Homes in the UK average around some of the smallest in the world averaging 818 square feet. By comparison, other European countries like Denmark (1,475sq ft), Greece (1,356sq ft) and Belgium (1,293sq ft) have hundreds of feet of extra living space. This is hardly surprising news considering the size of the country and the density of towns and cities, but it does mean many UK homeowners end up wondering “How can I make a small room look bigger?”
Now, there are various ways to do this, some quick and easy, while others may require more investment for a greater reward. However, each one of these ideas can trick the eye, make your rooms feel larger, and make you feel more at home.
Brighten up the place
One of the easiest small room ideas to make it feel bigger is to paint the walls and ceilings with lighter paint. Light colours reflect natural light more and make any space feel bigger. Similarly, choosing neutrals like creams, whites, or light greys are more effective as they don’t dominate rooms and give your furniture more room to breathe (more on that later). However, it’s important to remember that any choice for walls and ceilings should be considered with the furniture and flooring you have in the space.
Another key element of repainting a smaller room to make it feel bigger is ensuring you stick to one shade. Adding feature walls or complex patterns and combinations makes a room look busier and takes up valuable space. For a little variation, you can look at changing shades for areas like skirting boards, window frames, and other accents.
Open up the space
A bigger project but one that increases the living space of your house is to remove doors and walls to open up spaces. For example, simply removing doors linking spaces, allows light and air to flow, and gives you more room to place furniture without worrying about swinging doors. Replacing doors with sliding or bifold doors can also be very effective, especially for gardens and patios.
Along with making your home feel bigger opening up rooms comes with the benefit of modernising traditional spaces. Most homeowners lean towards open-plan living and if you have a smaller home this can be an effective way to update old layouts, outmoded rooms, and make the home feel bigger in general.
Introduce more light
The watchword for making a space feel bigger is light. With all of the above, finding ways to introduce more light or make the most of existing light is key to making a room feel light, bright, and airy. The most direct way of doing this is by adding more windows.
Rooflights and lanterns are valuable assets that can introduce more light, make a room warmer and brighter, and potentially improve your health and well-being. These lights come with the benefit of not requiring any wall space either so for narrow corridors or smaller rooms where space is already limited, looking up is a simple and effective solution.
At Roof Maker, we are experts in this field and can advise you on the perfect product for your needs, whether you want to add to pitched or flat roofs, add roof access, or want a centrepiece like a roof lantern to draw the eye, we have the perfect solution for your home.
Alternatively, if you’d like to save up a bit more but need a solution right now, consider mirrors. Mirrors reflect light and, if placed correctly can make a room appear much bigger than it is, especially in hallways and other in-between rooms.
Consider your flooring
Now, this is an area that most don’t consider when they think of big, bright spaces, but your choice of flooring can have a big impact on the overall feel and size of small homes. Firstly, consistency is key. Sticking to one floor type, floorboards, tiles, whatever it may be, makes the floor feel bigger as it is one larger continuous piece. Furthermore, choosing oversized tiles and longer beams also tricks the eye into perceiving a room as bigger and reduces visual noise from grouting and spacing lines.
These tricks rely on using vertical lines to draw the eye up to create a sense of space, so considering how your floor, walls, and windows work together is key to creating a bigger feel with a smaller room.
Get creative with storage
Visual lines and space are important in making small rooms feel bigger, but that can all be pointless if your space is packed with stuff. Furniture needs space to breathe, so pathways between rooms are clear and ensure the eye can travel through the room and make it feel bigger.
This doesn’t mean that you have to go minimalist either. Instead, it’s about choosing furniture that fits the space and potentially has built-in storage to put away any clutter. By being conscious of the space and the furniture you choose, you can make sure storage is effective, furniture fits the room, and your small space is light, bright, and comfortable.
Let the light in today
If you’re interested in finding out more about Roof Maker, and how we can help make your home feel lighter, brighter, and bigger contact our team today. We have years of experience installing skylights in a range of builds and are ready to help out with consultation or advice on the perfect rooflight for your home.