Find out the top tips and tricks to make smaller rooms feel bigger.
Decorating small spaces, when done correctly, can be incredibly impactful but, if not carefully considered, there is a high risk of cluttering. The secret to making a positive impact with a smaller space is planning how every aspect of the room will tie together from the paintwork to the artwork.
To help you on your journey, we have some useful tips and rules of thumb that can help you to make an impact with your space, no matter how small.
Just do it!
Image: Dan Duchars via House Beautiful
First things first, don’t be afraid to just go for it! The temptation when decorating a smaller space is to keep everything as simple and basic as possible. If the room is needed for a specific purpose or if you just prefer the sense of space this may be a sensible approach. But, if you enjoy exploring different colours or you have one favourite colour that you would love to feature in your home, this could be the perfect opportunity to showcase a bold statement!
Choose A Colour Palette
Image: Contemporary Framed Prints by Abstract House
As mentioned earlier, it is very important with smaller spaces to try to maintain a sense of cohesion amongst the décor. This will secure a feeling of continuity throughout the room and stop it from feeling like a shambles - a very easy trap to fall into when navigating limited space. If you have decided to go for a bold colour scheme that is perfectly acceptable, but you must remember to be consistent with it to avoid a messy result. A useful way to regiment yourself on this front is to create a mood board to refer back to. This can be as basic as simply the colour scheme you have chosen, just to remind yourself of the look you are trying to achieve.
Choose Floor Accessories To Accentuate The Space
Image: Lawrence Of La Brea and @jcstudiointeriors
Naturally, the smaller a space is, the more floorspace you will want to preserve. But, it is astonishing how rapidly your floor space can get eaten up when in the throes of decorating a new room. The main culprit for this is the desire to fit too much in a space that cannot hold it For example, you may have a small bathroom that you want to redo and you could just about fit a bath in with the shower so you do. However, once the renovation is finished you are left with an over cluttered room that you don’t much enjoy spending time in. The better approach to this would have been sacrificing the bath for more floor space and, consequently, gaining a larger room.
Of course, some pieces are essential and will have to fit into your small space either way. To avoid taking up too much floor space, consider investing in floating features such as a floating bookcase or floating bedside table. Despite taking up space, by being removed from the floor itself, their presence won’t detract from the room and you will be left with a more spacious feel.
Mirrors
Simple but true, the power of mirrors can never be overestimated. Aside from their obvious practical use, mirrors are always considered a stylish asset to any room. In a smaller space, however, their value is tripled as they have another attribute. Their deflection of light and trick of the eye quality means that, when placed in a smaller room, they can compel you to believe the space is larger than it actually is.
Image: via Wall Mirrors
A way of magnifying this effect could be to create a gallery wall of mirrors as an eye catching and mind-boggling enhancement to your décor. This is also worth considering if your room is not blessed with an excess of natural light - a common flaw when it comes to smaller rooms. By installing some mirrors, the light can be bounced around the room. You may even investigate the possibility of installing a larger mirror that takes up the length of a whole wall. This would certainly create a greater sense of space.
Adjust the scale
Image: Abstract Beige Pastel Canvas by Abstract House. Shop Now
Although it sounds unlikely, you can actually make your space feel larger by playing with the scale and size of the interior décor you choose to incorporate. For example, if you are struggling to decorate a small guest bedroom, think about investing in a small double as opposed to a full size. The difference between the two is minimal but the effect it has in your room will be massive. When it comes to these smaller spaces, there is nothing more telling than furniture that is crammed in without any space to breathe. Even if you feel devoid of enough space, your interiors should not reflect this struggle!
You can also adjust the scale of your wall art and mirrors. At Abstract House, you can adjust the size of the prints you would like to feature in your room. Starting at 30 x 40 and scaling all the way up to 70 x 100, the artwork you are after can be made to fit precisely how you need it.
Gallery walls
Image: Blue Landscape Gallery Wall Framed Art by Abstract House. Shop Now
If you are negotiating a smaller space, the chances are that you won’t be able to feature a large piece of art. If you attempt this, there is a strong chance that it will overwhelm the room and not be accessible for an audience to enjoy comfortably.
Image: Serenity Gallery Wall Framed Art Set by Abstract House. Shop Now
However, there is a strong chance that you will still want to feature some artwork within your space. An effective way to make an impact without overwhelming is through gallery walls. A creative and adjustable concept, gallery walls are a popular way of showcasing your favourite pieces.
Whilst they give you the scope to incorporate different artwork that you love, don’t forget the rule of cohesion. Each piece of artwork should still relate to one another in topic and shape. Make sure you don’t have too many clashing colour palettes and give some thought to how each piece will slot in amongst one another. The general rule of thumb is that your larger pieces should be placed on the left hand side of a gallery wall, getting smaller as you move towards the right.
Be Selective And Declutter
Smaller spaces can be frustrating as there will always be the inevitable feeling that you can’t fit everything you need in it. A good way of approaching your decor is to start with the absolute basics you need or that particular room. For instance, if it is a bedroom, you will need a bed. But, from there make sure every piece you bring into the space is worthy of being there. Every piece of décor is taking up valuable space so, logically, each piece should bring more value to the space than it removes.
You can also look into pieces that can be brought out and then removed when necessary. Again, if you are looking to introduce an extra place to sleep in your room but only have a small space, consider using either a sofa bed or a daybed for maximum use.
Create A Statement
Whilst there should be cohesion amongst your interiors in a small room, there should also be some stand out pieces to draw the eye to. When decorating, think about including a couple of pieces that jump out at you when walking into the room. This could be a chair or a rug, but it could also be done through your artwork.
Image: Nude Ink Drawing Set of two framed prints by Abstract House. Shop Now
For instance, in the room seen above, there is a bold charcoal theme throughout the space. By adding in three simple line art pieces a stark contrast is created which is both eye catching and calming.
All of our artwork at Abstract House is unique and made to order. If you are looking for a bold statement within your small room, there are plenty of pieces that will give your room the impact you are searching for. Our Contemporary selection is full of pieces that highlight and enhance colours both bold and soft.
Or, if you have gone down the bold route with your decor in the first place, you could consider making a statement with one of our extra large canvas art prints. Whether you are searching for a large neutral canvas print, or a bold colourful maximalist piece, we have a choice of 1000's of designer canvas prints designed by our team of artists exclusively for our collection.
