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Three ways to make a small space appear bigger

Three ways to make a small space appear bigger

Perhaps the arrival of guests has prompted you to change your floor plan around. Or maybe you’re preparing to put your home on the market, and you want to do justice to your most valuable asset. Either way, you’re looking at your space with fresh eyes.

And it dawns on you: the room is small.

The good news is, tried and tested interior design tricks can not only create illusions with space, but also make the space more attractive and often help you use the space more cleverly. Making a small space appear larger can be a very rewarding exercise, so with a little bit of time and money you can achieve a lot.

Here are three ways to make a small area appear bigger:

Get smart with mirror placement

Mirrors reflect both light and space. This means that there are numerous ways in which you can position mirrors to create an illusion of a larger area. Start by accounting for the furniture which will be remaining in the room and go from there. If it is a bedroom, you may opt for mirrored built-in robes.

If it is a living room or study, large mirrors can be placed above furniture and other features to create the illusion of depth. For example, above a cabinet, tea-chest, or fireplace.

Think stripes

Stripes are lines, and lines can create an illusion of length, making the room appear taller. Should you want to use stripes to elongate spaces, there are several ways to do this. Opt for a print with horizontal stripes set in the centre of a wall or even go retro with a striped accent wall.

Don’t forget the floor as a canvas, either. A rug with horizontal stripes, in either monochrome or colour, will visually widen the room. This works especially well if the remainder of the space has an obvious minimalist feel so you aren’t cluttering the space with competing patterns.

Use the wall space

If square meterage is the issue and you’re working within a particularly small room, look up – you’ve got the height of the room to work with. For example, narrow and simple floor-to-ceiling shelves, or suspended shelves from the ceiling, will ensure that this storage remains close to the wall.

Using such a solution won’t obtrude on precious floor space. You can even suspend a shelf above a boxed window. The same principle can be applied to wall-mounting a television. If you can remove a television cabinet and wall-mount a television instead, that’s all the more space for feet.

These are just some of many innovative tips to get working to create a tasteful space that looks more generous than it really is.

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