Small room?

Small rooms can be very hard to style and design because there doesn't feel like there is enough space. But there are ways to make the space feel and look a lot bigger.

Mirrors:

Mirrors reflect a lot of light, so placing one, or several, adjacent to a window, will make the room brighter and give the illusion of a bigger room.

Expense:

Now, mirrors can run up a cost but If you get them from places such as www.argos.com or www.therange.com , they won't cost nearly as much as fancy furniture places! Save your coins and buy mirrors at the same quality, in smaller, cheaper places!

Light:

In a similar way as the mirror, light is great for opening up a space. Try to cut out darkening curtains, opt for sheer, if possible, or white and light, curtains or blinds- light is your best friend!

Lighting and electrical features can also make or break your space, try to use brighter, and lots of, light. You can opt for lamps, wall lighters, or a big main light. Try not to use dark and big, lampshades as they limit the amount of light you have, which is not ideal!

Lights such as these:

Are great because they can cover much more of the length of a room, to get the whole room and make sure everywhere is lit, instead of just the middle.

These specific lights are from www.valuelights.com and are the Consul-8 way rectangular lights. I think that the more there are, the better so being able to cover both sides of the room and all the length is great, and this is only £30, and makes such a large impact on how you perceive the room.

Furniture:

If you have big, chunky furniture, try to either swap it for built ins or use floating shelves or clothing rails where you can. You want to try and make the place flow and not have blocky pieces, bulking up the room. If there is no way around it, get some big mirrors and fix them to the front of the wardrobe or door.

Colour:

Dark colours for paint and furniture choices can really swallow a room, but so can really bright whites and neons! Try to go for a softer, lighter colour such as creams. If you have a love for bright colours, limit them a bit. Instead of confusing the eye with clashing or too many shades, limit the palette to your favourites ! Or ones that match the room/furniture. If you are trying to use a rug with some blue flecks in , for example, use that same blue for a feature wall or for the colour of frames or throws or pillows- decor and so on! Or if you love red and orange, they match and are similar, bring those in, in the same way.

Also, if you have a long room, you can bring the far wall forward with a feature wall, with a bright colour or wallpaper.

In the image to the right, I found this gorgeous navy and gold wallpaper, from Graham&Brown, which would make the room feel more proportionate.

Storage:

Maximise the space of everything! You can get custom made products if expense is not an issue but easier ways are choosing furniture where storage comes with it.

Examples: Beds- underneath storage, get a higher weighted bed, get some cheap, plastic storage crates, boxes etc, pop them under! Just make sure you have a long sheet that covers it up.

Chairs- get ottomans or bench seats that lift up with storage spaces inside.

Really make sure you utilise every inch of wardrobes- use the inside of the door, you can get over the door organisers to hold coats or shoes or big items, use the floor space, all of the height, put in shelves.