Home Design

Want to make your home seem bigger? Instead of crowding rooms with furniture that’s too large, try these easy ideas!

1) Choose smaller furniture pieces – Too many big pieces in a small room gives the appearance of an even smaller room. Furniture with wooden legs or unskirted chairs, opens up a room by letting you see through the furniture to the floor.
2) Avoid overly busy patterns – Multiple bright or bold patterns in a room that also has fabrics or other accessories make a room feel smaller, especially large floral patterns. Try to choose solid colors and get creative with fabric textures and looks instead to add spark.
3) Don’t paint rooms dark colors – Dark colors absorb light, also making your room appear smaller. The lighter color you go with the better. Creams, light blues and greens, and soft yellows help expand the space.
4) Expand up, not out – Use furniture pieces that are taller to help emphasis the height of the room. A bookcase or tall tree plant will help draw the eye up.
5) Use reflection – Adding mirrors to the walls trick the eye into adding more space. It also can help lighten up the room.

Tips by Jennie Norris, president of the International Association of Home Staging Professionals.