With real estate prices on the rise, many new homeowners are settling for dwellings a tad cozier than the homes they may have grown up in. But size isnt everything, particularly when there are so many amazing ways to make small spaces feel bigger. Here are some ideas we love:
- Light vs. dark: Darker walls and floors make a room seem calmer but lighter colors make a room feel more open.
- Proportions: Long sofas and massive big-screen TVs might work in big suburban home but, in smaller spaces, choose furniture thats more proportioned to the room for instance, a two-seater couch, a square or narrow dining room table, or a double bed instead of a queen or king.
- Legs vs. skirts: Not only are exposed sofa legs more contemporary, they help make smaller floor spaces appear larger.
- Look up: Drawing your eye higher, with wallpaper on the ceiling or bookshelves high up on walls gives the illusion of height.
- Look out: If privacy isnt much of an issue, forego blinds or curtains on a large living room window the view outside visually extends the room.
- Just look: An oversized mirror 2 metres tall or higher leaning against a wall, can make your room look twice as long.
- Multi-purpose: Be on the lookout for tables, ottomans and bed-frames that feature hidden storage after all, clutter can be a small spaces worst enemy.
- From many, one: Speaking of clutter, in small spaces, less is more edit your knick-knacks by choosing a handful of accents rather than lots of little ones, and choose one or two large pieces of wall art, rather than a whole lot.
Click here for more small space big ideas and please share your own suggestions in our Shop Talk Blog community forum!
Did you know?
Small is big
Though the size of homes trended larger for decades, thats changing. A survey by the U.S. National Association of Home Builders reports that nine out of 10 builders are constructing smaller, lower-priced homes in fact, the average home size is expected to shrink another 10% in 2015.
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