Uncategorized, 2 November

How to Make Your Apartment Look Larger!

In a small space everything counts and when you are living in an apartment, decorating can be half the battle. When done well, they can feel like cozy, Zen-like retreats. You’re probably wondering how can you make an apartment look larger without knocking down the walls, or you don’t want to spend the money on fancy new furniture. The good news is that there are a variety of ways to revamp your new space, and most of them are inexpensive and fun to do!

 Let There Be Light

To maximise the size of the space, lighting is extremely important. Enhancing the lighting in a room is the single, most useful tool, to increase the size of your room. So use it! Natural and artificial light will do the trick. Get rid of the heavy draperies and open up the windows to let the light in.

Neutral-Colored Walls = A Larger Apartment

If you’re colour party person you love a red wall but to increase the look of your apartment, ditch the dark colours and trade them in for soft, earthy tones. Neutral colours are a great way to open up a space and add a light, airy feel to a room. The idea is to add functional design to your apartment home.

Clutter Is Not Your Friend

Clutter happens and it is one of the first things that make a room feel small and cramped. With items neatly arranged and out of sight, the space will feel open and orderly. To eliminate clutter try using furniture with easily accessible storage space and keep your closets and drawers organised. Also, do not clutter your walls with thousands of small pictures and photographs, this will decrease the size of the room. Instead put one large painting or canvas on the center of the wall, which will become the focal point of the room. Less is more! And don’t forget to clean your place consistently.

Light Furniture

Furniture can be a defining factor when increasing or decreasing the size of a room. Always keep in mind when you are picking out furniture for your apartment, the heavier and chunkier furniture is, the smaller and confined the room will appear. When you are shopping look for light furniture with clean lines, if they have storage, that’s a plus! If you already have furniture and want to recycle it, buy a light shade of paint and transform your pieces. Another great trick is to paint your furniture the same colour as your walls; this creates a camouflage effect and blends the furniture. Also, you want to keep your bigger pieces against the walls to open up the room and remember not to block walkways, this can cause a shrinking effect.

Mirror mirror on the wall…

Any discussion of small spaces needs to include the idea of using mirrors to create a greater sense of openness. Not only do they reflect light, they also reflect the view, thereby tricking the eye into optically perceiving more space.

Use breezy fabrics

If possible, avoid heavy materials and fabrics that absorb light and weigh your room down. Linen is a perfect example of a lightweight material that will increase the sense of airiness in the room.

Clear a pathway

When dealing with a small room, one naturally wants to maximize the space by pushing all the pieces to the edges. But if this causes you to bump into things, it can enhance a claustrophobic feel. Sometimes it is better to group the furniture on one side of the room, so people can pass through unhindered.

Above it all, keep it simple

The more pieces, possessions, and patterns you have in a room, the more cluttered it will feel. Avoid too many knickknacks or at least group them so they read as an installation in order to make the room look larger. Ditto with art; concentrate your framed pieces on one or two walls. Avoid busy patterns and overwhelming colors. Or, if you absolutely must have that William Morris–esque wallpaper, consider placing it on one accent wall. Same with color, try painting just one wall or a door and stick to a single shade.