos, and prints, but be careful not to over-clutter your wall space. Keep your wall art and photos to a minimum, and find ways to mix up the heights and sizes of whatever is on your walls so that the eye doesn’t sweep along the length of the room in one go. It creates some visual interest without the visual clutter.

Mounted Shelving

If you’re a book lover, you have a lot of beauty products, or one too many spices, then there’s no reason to stress.

I’m not gonna tell you to get rid of your books and other household items to save some space.

But I am going to suggest that you put shelving on your walls so that you don’t have to crowd up your spaces with extra tables and cabinets. Doing this is a great way to make a small space seem bigger, and give you more room to move around in.

Buy Furniture With Exposed Legs

If you have a small living room, get furniture with exposed legs. It’ll help to create the illusion of spaciousness since there will be more space that allows light to filter through.

Get Bigger But Fewer Furniture Pieces

You may not believe me, but bigger can be better!

Don’t buy too many things just because they’re small and won’t take up that much space. Instead, stick to bigger but fewer furniture pieces that’ll make a small space feel more spacious.

Also, furniture that’s just a bit bigger makes things feel more natural and livable, and is so much better for entertaining.

Creative Hidden Storage

Find furniture pieces that can double as storage. That way you can kill two birds with one stone; you have furniture for decor and lounging, but you’re also creating more space.

There’s no need to buy an extra shelving unit that’ll take up your space when you can have a chair with built in storage.

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More Helpful Articles That’ll Help You Save Space

I just wanted to share some more articles that give some really great advice for creating more space. You can never have too much help, and I picked my favorite tip from each article for easy reading.

17 Ways to Squeeze a Little Extra Storage Out of a Tiny Kitchen

Use adhesive hooks to hold up bulky items: What I like about this one is that adhesive hooks are easy to find. Also, you’re not married to a specific arrangement; you can easily take the hooks off and place them in a different part of the kitchen (or another room).

Check out more storage ideas from the article by Buzzfeed here!

Affordable Kitchen Storage to Organize Kitchen Well

Wall file attached to cabinet door: I really like this storage idea since it feels like it’s something a lot of people can do. It’s not a fancy and expensive organizing solution, it’s just plain practical (and doesn’t look bad either).

Update: Article no longer exists.

42 Storage Ideas That Will Organize Your Entire House

Your bedroom and hallways can get a big overrun with shoes depending on the season. But a great way to take care of this problem is to get an ottoman with storage. It holds your shoes and keeps them out of the way while giving your room a nice look.

Check out the other storage ideas here!

7 Easy Organizing Tricks You’ll Actually Want to Try

It feels like removable adhesive is your best friend when it comes to organization. Just place some on the back of containers to hold what you need and keep things clutter free. Also, it gives you more space to save things down below your sink. Check out the tutorial for this organization hack here.

And you can find the rest of the storage ideas here!

37 Insanely Clever Organization Tips to Make Your Family’s Lives Easier

Use door knobs to hold items in the walkway (or anywhere really): Wait, more wall storage ideas? Yep! It just gives you more room to place things in your closet and pantries without spending a lot of money on ok shelving. Take a look at the tutorial for how to use drawer knobs as wall hooks here.

And make sure to check out the rest of the storage ideas and organization hacks here!

20 Genius Toy Storage Ideas for Kids Rooms

This one is handy if you have kids. Just make an upholstered bucket ottoman (page no longer exists, but here’s a similar ottoman DIY) to create a nice design and place to sit for the room, while holding your kid’s toys.

Read more storage ideas from Passion for Saving here!

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