Although small homes can be cozy and charming, they can be difficult to decorate. Poor design and awkward furniture arrangements can shrink even the largest of rooms. If you are struggling to present an effective layout, follow these tips for arranging and remodeling homes to make them appear larger.
Scale Furniture Appropriately
Filling tiny rooms with bulky furniture can make the rooms look cramped. Scale your furniture to fit the size of the room and remember that less is more. A couple of small end tables or console tables may be all the furniture a living room needs to complement its sitting area, especially if they have drawers for extra storage. You could also pick one statement piece of furniture — such as the bed in a bedroom or the couch in a living room — to serve as the focal point of the room and use smaller pieces to complement.
Go Monochromatic
Paint the walls, trim and detailing in slightly different shades of one hue. Light colors such as white, off-white and beige reflect light well, and well-lit rooms generally look larger. Make at least some of the furniture pieces match the room’s paint color for a uniform look. Moreover, matching adjacent rooms can almost blend into each other and create the illusion of a bigger space. For instance, most bedrooms and living rooms connect to a bathroom. Take advantage of bathroom remodeling that design-build companies provide to make both rooms’ color palettes match or at least transition smoothly.
Use Mirrors
Strategically placed mirrors can make small spaces feel larger. Big architectural mirrors can create the illusion of an extra door or window, while groups of smaller mirrors hung on a wall can reflect light to improve the look of cramped, dark entryways. The natural light reflected by mirrors can also take the place of day-time lighting, which saves on electric costs.
Leave Room For Traffic
The biggest giveaway that a room is too small is it’s difficult to walk around it. Prevent this by moving furniture out of walkways and as far away from the door as possible. If furniture and accessories block the view into a room, it will look cramped. That said, don’t push all the furniture to the edges of the room either. Place the largest piece(s) — such as a couch — against a wall or angled in a corner and float smaller pieces — such as small armchairs — directly in front to balance the overall look.
Buy Multipurpose Furniture
Multipurpose furnishings can work wonders where space is limited. For example, an ottoman at the center of a sitting area could serve a triple role: substitute a standard coffee table, be used as extra seating when needed, and provide concealed storage. Similarly, some console tables and elevated couches have shelflike storage space under them, where you could place books, flower pots, ornaments, and other items to erase the need for bulky shelves.
Consider Remodeling & Additions
If, after all this, you still feel you don’t have enough space, consider the room additions and professional home remodeling that design-build companies offer. Contact Quality DesignWorks to request a bedroom, bathroom or kitchen remodel that Gainesville, FL, homeowners can rely on to redistribute existing space or build additional room. Whether you need an extra bedroom, bathroom, home office, laundry room or walk-in closet, our team can find a way to incorporate it into your home.
