Last Updated on January 18, 2024 by Asfa Rasheed
You don’t have to be rich to build a bigger house. Sometimes, you have to be clever. Regardless of the size of your home, it will look unkempt and small if you don’t decorate it smartly. A mansion can look like a congested cottage if you paint it black and fill it up with gigantic furniture. Smaller houses are cozier and far less costly to maintain than bigger houses. Once the kids grow up and start moving out, all those extra rooms go to waste. However, since the pandemic broke in, families began spending more time together at home than usual. As a consequence, smaller spaces began to feel cluttered and claustrophobic.
If your house starts filling up, don’t go around looking for a new place. Instead, work on improving the current one to appear larger and visually appealing. Your house décor can significantly influence your mood and productivity. It may also positively contribute to your health and wellbeing. If you’ve got gloomy shades and no art on your wall, the same will reflect on your mood. If you want to make the most of your humble living space, continue reading to note some tips.
Table of Contents
⦁ Declutter Your Belongings
Most people don’t realize the importance of decluttering until they finally do it. Half of the space in your house is occupied by things you don’t even need. Some of this stuff needs to be discarded. During decluttering, you may realize that particular furniture is taking up too much space, things you don’t need momentarily but can’t throw away either. Luckily, today you can rent storage units for housing anything that you don’t need for the time being. Self-storage is probably the most useful and convenient way of storing your belongings in a temperature-controlled environment. It doesn’t cost too much, and the entire process is far too convenient if you book your unit online.
⦁ Install Bigger Windows (And Clean Them)
Bigger windows allow abundant light to enter the room. They also make the room appear less tightly packed. However, all of your efforts will go in vain if you don’t clean your windows regularly. Dust and grime are physical barriers that can halt light entering the room, appearing dull and gloomy. When you start cleaning, don’t simply use water and window cleaners. Mix vinegar with water and detergent to make your windows extra sparkly. Ensure that your detergent has a pleasant smell that can cancel out the spicy scent of vinegar.
⦁ Repaint Your House With One Light Color
Go monochrome. Using lighter colors is vital. However, using one shade is the solution. White paint on the entire house might seem like you’re trying to imitate the white house. Nonetheless, it will make your rooms appear more neat, bright, and airy. The reason for this is that white reflects light. Even if you use white or cream color tiles on your floor panels, your room will look bigger than it is just because of the added light.
⦁ Mirror Mirror On The Wall
As crazy as it may sound, mirrors can double the size of any room. However, the placement of the mirror needs to be suitable for that to happen. Installing a huge wall-sized mirror opposite the wall that bears the window will reflect all the light coming from the outside. Additionally, if you’ve got white tiles, you can install mirrors on your ceiling to make the roof appear higher. The problem with smaller rooms is that you always feel like the roof will come down or the walls are closing in to crush you (claustrophobia explained). Mirrors will address and resolve this problem too. Moreover, you can even use standing mirrors in rooms where there’s less wall space. Any glass that conceals the wall, be it a window or mirror, will create an illusion that the room is bigger.
⦁ Add More Lighting
The secret to life is to put yourself in the proper lighting. It is, in fact, the secret to a bigger house too. Abundant lighting highlights the good corners of your home. Lighting is the sole reason why we recommend installing windows and mirrors too. The good news is that not all kinds of lighting fixtures take up too much space. Recessed and canned lights don’t take any space at all. Other lighting fixtures like flush mouths, pendants, and wall scones also take minimal space and deliver maximum light.
⦁ Use Lighter Fabrics
So you’ve gotten rid of the clutter, repainted the house white, got mirrors, lighting fixtures, and windows installed, but it still feels packed. Now what? The reason for this can be the dark furniture fabric. Even if you go for shades of white, grey, baby pink, and powder blue, it can still appear weighty. The solution for this is to consider fabrics that are lighter in weight.
The human mind can sense the weight and texture of everything upon sight and touch. Switching to cotton, silk, or linen instead of velvet and leather can lift some weight off your living room. Redecorating is partly bringing in out-of-the-box ideas and playing with human psychology. All you have to do is create an illusion to trick your mind into believing that the room is big.
⦁ Put Those Walls To Work
Don’t you think that the floor is a little too overburdened with work and weight? I mean, it’s housing the furniture and electronics. We tread on it, fall on it, carpet it, and whatnot. What are the walls doing? Install floating shelves on walls to shift some of the decoration over there. Build built-in bookshelves. Install loads of photo frames to add an aesthetic touch. Anything that conceals the wall can make your room appear airy and gorgeous. Make your DIY photo frames in lighter colors to go with the entire theme discussed above.
The Bottom Line
Regardless of how big or small your house is, it can look and feel small if your belongings are abruptly placed in it. A neat and airy home positively affects your mental health. Therefore, it should be your utmost priority to invest time and effort in redecorating it to look that way. Install more glass to let light pass and reflect through it. Remember, a monochromatic paint theme makes the house appear well-lit and spacious. While you’re at it, replace your sofa covers with something that looks and feels lighter. Lastly, install lots of vertical shelves.
