Space is hard to come by, but you don’t need to build an extension to give the impression of size.
Interior designers use simple techniques to make the most of even the smallest space.
Expose the floor
‘The floor is the most important area to consider in terms of space because most people subconsciously look down when they enter a room in case there are steps or something to trip over. Dark carpets make a room look small; wooden floors are popular and create a feeling of more space; carefully placed rugs add comfort. Also, arrange furniture in a way that exposes as much of the floor as possible. The more covered the floor, the smaller the room will feel’
Virginia Stourton of Colour Counsellors
www.colourcounsellors.co.uk
Heighten the ceiling
‘Create the illusion of a taller ceiling. One way to do this is to fix curtain poles significantly higher than the window and hang full-length curtains, preferable gauzy fabrics which allow light through. Or use up-lighters to cast light up the ceiling’
Zoe Beaudro at Zoe Beaudro
www.zoebeaudro.co.uk
Create raised floor areas
‘Introduce a change in floor level. For instance, a step up to a ‘chill-out sofa zone’ to demarcate two distinct areas within one room. To amplify the feeling of the space, a complimentary floor finish can be used in one of the zoned areas’
Paul Nolan at Blindspot Interior Design
www.blind-spot.co.uk
Matching skirtings
‘If the skirting board is the same colour or finish as the floor, the impression is given that the floor is bigger, and consequently the whole room looks bigger. This can also be applied to the ceiling cornice’
Iris Dunbar at The Interior Design School
www.theinteriordesignschool.co.uk
Smaller furniture
‘Use smaller than average pieces of furniture to open up floor and wall space – a chaise longue two-seater sofa instead of a three, a miniature coffee table, a narrow armchair’
Jayne Webb at Southover Design
www.southover.net
Continue colours or patterns into outdoor space
‘Extend the line of sight. For instance, if your room opens into a garden, such as a living room in a garden flat, make use of this view. Continue a simple colour palette into the beginnings of the garden (red walls – red pot plants, for example), creating the illusion of an extension through windows or, even better, French doors. Your brain will naturally include the outside as part of the inside room. You can do the same with flooring. I recently laid solid oak planks in a living room, then on the adjacent patio laid decking in the same tone and lined up with the indoor planks’
Zoe Beaudro at Zoe Beaudro
www.zoebeaudro.co.uk
Leave space between furniture and walls
‘Most people think they make a room bigger by pushing furniture like sofas and tables right up against the wall. You actually create more space by leaving a small gap, especially if both the piece of furniture and the wall is lightly or neutrally decorated’
Georgina Hedges and Daniele Hromek at The Busting Diva
www.bustingdiva.com
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Go for wood flooring or light carpets and arrange furniture to expose as much floor as possible.
Fix curtain poles higher than necessary to give impression of high ceilings.
Create separate levels in the same room with a mezzanine floor.
Paint skirting boards and cornices the same colour as the floor or ceiling.
Pull furniture away from the walls to create the impression of having more space.
Use light, neutral colour schemes on walls.
Place mirrors in corners and facing one another on opposite walls.
Use any outdoor space you have. If your lounge leads to a garden, use greens indoors, or paint plant pots the same colour as your walls to elongate the line of vision.
