It’s Tuesday the 9th December and I’ve just checked out of work (at least for now) and moved myself over to the sofa. My brain is like a big tumble dryer with a bunch of numbers inside after some intense hours of building a slide deck. It’s first when I move away from the table that my brain start thinking about what’s ahead of me, 2020 and a new home.
My new home in Oslo isn’t actually a new home, it’s more like coming home to an old home. We are moving back in my little flat in Oslo that I bought when I was 25. A flat on 42m”2. 42m”2 was a good size for a single girl at 25, but I’m not so sure about the size for girl 30 with a partner.
To make the flat feel bigger than what it is, has the flat been completely painted white. But let be honest – completely white is a bit of a boring situation. So here comes some tips on how to make a flat bigger (when it’s already white).
1. Create an illusion of space and depth to the room
A great way of making a room more specious is to create an illusion. This can be done easily in two ways. With windows and with mirrors. Windows brings depth to a smaller room with seeing the space outside of the room. Keep therefore the windows in the room clearly visible and try to avoid drapes or curtains. Natural light will open up you space. If you need drapes, keep them in the same colour as the wall, preferably in a light colour or cheer fabric. Another way to create depth is with mirrors. Mirrors will create reflection in the room and will make the room seem larger than what it actually is.
Visible Windows and Arm Chairs with visible feet from Decorative Blog
2. Focus on the ceiling
To make a room look taller do you want the attention to be drawn upwards. An example of achieving this is to paint the ceiling in a different colour, pattern or with wallpaper. Another way of drawing peoples attention upwards is bookshelves. You achieve this with having bookshelves that are hang at the top of the wall, or bookshelves that goes all the way up from floor to the ceiling. This will make the room appear taller than what the room actually is.
Painted ceiling from Decorpad
3. Have furniture that creates space and light
When choosing a sofa, pick a sofa with exposed legs. Making the space visible under the sofa will bring depth to the room. Try also to keep the sofa away from the wall to increase the illusion of space. Another furniture to create an illusion of space is bookshelves, do not clutter the shelves with a lot of items but let parts of the shelf be empty to create space to the room.
4. Create separate spaces with lamps and rugs
Lamp and rungs are two great ways of creating different spaces or areas in the same room. If you have kitchen, office and living room in the same room, try to give all the spaces separate lighting and add rugs to different “zones” in the room. It will define the area in a greater way.
Colour Coordinated Bookshelf by SF Girl
5. Be wise with colours – keep it light and coordinated
A light colour palette will bring in more light to the room and make it more spacious and expand the room naturally. But regardless of colour will colour coordination do wonders (see book shelf). You can also use different shades of the same colour on items that stands together. This will create structure, unity and streamline the room so it it seems bigger. You can also colour coordinate some of your furniture with the wall – this will make the furniture blend with the wall.
6. Go for multi-function furniture
To avoid making the room overly cluttered, pick furniture that can serve more than one role. An example is an ottoman that can be used as a coffee table and as extra seating, or a kitchen table that can become larger or smaller based on need. Furniture that has hidden storage is also good for making the room seem larger, since it removes potential noice to the room.
Ottoman and colour combinations from One Kings Home
7. Fewer and larger statement pieces
Try to pick a few pieces that you really like and let them be the statement in the room. It can be some large decor pieces, a large furniture or a large piece of art hanging on one of the walls. Try to add other furniture that works around these pieces. This will give the illusion that the room is capable of having an identity, even though the room is small.
8. Using stripes and lines to elongate the room
Consider of bringing in stripes or lines to the room. This can be in a piece of furniture, colour or flooring. Stripes is a great way to make the room seem longer than what it actually is.
How you ever tried to make a room seem bigger than what it is?
