How to Make Your Small Room Feel Larger

If your living space is small there are ways to give the illusion of a larger space. There are also many ways to maximize the space that is available. There are many options for storage and furnishings that will help utilize every inch in your space. Color is a great and inexpensive way to give the illusion of a much larger space.

What can you do with color?

Solid color walls can create boundaries. If the walls are a solid color, they eye will stop there. By painting bands of color on your wall, you cause the eye to travel, giving the feel of a larger space. There is nothing to "stop" the eye. Begin by painting the darker color along the bottom of the wall and gradually begin incorporating lighter shades as you travel up the wall. You can also incorporate this play on color with your curtains or by painting the blinds to match the walls. Do so by closing the blinds, fully extended to the floor and continue the paint color across the blinds. You can use solid colors of the same family or paint a flowing pattern using complementary colors, creating a wall of art.

Remember that the ceiling is a canvas as well. Leaving the ceiling white will "end" the walls at the ceiling. For a more spacious feel, continue with the lightest shade onto the ceiling.

Choose carpeting or any other flooring medium in a color near the lightest shade of your paint. Adding the lighter color to the floor will also add to the open feel of the room.

Make Your Furniture Work, Not Just Sit There

There are so many furniture options available that this should not be a difficult task. When furnishing a small space every piece of furniture in the room should have more than one job.

A quality futon is good starting point. A futon will serve as a comfortable sofa as well as abed. This is great for small apartments as well as guest rooms. Consider a storage loveseat or ottoman. This is a great way to store blankets or other articles that you won't be using very often.

Wall units are a great way to store items attractively, utilizing baskets for those small items. You can store a great many things this way without looking unorganized or cluttered. A wall unit with a drop down leaf can also provide a great workspace for your computer or letter writing, closing up to hide the clutter when you are entertaining.

Stackable furniture is a good way to have extra seating on hand without loosing the space to chairs when you don't need them.

If you are living in a small space and one room must serve as living, dining and bedroom, consider as well, a drop down table for dining. Paint an abstract on the bottom side of the leaf and it will serve as custom artwork when the table is up and out of use.