If you are living in a downtown apartment, a dorm room, or just a small house, you know exactly what it feels like to occupy a small space. Fortunately, we have several solutions to make that small space your favorite space–a space you will be proud of and want to spend more time in!

As you’ll notice in our solutions, many of these tips enhance one another. This allows you to make changes all at once, or little by little.

Fresh Coat of Paint
A fresh coat of a light-colored paint will surely brighten up a space. Using dark colors in a small room can make it feel more like a cave and less like a space you want to love. By using a light, but neutral color, you can set the tone for the entire room. This natural palette visually expands the space as a whole.

Use Natural Light
In addition to a neutral palette and a fresh coat of paint, using as much natural light as possible. Try to avoid putting large pieces of furniture in front of windows to allow you to open the curtains fully and allow all that natural North Carolina light shine into the room.

Expand the Room with Mirrors
You can strategically place a few mirrors in the room to really expand your space. Utilizing the natural light coming in from the windows, you can use a perfectly placed mirror to reflect that natural light to the rest of the room. Not only does this brighten up the room, if you use decorative mirrors, they can serve as an amazing complement to the entire room.

Force Your Eyes to Move Up
In a dark space, it’s natural to keep your eyes down. By brightening up the room with all the above tips, you’ve expanded the room visually. Keep this trend by adding a pop of color to the ceiling. You can do this by adding wallpaper, a pattern, or a solid color on the ceiling. This is incredibly trendy in small spaces and forces the focus of your eyes to move up, which makes the entire room feel much larger than it is.

Use Furniture as Decorative Tools
Furniture pushed up against the wall may seem like the best way to make a room feel big, but it usually does quite the opposite. Pulling furniture away from the wall can make the room feel more spacious. Placing a console table behind the couch can serve multi-purpose–it can serve as a table and as a bookshelf. In addition, using couches or chairs that have exposed legs to create a sense of additional space.

Don’t Settle for Clutter
Clutter can make the largest rooms feel small, so it is even more crucial to constantly de-clutter your small space if you want it to feel big. If you have a console table behind the couch or have enough room for a full-sized bookshelf, do not use every inch of space. The clutter that it created visually can be avoided. Neatly stacked books and accessories sorted by common colors can not only be visually appealing, if can be a clean, de-cluttered point of focus. Remember: a lot of small decorations look much more cluttered than a few large decorations.

Multi-Function Furniture
It cannot be stressed enough that using furniture that can serve multiple functions is key for having a better overall space. Use an ottoman that can store additional blankets, a table that has hidden storage for remotes and reading glasses, and tables that have expanding leaves to add room only when you need it.

Use Rugs to Your Advantage
Rugs can add to the overall feel to the room. They can also be used to elongate a room. A striped rug can make a room feel like it goes on endlessly. Several rugs can create separate spaces in one room, which instantly makes the overall space feel larger.

Bring the Outdoors Inside
No matter how small a room feels, having live plants not only allows for better air quality, it creates the connection that this space is just a small space of something much bigger. The great outdoors coming inside creates a sense of depth than purposefully expands the room.

Whether you’re just moving in and can start from scratch, or have a small space you’re looking to revamp, using our solutions can make you love your space that much more! Enjoy the process and experiment with different placements of your furniture and accessories. If you are looking for more home improvement tips, be sure to check out other related articles!