With 68% of the population predicted to live in urban areas by 2050, personal spaces can at times seem more cramped than they are. Or perhaps you have a space that is a bit smaller than you would like.
There are ways around feeling confined with color, furniture arrangement and lighting. Let these five easy tips inspire you to feel more space in your room.
Clutter
There’s nothing that promotes the feeling of confinement more than a poorly organized space. With consistency, it is quite easy to maintain a tidy space. Cleanse the room’s energy regularly by throwing out or giving away things you do not use or need. This will free up space for more useful things, or simply for more freedom to move.
Try not to over-decorate your walls. If there’s too much to look at, this can make a room seem crowded. Keep the floor as clear as possible too. Traditional large rugs often make a room look like it has less floor space.
Color
The science behind lighter colors describes how they reflect light more, whereas darker colors absorb more light. This means lighter walls make a room appear bigger, whereas darker colors make a room seem smaller. Lighter colors also are shown to have a positive effect on your mood as they make a space feel more open. This makes a room feel more inviting and comfortable.
Resist the temptation to go with darker colors that appear may appear more attractive at first. Select tones such as off-white, blue and green for an effect that lifts your mood and widens your space.
Furniture
Opt for multi-purpose furniture, such as a shelving. This is perfect if you don’t have a lot of storage space in your room and will help you free up more floor space. If they are built all the way up to the ceiling, this will make the ceiling appear higher. Use contrasting colors between the backing wall and the shelves to make both of them pop out more, creating depth.
Also avoid furniture unnecessarily taking up the space by being a bit creative with how you use things. For example, a desk could also be a small table, and a sofa bed is two central pieces of furniture in one.
When selecting furniture for your space, think counter-intuitively. Long and wide furniture gives the impression that the space is larger than it is, which will make your room seem bigger. Think tall shelves, wide flower pots and long curtains.
Lighting
works in the same way as light color does. The more light allowed in a room, the more open it tends to appear. This makes it seem bigger than its dimensions. If your living space has large windows, utilize them as much as you can. This will also let your home feel less isolated from the outside environment, too.
Connecting with the outside environment may not appeal to you if you don’t like the view. You can take attention away from the window itself with some plants or hanging artwork around them. If you don’t have large windows, or don’t have many windows in general, intuitively placed light fixtures can have a similar effect.
Mirrors
Mirrors again work with light in a similar way to light colored walls to make your space look and feel bigger. Mirrors near windows will reflect the outside environment, which you will find works very well. Using materials for furniture such as glass or reflective metals can make a space feel more open, too.
They work by giving a room more depth, especially when angled towards the focal point of the room. Mirrors are effective both during the day and the night, as they of course reflect both natural and artificial light.
Just because you may have a small living space, does not mean it has to feel that way. Be creative with how you decorate your room with these five simple tips, and you will find yourself feeling less boxed in and more at ease.
Beatrix Potter is a lifestyle and health blogger at Essay Writing Service and Academic Writing Service. Aside from her writing, she has been running a Pilates class for over four years and has extensive experience in starting a small business. Beatrix also blogs for Business Essay.