Tips to Make Your Home Look Bigger

With homes becoming smaller in land-scarce Singapore, we could all benefit from design tips that can make a significant visual impact in our space. If a small space is one of your home woes and you’ll like to “upsize” your interior, read on to find out how your space can be transformed.

Keep to one flooring throughout

Different flooring will visually separate the space, making your home look segmented and smaller. If you must use different flooring in the living room and bedrooms, choose colours that are as close as possible to avoid a sharp contrast.

Shift your furniture away from walls

It might be difficult for you wrap your head around this notion, but distancing furniture from walls does make your space larger. Of course, this is not necessarily true for bigger furniture like beds.

Choose chairs and sofas with low backs

Sofas and chairs with a lower-slung back are visually less distracting, compared with those with a high or elaborate back. Dining chairs, for instance, should ideally not stand too much taller than your dining table.

Use vertical lines

Similar to how sheer curtains draw one’s attention to the ceiling without reading heavy, introduce vertical lines to emphasise on height. This could take the form of vertical dividers, a series of sleek drop lights, or striped throw pillows.

Install inset lights beneath custom cabinetry 

The strategic placement of inset lights can create the impression of weightlessness on kitchen counters or beds, making them appear lighter. Again, this contributes a sense of spaciousness.

Dress your space white

This needs little explanation. Since white reflects light, a small room clad in white can certainly benefit from more light bouncing off walls. Use the same white on walls and ceilings to create a seamless look that is fluid and airy.

Replace walls with glass panels

This instantly lends connectivity across rooms, making your home larger. This rule also applies to kitchen cabinet doors or wardrobe doors – but only if your items are neatly displayed. In kitchens, opting for open shelves also does the trick.

Choose furniture with slender legs

Yes, some distance is good to create an optical illusion of a larger space. Similar to how you keep furniture away from walls, select furniture with slim, tapered legs. When you can see beneath the furniture or between legs, there is immediately a sense of openness and movement.

Refrain from bold prints or patterns

Having too many prints or patterns make a room look busy. Going for a minimalist, zen-like simplicity, on the other hand, is what you’ll need to achieve spaciousness. So instead of choosing beddings with large floral prints, for instance, keep to plain white sheets the way hotels do. And if you must, go for small prints.