Making a Small Room Look Big

Move things close to the walls and keep the centre clear. A cluttered center makes rooms look very small.

Draw the eyes upward. “Taking storage from the floor to ceiling is really important," says Chapman. “It gives you a sense of height rather than chopping your sight off at different levels.”

For a subtler approach, placing your window curtains up as far as possible will naturally draw the eye upward.

Use mirrors. It's not her preferred choice but Chapman says placing a mirror on the narrower wall of a room will give the room a sense of depth. “But mirrors are quite an obvious one and it's quite nice to use other

The bed, any chairs or desk in the room should all be minimal and preferably thin. Bulky wooden furniture can also make a room appear cramped. Metal frame furniture items are widely available and are not very expensive either. Consider those to save some space.

Dark colors make rooms appear cramped and smaller while light and pastel shades give a bright look and a larger appearance. The same rule goes for your choice of curtains for the room.

If you use wall mounted shelves you will save space on the floor. These are also much more compact and make the room appear larger too.

In order to create the impression of space you should clear the room as much as possible. This includes the ceiling, where often low hanging fans can cramp things up. Make sure the fan is small and as high up as possible. Similarly, big extended lights can also crowd up the space. Stick to minimal fittings in your room.

Mirrors are actually great tricks to make small rooms appear bigger. They don't only give you an illusion of space, they also make the room look brighter and consequently bigger. Try it, just get a large mirror and place it on a wall either in front of the entrance or on one side, but it should be placed on a visible spot.