10 Small Space Design Ideas to Make Your Home Feel Bigger

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1. Color palette

Using neutral colors like cream, taupe, pale gray, light beige, and any variation of white on your walls and your furnishing creates a tranquil effect and gives the perception of a larger space.

If you prefer a darker color palette and the room you're working with is used at night with artificial lighting, painting the walls a dark, deep, moody color will make them recede.

2. Flooring

Using different colored flooring chops up the space and makes it look smaller, so keep your floor color consistent throughout. This is especially important in an open-plan layout or a combination of rooms that are visible from each other.

It is best to avoid rugs if at all possible, but if you want to use a rug to anchor a space or define a seating area, make sure that the rug doesn't have a lot of patterns or colors.

In small bathrooms, using the same tile on the floor and in the shower or bath surround, plus painting the walls a similar color will make the space look uniform. This blurs the division between walls and floor and gives the illusion of a larger space.

3. Lighting

Lightweight drapes or curtains will allow more light to come in through the windows.

Now, even if you maximize the natural light that's coming into your rooms, it's extra important to introduce artificial lighting as well.

4. Furniture

Instead of using a small sofa and multiple other pieces of seating, try using a larger sofa with one or two small seating options to round off the conversation area.

Pale colored furniture and pieces with legs look lighter and smaller versus boxy overstuffed dark upholstered pieces.

5. Cohesiveness

Keep in mind the low contrast and cohesive approach. Paint the walls in adjoining rooms the same or similar color to increase perceived space. This creates a longer sight line without interruption and makes the spaces appear bigger.

When you use neutral colors, it allows the eye to roam freely throughout the space without distractions. This enhances the feeling of space and makes the rooms appear larger.

6. Pattern and color

If there is a pattern or a color that you love, pull that color out and use it as your accent color.

Also, accenting with non-colors like black and white will add a little bit of drama to your space and keep a neutral color palette from looking too boring.

Introducing wood tones also brings some warmth, so that is one thing to consider as well.

7. Decor

On walls, use large-scale artwork instead of a collection of smaller pieces in different shapes and colors.

If you love the look of a gallery wall, use the same or similar frames and hang them close to each other so they look as if they're one piece.

8. Reflective surfaces

Mirrors are great because of their reflective abilities. They can maximize light when placed across from a window, and can also trick the eye from perceiving the space to be larger than it is.

High-polished surfaces also bounce light around the room and detract the eye from focusing on the actual size of the space.

9. Vertical space

Use walls and vertical space to your advantage to make your space appear taller and bigger.

Have you noticed how rooms with tall ceilings always appear larger? This is because the eye perceives the space above as volume, which in turn makes the actual room appear bigger.

Tall bookcases and shelving units that go all the way up to the ceiling are a great way to make a room appear taller, plus offer the opportunity for valuable storage.

10. Storage

Finding practical and clever ways of storing your things in plain sight will help you make your rooms function and look better.

Consider using a storage ottoman instead of a coffee table or even a storage bench as extra seating at the dining table.

Also, consider using enclosed cabinets instead of open shelving, or maybe a combination of both, so you can hide the not-so-good-looking stuff behind closed doors and display your nice things on the open shelves.