Photo by HomestoLove; Home of Emma & Simon O'Meara
Lighting colours
Lighter colours are perfect for making a space feel bigger, but don’t discount a darker shade - we will come onto this later. The go to rule of making a room feel bigger is to paint it white. In a south facing room, lighter colours will reflect the sunlight and make the room feel spacious and fresh. However, avoid white outs though and instead of painting every surface brilliant white add some warmth and depth to the room with a shade of pink, grey or taupe. To add more interest into a lighter coloured room, play with textures like concrete and soft furnishings. Use concrete table lamps and wooden side tables to create warmth and accessorise with throws and cushions to create a cosy feel.
Photo of the concrete ribbed table lamp by @bellwaypinehurst
Photo of the marble column table lamp by @amybhurst
Darker Colours
If you want to go for a darker colour, then don’t be scared as it won’t always make the room feel smaller. We love interiors painted in rich blues or deep, dark evergreens and being clever with the accessories and where you paint is key to giving the sense of space. Paint all surfaces in a single colour and add matching accessories in. Paint the skirting boards, radiators and coving in the same colour as your walls and coordinate your sofa, side tables and artwork in the same colour. This clever trick in a dark coloured room will mean that the edges are blurred, thus creating the sense of space.
Photo of the pill table lamp by @keyholeinteriors
Photo of the diffuser floor lamp by @the_glasgow_tenement
Bright colours
Brighter colours aren’t always the best option if you are trying to create the illusion of space. We love bright colours at houseof but these tones may make a room feel smaller as they will highlight small spaces and bring the walls inwards. Instead of going bright - go pastel. You can still add a dramatic sense of colour into the room but do this with lighter shades and pastel tones. Instead of bright yellow, choose buttercup, instead of hot pink choose plaster pink. Being clever with colour will still make your room feel spacious and bright.
Photo of the concrete ribbed table lamp by @FrankNewBold
Colour your ceiling
Your ceiling is the one place in the room which will feel spacious. To make a room feel bigger interior designers often use features on the ceiling to draw the eye up to a vast expanse of space. Using a statement colour on the ceiling, fitting a colourful ceiling rose or even a dramatic light fitting with draw your eye to the ceiling as you enter the room and trick the eye into thinking it is a vast open space.
Photo of the opal disk ceiling light by @plumandcrumble
Photo of the pendant ceiling light by @vansoire
Photo of the opal disk ceiling light by @worthing_renovation
Lighting your space
One rule to remember is that you can paint a room any colour you wish if you have the right lighting. Lighting a room well will give a sense of space. To do this, light any dark corners or nooks and ensure that you have all of your lighting levels covered. Ceiling lights and wall lamps will also help create a sense of space and leave a room feeling well lit and less cluttered. Choose lights with reflective surfaces in brass or chrome as these will act like a mirror and bounce light around the room. Also think about choosing lighting which provides multi-directional light, like the sputnik ceiling light or opal disc ceiling light. They not only provide light for the room they also reflect up to the ceiling and bounce back into the room.
