The internet has made it easier than ever for people to get inspiration on how to renovate their homes, but not everyone has the same space to work with. We often see posts of large kitchens, living rooms, and bedrooms, all of which offer endless opportunity for renovation with boundless light and potential.
Unfortunately, many people don’t have large rooms, meaning a lot of the inspiration online isn’t compatible with their homes. It can be hard to know what to do with a small space when you don’t have any examples to heed from, especially if you’re dealing with an odd-shaped room, too.
This can leave you feeling deflated and like you can’t possibly make your home look like the ones in magazines or online, but this isn’t true. With a few nifty tips and tricks, you can make your small space look and feel great. Here’s how.
- Stick to bright colors
Small rooms often feel dark, so it’s important to stick to a bright color scheme to make the space feel bigger than it is. Neutral, warm shades like off-white tones work well in smaller rooms because they reflect the light, open up the walls, and give the illusion of a bigger area.
Many people make the mistake of painting a small room in a dark color like navy or using a bold wallpaper all over. This can trap the light and make it feel smaller, and therefore, more cramped. Depending on the room, this can be far from ideal.
With this in mind, make sure your color palette is largely neutral and bright; stick to using colors in the form of accents and accessories.
- Use lots of mirrors
Another handy trick you can use to open up a space and make it appear bigger is to install lots of mirrors. Like light paint, they will reflect the light and make the room feel bigger and more open that it is. In rooms like bathrooms or utilities, it can be fun to hang a mixture of different types of small wall mirrors, but in rooms like bedrooms, the bigger the better.
If you can, look to install a full-length mirror to really open up the light. Be mindful of sun rays, though – you don’t want the sun shining off the mirror and burning a hole in your bedding!
- Consider bespoke furniture/storage solutions
If your space is particularly small, it can be difficult to find standardized furniture that fits. For example, you might not have enough space for a shop-bought wardrobe, but you may still need one. Rather than binning off the wardrobe, consider investing in bespoke joinery. You can get a carpenter to create a storage or furniture solution that works exclusively for your space, allowing you to exploit the room to its fullest potential whilst giving you unmatched usability.
- Leave negative space
A lot of people don’t like negative space because they think it makes a room unfinished or bare, and whilst this can certainly be the case in larger, more open-plan areas, it’s not the case in small rooms. Avoid the urge to fill every blank area of wall or floor space. Doing so will keep the room looking big and open and mitigate that cramped feeling so many small rooms have.
- Keep the floorspace clear
The final tip we have for renovating a small space is to free up the floor. Invest in floating furniture if you can and try and buy items like sofas and beds with integrated storage. If you floor looks clear, the room will appear more spacious and bright overall.