For those who have a smaller room or two in their office or perhaps at home, who simply wish they were brighter and larger. Well, you are not alone. In many cities living space has become expensive and the most spacious rooms are not as easy to find as they used to be. City rents generally reduce our living area to as modest a space as possible, even in suburban areas that have made us live using less. A new addition to your family may mean that you need to find that extra space. Whatever the reason, it helps to understand how to make a small space look brighter and bigger.
Let’s start by looking at the easiest change to make. Applying paint to a smaller room to make it appear larger is an easy trick that will only cost you a couple of cans of paint and some of your time. Most people know that using a dark color in a room will make it feel more closed in, while a brighter color will give it a spacious and airy feeling. The reason for this is that lighter colors reflect more light, basically making the room brighter, while darker colors absorb more light.
White paint reflects most of the light, however 100% pure white is often a hard color to come by in terms of décor. If the color is flat, it can make the room look clinical and harsh. I once painted a small room completely white and it ended up looking like a rental property with cheap decor. It just didn’t work so I decided to repaint it ivory and it made all the difference.
Now, pure white may work for some rooms, but then you need to plan accessories around that, and do so carefully. In general, I find that light neutral paint colors give the feeling that your house is not a hospital. I also like to add warmth with shades of cream, sea green, soft brown, ivory, and bleached gold.
I feel that pastels have a soft and calming effect in a room. They create a more romantic feminine atmosphere. However, I don’t like it when people go too crazy with shades of pink. Maybe if you are doing a room for a younger girl, but not for shared rooms.
Soft greens and blues work well with cabin and beach decorations. You could wear them with off-white for a bit of rustic charm, alternatively the darker shades create a more contemporary look. I like to use Pale aqua in bathrooms or a trendy kitchen. Different shades of lilac or lavender brighten up any bedroom.
I’ve had some good results with two-tone schemes, where I used slightly darker colors on the wall that gets less sunlight, and then a lighter color on the areas that get the most natural light.
In terms of new technology, now you get light-reflecting paint, it contains little glass balls that reflect light around a room.
