7 Ways to Make Your Home Feel Bigger and Brighter
Before you begin, think about spaces that have made you feel calmed and how they were arranged. Shalae Price, a professional organizer, gives hotel rooms as an example, “Most hotel rooms are designed to feel much bigger than they actually are. The furniture placement is well thought-out and the decor (in most cases) would be considered minimalist.”
1. Declutter, declutter, declutter
Decluttering is an obvious first step to clearing up your space. Anyone can do it and with few resources. Walk from room to room and put things away, clear up random papers or cardboard boxes, and collect together small things that don’t have a home. If an item isn’t for decor and isn’t used on a regular basis, consider storing it out of sight or donating it if your local donation centers are still in operation.
2. Clear the floors and the walls
The more floor space, the bigger the room will feel.
This applies to the floor space between furniture and walls, too. When all your furniture is set against the walls, it really outlines the boundaries of your room and highlights how small that space is. By making sure some of your furniture has a little air between the wall, it creates a better sense of roominess.
3. Store smartly
Get creative with the way you store things and be more critical with what you choose to have out. You can keep it simple by folding blankets into a chest or basket, having a dedicated basket for pet toys, and hanging photos instead of resting them on furniture.
Multi-functional furniture that doubles as storage is a great way to optimize your space. Seats, coffee tables and ottomans with hidden storage can help keep blankets, movies, games or clutter off of furniture and the floors. You can also install floating shelves to elongate the walls and store things away from the floor.
4. Mirrors are magic
Debra Newell, owner and President of Ambrosia Home, told us that “large mirrors are a must. You want to reflect back into the room and give the illusion that you have more space.”
Mirrors will bounce more light around, give a sense of movement, and visually double the size of your space. You can use floor-length mirrors, mirrored closet doors or hang smaller mirrors on the walls.
5. Be deliberate with your decor
Decorate your space with intention and don’t be afraid of some dead space. A bunch of small things scattered around can feel more like clutter than a few larger statement pieces. Walls, shelves, dressers, countertops and computer desks can all benefit from a critical “do I need this?” scan.
Price advised us to, “Pick one room at a time, then look at your walls and surfaces. Do you really LOVE everything you see? Remove the items that you don’t love, and of course, keep the items that mean something to you or define your style.”
Concentrate that decor in a few spaces, like an accent wall, rather than spreading it out all over. Leaving some surfaces and walls open will visually elongate the room.
6. Keep the furniture low
If you’re in a position to buy new furniture — keep it low. Furniture that is generally lower can help an area feel much bigger simply because it leaves more open space above. This applies to the leg style of furniture too; open or post-style legs will show more space and appear to be floating, compared to large furniture that rests directly on the floor.
Newell advises: “Keep the arms and backs of chairs and sofas low, even legs on a sofa are important. Add ottomans for seating. No floating large furniture in the middle of the room.” She also recommends dining chairs you can push all the way under a table to store when you’re not using them.
7. Utilize lighting
Light is a simple and powerful tool that can completely transform a room. Lighting up dark corners and having multiple sources around the room will create space.
See more at…https://www.mymove.com/home-inspiration/decoration-design-ideas/ways-to-make-your-home-feel-bigger-and-brighter/