Tips to Make a Room Look Bigger

Color and Light

• The manipulation of color and lighting choices can make a small room appear much larger than its actual size. Stay away from warm colors like orange, yellow, red and brown, because they make walls feel closer than they actually are. Paint cool colors instead, such as light blue, light green and violet, because they appear to recede and add a feeling of spaciousness. Choose a focal point wall to paint a deeper shade than the others; this promotes the illusion of depth. Paint your ceiling a lighter shade than your walls to enhance the room's height. Stripes are an often used trick in interior design; paint vertical stripes to make the room look taller, or horizontal stripes to make the room look wider. Use tall, narrow lamps or elegant wall sconces for lighting, to bring the eye upward. If your ceilings are low, avoid direct overhead lighting.

Furniture Design and Placement

• Use low slung furniture that emphasizes your wall height in comparison, to further the illusion that your room is bigger than its actual size. When choosing couches, beds, chairs and tables, consider how much empty space will be seen between the top of each piece of furniture and the ceiling. The more empty space in your room, the bigger your room will appear. To maximize space, choose furniture pieces that serve dual purposes; a storage trunk that doubles as a coffee table, for example.

Floors and Windows

• You can also use the floors and windows to make your room look bigger. Emphasize the height of your windows; hang your curtain rod as close to the ceiling as possible, even if the window doesn't begin until further down the wall. Allow your curtains to hang all the way to the floor. Use bamboo shades to camouflage the space between the top of your drapes, and the space where your windows actually begin. Choose neutral or cool colored curtains made from light, gauzy material, to pull your eye towards the window and the additional space outside.

Mirrors and Reflective Surfaces

• Mirrors and other reflective surfaces help increase the appearance of light in your room. Hang smaller mirrors along the wall at eye level and above, to draw attention upward. Hang full length mirrors so that the middle rests at eye level, to emphasize the height of the walls. Metal art and accessories, and glass topped desks and coffee tables also add to the illusion of space.