How to Make a Small Space Look Bigger: 13 Practical Tips

Today I want to give you some very straightforward, practical advice that will help you transform your space. If you're living in a small space now, you probably want to make it feel more open, airy, and most importantly, bigger. So let's focus on small space design and go over all the ways you can learn how to make a small space look bigger.

1. Buy larger items

The first rule of thumb I have for you is to not buy things that are smaller than your fist. When you have a lot of little things in one space, it just tends to feel really cluttery, and it kind of makes your space feel a lot smaller.

2. Avoid too much furniture

You can easily make your space feel bigger by getting rid of some of your excess furniture and giving yourself some floor space. What I like to recommend is that you stick to only the essentials that you need for your space.

3. Declutter and organize

Ask yourself if there’s anything that you can declutter and get rid of in this space. By cleaning out any of the things that you don't absolutely love or need in your home, you're going to free up some of that space, not only physically in your house but also in your mind.

4. Storage furniture

What I find works best is getting storage furniture that closes. I do not like open storage because it just tends to look cluttery. I promise you, this works like a charm. So when you're choosing furniture for your small space, choose things that have closed doors.

5. Gallery walls

You don't need to fill up every single inch of your wall with a photo, trinket, or something else that you have. It's okay to have empty space on your walls. Gallery walls are absolutely stunning, and I think they can be done so well. I would just recommend leaving it in one area and extending it fully from the ceiling to the floor just to make your eyes draw upwards.

6. Walkways

Keep your furniture off of the walls. Move your sofa to the center of the room. However your room is laid out, you can create walkways on both sides of your room, and suddenly you have this space around your sofa, and you're creating more, actual physical walkways around your sofa, and it gives that illusion that your room is bigger than it really is.

7. Rugs

Whenever you have a smaller rug, your eyes are drawn to this smaller rug, and your room feels smaller. If you use a bigger rug, the opposite is true. The room starts to feel bigger.

Personally, I try to avoid rugs with small prints on them because that's where your eyes are drawn. The room starts to feel smaller. In my really small spaces, I like to use either a solid print rug or some type of abstract rug without a small print to it.

8. Natural light

Let the natural light shine through. Only buying curtains that are brighter or lighter and still allow sunlight to shine through is going to really transform your space.

9. Mirrors

Get a mirror. Mirrors, for obvious reasons, give the illusion that a room is bigger than it is. But if you can strategically place your mirrors so that they reflect the natural light coming through your windows, magic is going to happen. The bigger the better. For obvious reasons, a mirror just makes a room look bigger than it actually is.

10. Lighter, brighter rooms

The darker a room is, the smaller it's going to feel. Yes, there are rooms that I have seen that are very tastefully done. They're absolutely stunning. They have black walls or sexy navy walls. When done well, they totally work for a small space. The more often you can stick to lighter, brighter, neutrals, the more open and airy your space is going to feel.

11. Patterns and textures

Having too many prints, patterns, pillows, textures, and layers in your room can actually make it feel a lot smaller. My best advice is to choose one of those that you absolutely love and lean into that. The more patterns and textures that you have in your space, the more likely your eyes are just going to be darting around the room.

12. Empty space

You might be thinking, hey, my space is limited. I need to put something on every single shelf and every single countertop and every single space that I have available, but having empty space is a good thing. It creates negative space or breathing room.

So if you have a bookshelf, it's okay to leave one of them completely empty, and I guarantee it's going to start to open up your space a little bit more.