One of the most common requests addressed to an interior designer is how to visually increase the area with the help of décor and decorative elements, when the dimensions of the apartment are quite small, but you want to create the feeling of a large wide space.
We asked the Italian teachers of our school to share some tricks on how to visually increase the space in any room.
1. Less is more
The most important rule of the interior in small apartments is the use of a small number of items.
The less furniture and décor items you use, the larger the room seems in size.
2. Remove furniture from the aisles
All furniture is best placed like this:
We put tall cabinets and shelves along the walls, and we try to make the rest of the furniture visually wider:
- low table
- armchairs or chairs without armrests
- we choose not a sofa, but a couch without armrests
Thanks to this, the room will become visually larger!
3. Light colors
Light colors visually make the space wider and taller.
If you paint the walls and ceiling in the same light shade, the room will visually increase in size.
Remember that contrasting colors visually break up a space and make it look smaller.
Therefore, in small rooms it is better not to make contrasting walls (e.g. a wall with brickwork or bright wallpaper).
4. Mirrors
A mirror is a versatile way to add space to a room.
You can hang a framed mirror on the wall, you can choose a wardrobe with a mirror wall, you can hang a full-length mirror on the wall. The effect will be the same.
The part of the room that is reflected in the mirror visually adds volume to the space.
5. The more lights, the better
Any room will look visually larger if there is a lot of natural light.
Avoid heavy curtains and thick tulle!
Maximize the opportunity for light to pass through the window.
