Furniture to Make Your Small Room Look Bigger
When we were putting together our original Small-Space Living Tips post, we realized there were too many tips to cover at once! So, we decided to keep the fun going with even more ideas.
Seek Out Open Space
Open space within a furniture piece will give you a result similar to glass or acrylic. Being able to see the room beyond a furniture piece via its negative space is another way to eliminate visual obstacles. When selecting pieces that will be placed in the middle of your room, rather than along the perimeter, this open space will allow you to see “through” the piece to the room beyond.
The Stewart metal stool has a modern, double x-back design that doesn’t stop your eye. A backless style would also be a good choice.
Use Curves to Soften the Look
Another way to trick your eye is to use curved furniture wherever possible. Where angles can feel severe, curves soften the look and create a more gentle, welcoming atmosphere that allows your eye to rest. Rounded pieces also foster a smoother flow within a room, which can not only help to create a cozy ambiance but can also translate into fewer bumps and bruises from colliding with bulky furniture corners.
With its rounded silhouette, our Forest Hill dining table will bring you and your guests closer together.
Mid-Century Modern Style for the Win
Aesthetically speaking, furniture designed in the mid-century modern style is in the sweet spot for making a small space appear larger. The reason for this is that while the pieces do sit low to the ground, they feature slender, tapered legs. This allows the negative space below the furniture to create the illusion of spaciousness, while the low-slung pieces make the ceiling appear taller. It’s two illusions working together in perfect unity.
While mid-century modern is a great style to embrace, any piece with legs will make your room look larger, regardless of the style. So, always be thinking about how to keep things off the floor. In fact, you can make your room look more spacious by keeping clutter off all surfaces in general, and that includes your countertops. Concealed storage is your friend because too much on display can overwhelm the eye.
The Kincaid mid-century modern dresser will trick your eye into thinking your space is bigger.
Multifunctional Pieces with Concealed Storage
Speaking of concealed storage, look to utilize as many furniture pieces as possible that offer this desirable feature. This one is a no-brainer. One of your goals should be to incorporate storage anywhere you can, particularly concealed storage (again, to keep the eye from stopping). Even better, select pieces that offer storage and can be used in many different ways. These will be your workhorse pieces.
One of our favorite storage options is our Lancaster lift-top coffee table. Not only does it open to reveal a large storage compartment, but when you raise the top, you can also use it as a dining option perfect for one or two or as a desk. Also, the open shelf on the bottom can also store coffee table books or anything else you want to show off. This piece is the definition of multifunctional.
Lounge Around on a Daybed
Speaking of multifunctional pieces, a daybed will earn its place by being used as a bed in the evening and a couch (just add throw pillows!) during the day. You just need the one piece instead of two, and there’s nowhere a daybed can’t go. Depending on your setup, this chameleon can be right at home in your studio apartment, bedroom, living room, guest room or home office. This versatile bed option is convenient because rather than unfold it before bedtime like you would with a sleeper sofa or futon, it’s already prepped and ready for sleep. As an added feature, the aforementioned sleeper sofas and futons take up considerable, precious space when they’re unfolded, whereas a daybed’s footprint never changes, making it perfect for your small home.
Maybe it’s the novelty factor, but we find that daybeds have an inherent charm. Select one that can serve as the focal point in your room. We especially like the farmhouse style of the Matson.
Furniture to Make Your Small Room Look Bigger
Pieces with open space, concealed storage and even mid-century modern style can make your room appear larger.
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