Paint to make a Small Room Look Larger

A trick of the eye can make tiny rooms feel larger with some simple hacks. Strategically chosen and placed colors can make walls longer, ceilings higher and rooms bigger. Here’s how to paint to make a small room look larger.

Whether it’s a simple color you are looking for, or an intricate pattern, you can make the room feel larger and more airy with the right choices. Sometimes getting more square footage isn’t possible, but you can fake it with some simple paint.

Color Families

Smaller rooms need definition of space, and a great way to do that is with colors from the same family. Our pros have had great success using blues or greys to make a room feel open without the blandness of neutrals. If you choose to go beige or whites, pick one to be a statement, like a dark mocha or a nearly lavender.

Black

Black is bad for small rooms, that’s the rule, right? Nope. The color can be used in a chic, open way. It’s all about using colors to break up the space. None of the vivid colors are off limits in tiny rooms. Think burgundy, purple, green and other really deep colors.

White

White is a perennial favorite for smaller spaces. Be careful that the undertones in your color are warm otherwise it could feel like a doctor’s office. A finish with a small amount of luster encourages outside light to bounce around the room to give it a bigger feel. Break up the monotony of all white by using colorful furniture or accessories.

Accent It

Accent walls create an illusion that there is more space in a room by breaking it up. Choose the wall that seems like the natural focal point of the room and a color that stands out. Typically an accent wall makes it easier to decorate and flow furniture around it as well.

Vault the Ceiling

By painting your ceiling a color that is lighter than the walls, it will feel like it’s higher. A faux vaulted ceiling gives the room the feeling of more space.

Striped Trick

Horizontal stripes elongate and lengthen. It’s a trick you don’t want in your clothing, but on your walls, it’s a way to fake space. Contrasting, thick colors will make an interesting wall that seems longer than it actually is.

Match It Up

If you match your furniture to the walls, it will seem to disappear into the color. This gives you the look of more square footage. By giving the look of more floor space, you’re room will feel bigger.