When I moved to New York City for journalism school, my room in my shared apartment was so small I could nearly touch the ends of each wall simultaneously with my arms outstretched.
To make the room seem less cramped, I bought a tall, mirrored wardrobe. It not only provided storage for my stuff, but reflected much-needed light from the window. When you looked at the mirror at the right angle, it made my room look double the size.
That's just one of many clever ways to make a small room feel bigger. With smart planning and creative thinking, you can create a spacious, comfortable home for yourself without breaking the bank or making your landlord anxious, say interior designers.
The key is to make your furniture work harder for you, says Shamika Lynch, founder of the design firm Maximizing Tiny Interiors in New Jersey. "Every item in your home needs to serve a purpose. You don't have extra square footage [for things] that are just going to be decorative."
She and other interior designers share their favorite design tricks for small spaces.
Focus on freeing up floor space
When you live in a cramped home, it can be precarious to move around — and decluttering can only take you so far. Create more breathing room by taking furniture off the floor, says Lynch. Here are three ways to do that.
- Use furniture that does double duty. Instead of crowding your entryway with a table, bench and coat rack, consider getting a piece that combines those elements, says Lynch.
- Hang up what you can. Replace that wide, bulky floor lamp with plug-in or battery-operated wall sconces. Mount that standing floor mirror to the wall or switch it out for an over-the-door hanging mirror, says Alexandra Gater, a home design consultant and the author of Own Your Space: Attainable Room-by-Room Decorating Tips for Renters and Homeowners.
- Opt for tall shelving or storage units. Think floor-to-ceiling bookcases or cabinets. They give you that two-in-one benefit of adding height to your space by drawing the eyes upward, and providing storage with minimal square footage, says Faith Roberson, a professional organizer and author of What Stays and What Goes: Organize With Intention and Create Space for Grace.
"Float your furniture" to create the illusion of depth
It might seem counterintuitive, but adding a bit of walking room, about 18 to 24 inches, behind your couch, side table or armchairs can create the illusion of depth, says Gater. It makes a room feel less flat by introducing more light, shadow and overlapping sight lines.
If you try this technique, Gater says to anchor your floating furniture with a focal point like a rug, shelves or a console table to pull all the elements together and create a distinct zone.
Make your ceiling look higher with this curtain trick
Hang your curtains a bit higher and wider than your window frame. That will draw the eye upward and out to create the illusion of a taller, wider room, says Gater.
There's no exact formula for how high or wide to hang your curtain rod since every home is different, but Gater says as a starting point, aim for 6 to 12 inches above your window frame and extend the rod about 5 to 10 inches wider than the frame on each side.
Aim for curtains that are just long enough to "kiss the floor," says Gater. Curtains that are too short can make it look like you got the wrong length and too-long curtains can pool on the floor and collect dust.
Color drench your room to make it seem bigger
According to the experts, the accent wall is out — at least when it comes to smaller spaces. Painting just one wall with a statement color can visually fragment your home, says Lynch.
Instead, she suggests sticking with one color or color palette for all your walls — it doesn't matter which color or whether it's dark or light. "Having that consistency throughout makes a space feel larger and has more impact," Lynch says.
If you want your walls to feel even taller, try color drenching, the painting technique of extending the color from the baseboards all the way up to the ceiling. That can remove visual boundaries, disguising any lines that would otherwise truncate your walls.
Beware the "dollhouse effect"
Just because you have a small space doesn't mean you need to buy tiny objects and furniture, says Lynch.
In fact, a home full of too many small things can create visual clutter that can make a room look more cramped — what Lynch calls a "dollhouse effect."
Instead, consider furniture that feels appropriate for the size of your space, says Roberson. For example, if your place has a dining room, resist the temptation to squeeze in a table for six when a normal-size table for four would be more comfortable. You can always add a couple of chairs when guests come to visit.
Lastly, don't wait to make the most of your current address. Gater says she'll often hear from clients that they don't want to put in the effort for their small spaces because they don't plan to be there forever. But why not live as large as you can in the meantime?
"Stop assuming that one day you are going to live in this ideal space," she says. "It's amazing to have goals, but now is important as well."
Illustrations inked and colored by NPR's CJ Riculan
The story was edited by Malaka Gharib. The visual editor is CJ Riculan. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.
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