Tricks the Professionals Use to Make Even the Smallest Homes More Spacious

You’ve heard the phrase “open floor plan” a thousand times. There’s a very good reason for that. If there’s one thing that can ruin the beauty of any home it is when there’s just too much “stuff” crammed into too little space. Even a small home can give the illusion of being very spacious if the layout is done well. Here are a few tips on how to create the feeling of spaciousness even if your home is modest in size.

As mentioned above, clutter will make any room feel very small and crowded. Storage is the key here and I don’t mean shelving or things piled up in a corner. Placing unused items in a storage cabinet or closet with doors that close will give a room a very neat and organized feel and eliminate that “closed in” feeling.

Dark colors are your worst enemy. Smaller spaces should always be painted and decorated in bright colors. Dark tones will definitely make a smaller space seem even smaller. Yellow is an excellent choice to reflect natural light and brighten the entire room. The brighter a space, the bigger it will “feel”.

Eliminating an unnecessary wall is an obvious way to make room but that isn’t always an option. Another way to “open a room up” is to add a window in the wall that allows one to see into the adjoining room. It’s a great way to add a touch of ambiance to an area and it is also much less expensive (and time consuming) than removing an entire wall.

Let the sun shine in! Yes, natural light is an excellent way to brighten up a smaller space and there are many ways to do it. First of all, if you have dark curtains or shades replace them with a light sheer fabric curtain that will allow the sun to shine in.  Skylights are another great way to allow natural light into a room as well and can even save money on the electric bill every month.

Mirrors really are magic! One of my favorite “tricks” is to add mirrors into a smaller space. Not only will this give the illusion of a larger space but it will allow light to reflect throughout the room giving it an even brighter appearance.

The location of furniture in smaller spaces has a HUGE impact on the overall “flow” of a home and misplaced furniture will make even a larger room feel crowded. Never place furniture where people need to walk around it and if there are 2 doors in a room there should never be anything blocking the path between them. Many times the secret to creating more space in a smaller area is to simply place furniture directly against the walls instead of towards the center of the room.

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