Whether you’re trying to create the feeling of more space in that boxed bedroom as you prepare to sell your home or you’re fed up with feeling cramped, here are some creative ideas to make a room look bigger.

When outfitting small rooms, or even just small spaces, every small change can make a big difference. Creative design choices and some well-placed objects in the room, like good colour choices and techniques and careful furniture arranging, or even something seemingly insignificant like where you place mirrors, can all contribute to creating that sense of space you are looking for.

Light colours and contrasts

Taking advantage of the technique of producing an optical illusion, interior designers will tell you that light paint colours will make any room look bigger than what it really is. Dark colours absorb light and heat, while light colours reflect light and heat. This phenomenon is well known to climate scientists (albedo effect) as carbon soot in the arctic is darkening the snow and speeding up ice melt because less light is being reflected into space. So, space can be made to feel roomy and airy by helping light reflect off bright-coloured walls. Darker colours will make a room feel smaller and cramped as the darker shades will absorb more of the light.

To make a room look and feel bigger, go with soft tones like the different shades of white, blues and greens. As any good artist will tell you, to create the illusion of distance in a painting, you will paint objects darker or lighter to contrast them and show distance. Likewise, you can paint wall trims and mouldings in a lighter colour or shade than the walls, giving you the sense that the walls are further back than they are.

Creative lighting

Natural light is best for opening up a room and giving it a look and feel of being bigger. For those rooms that don’t have much natural light, however, you can get creative with lighting fixtures. Like with colour, small changes can have big effects.

Natural light coning in from large windows can help connect the room with the outside world, giving you a sense of an extended room. Pull back the curtains all the way to maximise the light coming in, and for unpleasant views, just put some plants or flower vases in front of the window.

Declutter the room

Nothing steels the sense of space quite like clutter does and can seriously devalue your home. Keeping a room clean, tidy, and well organised will go a long way in preserving a sense of space in a small room. Besides from making you feel better as your inner world is in symbiosis with your environment, a tidy and organised room is also a safer room. Clutter can cause trips and falls much more easily than a tidy room can.

The clutter principle is also applicable to the walls, so avoid cluttering the walls with too many pictures and other hangings. One or two paintings are adequate, but leave plenty of wall space visible to give a greater sense of space and depth.

Create a focal point

Having a focal point in the room will instantly make the room look bigger, either an aera or feature that will draw attention to the eye. For example, in the bedroom, it will be the bed. Draw attention to the focal point by arranging furniture to focus on that area. To help keep visual attention there, reduce distraction by minimising the décor in the rest of the room.

The illusion of mirrors

In the same way that windows can extend the visual plane, mirrors can make a room look bigger and more open. Don’t just randomly place the mirror, but by angling the mirror towards a focal point, you can create an illusion of depth and distance.

Mirrors are also great for reflecting light—both artificial and natural—to where you want it. Place a mirror by the window and this will enable it to reflect natural light into the room, giving a very impressive effect. You can also consider mirrors in other places, like cabinet doors or tabletops.

Items of furniture

Give careful thought to the furniture you use in the room, as this can make a big difference. Multi-purpose furniture is a good way to save space, like a sofa bed or extendable tables. Nesting tables are also good as they can be tucked away when not in use.

A good tip for choosing furniture is to pick chairs and sofas with exposed legs as they will allow more light to get underneath them and make the room look bigger.

Room arrangement

You can maximise space by making sure that the room arrangement is well thought out. When choosing furniture, make sure it is scaled to the size of the room; large, bulky sofas won’t fit well. For the larger pieces of furniture, place them against a wall to help maximise space. Keep walkways clear of furniture and clutter, as they will impede the view and make the room look and feel cramped.