Many people find it challenging to arrange things in a small apartment. These may include beds that barely fit in bedrooms and dining areas that serve as home offices, too. There are also some who find it difficult to buy things because they do not have enough space to store them. If you have the same dilemmas, you’re in the right place.
No, we are not going to give you magical skills to make your home bigger, but we can help you bring a spacious feel to your small apartment. Therefore, if you can’t afford to live in a big apartment, start making your small apartment bigger with the tips that you’ll find in this post.
The Basic Tips on Making a Small Apartment Look Bigger
If you’ve read a lot of tips on how to do this, then you’re probably familiar with the most common tips about making small rooms feel bigger. But if you are new or this is the first article you are reading about this topic, then here are some of the basic tips that you can follow:
-
Choose lighter shades of paint for your walls and lighter hues for your furniture.
Light colors of paint are proven to help people visually expand a small space. You should not limit yourself to different shades of white only. Expand your options as there are many beautiful pastel colors, sea shades, and citrus hues out there that you can choose from. You just need to make sure that you choose the lightest version of the color that you want.
-
Place huge mirrors around your apartment.
One of the best and fastest ways of making a small apartment seem larger is by placing big mirrors. Adding mirrors and putting them in the right spots where they will reflect natural light is the simplest solution that you can try. It is also great if you want to illuminate your apartment more and save energy.
-
Use some artificial lights.
Natural light is the best, but you also need to install some lights that you can use at night. To visually enlarge a space, do not rely solely on ceiling lights. It’s because ceiling lights will only make the corners of the room appear dark and the room smaller. Try to add some built-in spotlights to the ceiling. These will illuminate the corners of a space and make a low ceiling look higher.
-
Use multifunctional furniture instead of classic ones.
Since you live in a small apartment, you need to be smart when it comes to choosing the pieces of furniture that you buy. For example, you can choose a sofa with hidden storage underneath. In the kitchen and dining area, you can consider using extendable and foldable tables. Having these items can surely help in making your small apartment more spacious.
-
Choose the same kind of flooring for all the rooms in your apartment.
Choosing different styles of flooring is a good idea if you want to define the spaces in your house. However, doing it can only make a space look and feel smaller. When all the floors around your apartment are the same, it creates an uninterrupted flow, making the place seem larger. In addition to that, if you are looking into placing rugs for decoration, ensure that they do not sit under the sofas and large pieces of furniture. That will only make the room look packed and small.
More Advanced Tips on How to Make a Small Apartment Seem Larger
After learning about the basic tips, we are also giving you some of the advanced tips that you can follow to help you make your small apartment appear larger than it actually is.
-
Choose modernized, low-profile furniture.
If you have a big, old-school sofa in your apartment, it’s time to replace it with a smaller and much simpler one. Keep in mind that big and heavy pieces of furniture should not be a part of a small apartment. These will only make your apartment look and feel crowded and small. Remember that the lower your sofa and other furniture are, the less stuffed the space will appear.
-
Avoid using drapes and rugs.
Not using drapes and rugs can be considered one more approach to decluttering. If your apartment lacks a sense of space, try to get rid of the rugs and drapes around. If your place really needs curtains, choose bars that extend far beyond the window frames. This way, you will be able to fully expose each window.
-
Use shelves.
When shelves are placed in the right spot, they can give your apartment more room and an added sense of scale and height. In addition to that, shelves are also additional storage space. You can try combining closed and open shelves to avoid making your apartment look cluttered. You can also leave some open shelves empty.
-
Pull a few of your furniture away from the walls.
When you place some furniture away from the walls, it can create the feeling of additional space. Pieces of furniture that are pushed up against the wall can only make the space look crowded.
-
Choose only one paint color buy play with its variations.
If you don’t want a dull and plain-looking apartment, choosing one color and playing with its variations or shades is a good idea. For example, if you are into sea shades, you can choose different hues of it for your furniture and walls. This way, there will still be unity in your apartment while visually expanding the space.
-
Avoid choosing contrasting colors for the trim and walls.
When you paint the walls and the trim in the same colors, it draws the gaze up and highlights the ceiling. You should always choose light shadows. In turn, even the smallest rooms in your apartment will look airy and spacious.
-
Try to experiment with drawing.
You can also consider painting one of your walls with stripes. Vertical stripes will help visually expand your featured wall, while horizontal stripes will elongate it. You just need to choose what is more preferred for your apartment.
-
Make an accent on verticals.
The secret to making your small apartment look big is by tricking the eye. Remember that it is all an illusion. Therefore, you need to add elements that emphasize the vertical space in your apartment. In addition to adding a sense of space and openness, it also creates a feeling of flow. For example, in the living room, you can try adding some vertical wood paneling to emphasize the height.
These are some of the best tips we can give on how to make a small apartment seem larger. Of course, the most important thing that you need to do is to clear out the clutter in your apartment before doing the tips above. Try to adopt a minimalist décor style to make the most of your space. We hope these tips will help you in making your small apartment look and feel spacious.