Paint to make a Small Room Look Larger

Dealing with small rooms can seem like a looming problem. Make the room feel larger with strategically chosen colors and some simple hacks. Place particular colors in specific places and you’ll make walls look longer, ceilings seem higher and rooms feel bigger. Here’s how to paint to make a small room look larger.

Whether you want a color change or patterned piece, make any room look larger and airy with the right color choices. Sometimes the more square footage isn’t the answer, but faking it is.

Color Families

While it’s tempting to paint a small room in all white, that will do you a disservice. Small rooms need a definition of space, and a way to do that is with varying colors from the same family. Our professional painters have had good luck using the blue and gray families for this. The color, when used in varying hues, makes the room feel more open without being bland. If you choose to go beige or white, pick one variation as a statement color – like mocha or lavender.

Black

It goes against common sense, right? Wrong. Black can be used for a chic, open room. Choose other colors to break up the black. Nothing is off-limits here. Try burgundy, purple, green or other jewel tones. Use them in patterns or on opposing walls to allow the room to seem bigger.

White

White is the common choice for a small space. Be cautious of the undertones in your particular white. Go for warm feeling whites otherwise, you’ll be dealing with a room that feels sterile enough to be a doctor’s office. Add a finish with a small amount of luster to allow light to bounce around the room. This adds to the faux square footage. Break the monotony of the walls up with colorful artwork, furniture, and accessories.

Accent It

Accent walls are a great way to create the illusion of more space. Pick the natural focal point of the room and play up that wall with an accent color. Typically an accent wall makes the rest of the decorating more easy, with furniture surrounding it and flow through the room.

Vault the Ceiling

A ceiling that is painted a lighter color than the walls will trick your eyes into thinking it’s higher. Paint the ceiling in a flat white to make your eyes think it’s vaulted and give the room more air.

Striped Trick

Any lady can tell you horizontal stripes increase the width of the subject. While you don’t want these stripes on your shirt, try it on your wall. This will fake a longer wall in your brain. Try it with thick, contrasting colors for an interesting option that makes your wall seem longer.

Match It Up

Matching your furniture to your walls makes it seem to disappear into the color. This makes your brain think there is less encroachment in the room. With the look of more square footage, you’ll feel like your room is bigger than it is.

Need help attempting these tricks? We’re here for you! Schedule a free, in-home estimate today.