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Small rooms and living with a minimalistic approach are important these days, because with our growing population, we need to make the most out of what we’ve got.

This post and video is going to check out 20 unusual and creative ways you can go about making small rooms look much larger!
Of course, they won’t physically be any bigger; but it’s the experience within the room that you have, that truly counts.

FYI, this list come with a relevant video that you’ll probably love to binge. Find it under idea number 3 and see you there soon!

1. Paint (or use wallpaper) on the ceiling to make the room appear much taller!
When you do this, there is a plethora of routes to be taken. You can select the color you would prefer on a personal level, which is a lot more “customizable” than most options. Anything that can draw the human eye towards the ceiling of your room, will help it appear bigger. If you’ve always pondered how to make the most out of such a tiny space, these tips will help immensely. Detail!

2. Use lighter colors on both your walls and floors.
Darker colors will make it seem as if the room is closing in on you (or in some cases, comfortably cozy!), whereas lighter colors will make things appear more open. They reflect light and allow the room to have an airy sense about it, which is wonderful for making it seem larger.

3. DON’T put furniture up against walls
When you put your furniture up against a wall, it will make everything feel like it’s stuck together. In order to combat this, you must push your furniture away from the walls creating a sense of space (some would even consider it an illusion of sorts!). Your furniture deserves better than that, anyways; you probably paid a pretty penny for it. Unless you had a customized console table, of course! More info!

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4. Hidden storage
Hidden storage compartments are going to be your best friend, as they allow you to keep things in place without the requirement of too many furniture items. It’s minimalism at its finest! You can find hidden storage compartments of all kinds on the internet, and you could even turn it into a DIY project; creating storage space under your bed or couch has never been this fun. If you spot an item at a furniture store that handles more than one process, it’s probably going to be beneficial for your small space. Source

5. Shelves near the ceiling
Like we talked about before, drawing the eye upwards is an important part of this process. When you’ve got various accessories located higher up on the wall (near the ceiling), people are going to take notice; the most obvious ones to implement would be shelves.

Any sort of shelf is not only useful for the storage of books, and many other trinkets; but it’s great for making the room appear a bit larger. Even the smallest rooms in the world can seem comfortably sized with a few shelves near the ceiling. In most cases, you can just build them yourself!

6. “The Cantaloupe Rule”
You may have heard of this before, which is good; this rule is when all of the accessories within your small room, need to be larger than a cantaloupe.
If you have an abundance of trinkets and other things (like vases or anything of that nature) that are small, it’s going to make the room feel crowded with fewer pieces at a larger scale, the room will open up and allow people to breathe a little better.

You can buy bigger vases just about anywhere, but some will tickle your fancy more than others. More info!

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7. Striped Floors?
It might seem a bit odd to some, but as pinstripe pants help make your legs look a bit longer, pinstripe flooring will allow your rooms/home to look a bit bigger as well.
Striped floors may not be practical to some, but there are people out there that will absolutely love this look; this is a recommendation that comes from Kelly Edwards, a host on the Style Network (from the show “Tacky House”).

8. Go with the unexpected arrangement
Furniture arrangements can be a little boring at times, but it’s up to you to spice things up. When you use a generic arrangement, it isn’t going to do anything to the room; you have to take some chances. Break the rules! If you feel like putting a Lazyboy armchair in the middle of the room, so be it; just make sure that everything comes together in a reasonable manner.

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9. Hide accent pieces away until you need them for guests
If guests aren’t around and you have several accent pieces that take up a decent amount of space, it’s probably better off for you to keep them stored away until guests arrive. You’ll need more surfaces to host dinner parties and such on when the guests come over, but for regular living, there’s no need to crowd your living space in that sense. It will give you a better to everyday living.

10. Avoid heavy materials
The absorption of light is a big issue with smaller rooms. When you have a lack of light, it’s going to seem that much smaller; which is why you need to avoid heavy materials. These materials will suck up most of the light, leaving you very little to work with!

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11. Match your walls with your curtains
Matching is a common thing to be seen, especially when it comes to interior design. When you match your curtains and walls, it will seem as if the entire room flows into one being; there’s no separation, making it come off as being much larger than it usually would.

12. Keep your windows clean
Clean windows will allow more light into the room, but it will also just make the setting a much more sensible one. Dirty windows can distract the eye quite a bit, and you need to make sure the glass is clean on both sides. I would suggest using a spray bottle with water/vinegar, and some old newspaper.

13. Monochromatic color schemes
When you go with the monochromatic look (which is when you pick one color, and decide to work with that one alone, or maybe a few shades higher/lower), it adds continuity to your rooms. Everything comes together, but it doesn’t seem cluttered by any means; all of your accessories, furniture and anything else can be based off of your first color.

14. Keep your floor clean
This would fall under the same category as the window aspect, because keeping your floor clean will allow guests to look at it with ease. If you’ve done all of that hard work to make your floor apparent in the room, why not keep it clean as well?

15. Remove your clutters
If there is any sort of clutter in your room, make sure you dispose of it quickly (and properly). Clutter is the 1 problem in small rooms, as it makes them appear even more petite. Keep them clean and you’ll notice a big difference.

16. Your paint should be from dark to light, and from low to high
When your lighter colors are at the top of the room, it’s almost like rising to the heavens. A baby blue base that consistently fades into white not only looks amazing, but it will make the room appear larger as a result.

17. Creative corners
The corners of your room are a place to get creative, as this is where you need to draw the eyes of your guest. Using pieces of furniture (like an armchair) or even just a bookshelf could do the trick. Don’t just go about hanging tons of paintings around. It makes the wall feel cramped up! It’s better to hang them near the corners.

18. Properly sized furniture
If your furniture isn’t of the proper size, how can you expect to make a good impression? Using large couches and armchairs within a small room is a problem, because it doesn’t mesh well with the setting. Figure out the proper sizing for your furniture needs, and then go from there.

19. Reflect as much light as possible
In smaller rooms, you can make use of mirrors and shimmering fabrics to reflect more light around the room. Light has a tendency to make things seem larger than they are, especially when it comes to tiny rooms. There many different accessories to be considered that shimmer and reflect light, so it’s a great addition to be made.

And finally,

20. Personalize it to your liking
With everything we’ve talked about today, the job isn’t handled correctly unless you’ve personalized the space to your liking. The only individual you should be worried about pleasing is yourself, regardless of how many guests are going to be coming over throughout the year.