Small houses and smaller rooms are becoming very common, but one must still decorate them in a manner that it appears large and luxurious, simply by using paint colors that make rooms look bigger. Here's an idea on the kind of colors you can use and methods of enhancing the effect of these colors.
Most people almost always find it difficult to choose the right paint color for a room. Moreover, when you have to choose a color keeping in mind the size of the room, the task seems to become all the more challenging, though it may not actually be so. Not everyone has the luxury of space, but everyone can definitely create the illusion of space. That is what can be done by using appropriate paint colors. However, paint colors alone cannot take up the responsibility of making your room look bigger. Several other factors, in combination with the use of some good paint colors are what will make any room appear larger than it already is. How? Here's a look.
Choosing the Right Paint Colors for Small Rooms
Let's put it out there directly. White is the best shade that one can possibly use to make a room look bigger. Nothing creates a better illusion of space as does the color white. However, not everyone may be comfortable with the use of this color because too much white can actually make a space look dull. In such cases, you can play with a few colors that may look simply amazing without darkening your room. These colors include:
| | | | | | |
| Soft Pink | Light Blue | Light Sea Green | Lavender | Pale Yellow | Peach |
While these are some of the best colors that you can use to make a room look bigger, there are several other tints that you can choose from. Eventually it boils down to your personal taste and the purpose of the room. Once that is decided, choosing the appropriate color becomes much easier.
How to use Paint Colors for Small Rooms
Now, there is a specific technique that should be followed when using paint colors that make rooms look bigger. This technique has to be utilized in the best possible way in order for the effect to come alive appropriately. Some tips have been enlisted here:
* Only use one color on the walls when you are trying to make your room look bigger. Don't try to combine too many colors as the room starts looking cramped.
* If you think white is your best bet but still want to add a dash of color, paint just one wall in any other light color that you like. For instance, if it is in your bedroom, you could paint the wall behind the bed to make it a focal point.
* Use furniture and accessories that complement (or that even slightly contrast - as depicted in the image) the colors on the walls so that the room looks larger. Using heavy contrasts will make your efforts at enhancing the visual space of your room futile.
* If the room is narrow, paint horizontal stripes on it to make it look wider. Similarly, if the room has a low ceiling, you may paint vertical stripes on the walls to make it appear taller.
* Another great way to deal with low ceilings or to even create the illusion of space is to have the wall paint color extend to the ceiling. This method unifies to room to make it look larger than it actually is.
* Try to match the wall colors to the color of the flooring. This is again in keeping with the thought that the room should look unified by the use of color, and therefore appear bigger.
* Make sure that the room you are trying to enhance visually has enough lighting. While natural lighting works wonders to make any small room appear larger, it may not always be available. In such a case, light colors enhance the little natural light that comes in to make rooms look larger. Also, using appropriate artificial lighting in key spaces (such as corners of rooms) is a good idea to create the illusion of space.
* Finally, use mirrors that reflect the light colors in your room so that it looks larger. A nice and long horizontal mirror on a wall can easily add as a decorative element as well as make the room look much bigger.
When choosing a paint color for any room, it is important that you keep in mind the use and the purpose of the room. For instance, you have to set the mood of a room if it is being used as a study, a bedroom, a dining area, or a living room. In such a case, gauge the amount of natural light in the room, the amount of furniture you are going to have to keep there, and the number and kind of people who are going to use the room. This will make a huge difference to the way the illusion of space is created, and the overall décor that emerges from the room.
By Puja Lalwani
