How To Make Your Home Seem Bigger
Working and schooling from home can cause pile-ups of parents, kids, and all their stuff. It can leave everyone cranky and feeling a little claustrophobic. Find out how to make your home seem bigger with a few tested techniques.
Give Your Furniture Some Breathing Room
Shoving all your furniture up against the walls leaves a lonesome, awkward space in the middle of the room. The furniture seems less roomy when it’s back up to a wall. Try pulling your furniture away from the walls to surround it with a little air space. Opening the walls up this way can make a room seem bigger.
Light It Up
Brightening dark corners with lighting will immediately “enlarge” a room. Maximize natural light by hanging curtain rods above the tops and beyond the edges of windows. This will make the room seem taller, and you can pull the drapes far enough to the side to completely reveal the window. Use mirrors mounted or standing on the floor opposite widows to reflect more light around the room and make it seem larger.
Daily Decluttering and Storage
Make a sweep of each room daily to pick up clutter and either donate it, dispose of it, or put it away. Furniture that doubles as storage can help – you can stow away blankets in a hall bench, storage ottoman, or drawers under a bed. Pack away all but your most cherished knick-knacks and clear off tabletops.
Bring the Outside In
Cut back shrubs and foliage that block windows and light. If the view isn’t as natural as you’d like, add some airy plants by the windows to look at instead. If you have more space outside than in, take advantage. Enclose pools or patios with screening so you can leave doors open and create a seamless flow from inside the house to your outdoor space in the summer while keeping insects and pests out. Remove solid doors, or replace them with French doors with windows where privacy isn’t a concern. Now that you’ve moved your furniture away from the walls, you may even have space for pocket or barn doors that slide to the side, rather than swing out, taking up floor space.
Making your home seem bigger doesn’t necessarily require remodeling—just decluttering, rearranging, and taking advantage of light can make a big difference.
