How to Paint a Room to Make it Look Bigger
Who doesn’t want their living space to have a little extra square footage? Especially with a growing family, the walls of your home can sometimes feel like they’re closing in on you. But, knocking down walls and building additions can be a major investment of money that most of us simply don’t have. Don’t worry! Whether you’re trying to eke out a baby nursery or just looking for a little breathing room, you can create the illusion of space with just a little bit of paint.
Here are 7 simple tips for how to paint a room to make it look bigger. It’s easy, inexpensive, and delivers awesome results!
1. Choose light paint colors. "It is a generally known fact that light colors make a room look bigger and brighter," writes Mihai on Freshome. "Light and bright walls are more reflective, making a space feel open and airy, which helps maximize the effect created by natural light. Dark colors, on the other hand, tend to absorb light, making a room look smaller." If whites and creams are just too bland for your taste, choose one wall for a splash of light color.
2. Use cool hues. Our brains perceive colors differently. Warm colors, like red, orange and yellow, tend to advance - meaning they draw in a space and make it feel smaller. Alternatively, cool colors like blue, green, and violet, tend to recede or move away and make a space seem more open. (If you have your heart set on a warm color, choose a tint that’s dampened with some cool tones and is very washed out. Lullaby Paints in Star Light is a good example of a cooler yellow!)
3. Create an optical illusion with stripes. If your room is narrow, paint horizontal stripes on the walls to make it look wider. Similarly, if you have a low ceiling, try vertical stripes on the walls to make the ceiling seem higher.
4. Paint unexpected accents. "Bring splashes of color to a radiator, the inside of a bookshelf or a windowsill to bring excitement and depth to a room," writes Anne on HGTV.com. "If you're lucky enough to have a foyer or hall, paint that a dark color and ease into a lighter shades in the living room, which will make it feel more spacious by comparison."
5. Paint trim and moldings lighter than the walls. When moldings and trim are lighter than the walls, the walls looks as if they’re further back. Once again making your room appear bigger.
6. Keep things monochromatic. Use one color scheme, in different shades and textures, on the furniture, flooring, and walls to keep things “clean,” which also creates the illusion of space.
7. Paint the ceiling the same color as the walls. "Painting the walls and ceiling the same shade of white only enhances this cloud-like effect," writes Justine on Remodelista. "And it serves to blur the boundaries between wall and ceiling, causing your eye to travel up, essentially making the ceiling seem higher."
Do you have a trick for making a small space appear larger? Share it in the comments for others to learn from!
Want to try some of the lovely light colors from Lullaby Paints? Order free samples today!