Although you may have dreamed of living in a mansion as a child, chances are you can’t afford one quite yet, especially if you’re a first-time homebuyer. That’s why more and more people are choosing to live in smaller living spaces.
There are several benefits to living in a small home. Some examples include:
- Generally less expensive to purchase and maintain
- Manageable to clean
- Cozy ambiance
- Easier to organize
This is why many young or first-time home buyers tend to look for smaller homes. However, after living in the home for a while, you may find that your small space has gone from cozy to cramped.
Thankfully, you don’t need to call a demolition team to break down your walls for you to feel comfortable in your own home. Instead, you can make your home look and feel bigger with the following tips brought to you from Mommy Melee!
1 – Paint with Light, Bright Colors
If you want your small space to feel open and inviting, the first thing that you need to do is repaint your walls. This is a cost-effective way for you to make any home feel welcoming, fresh and modern.
However, before you call your local interior painting company, you need to pick a color that will make your space look bigger. For the best results, you should go with a light, bright color like:
- Off-White
- Blue
- Light green
Bright colors reflect light, which opens up even the smallest rooms. Homeowners that want to make their space look bigger should avoid dark colors like:
Darker colors have the exact opposite effect on a room as bright colors. Instead of reflecting light, dark-colored paint absorbs it. This makes a room feel cramped, dingy and unappealing.
Unless you have prior professional painting experience, you shouldn’t paint your home by yourself. This can result in you making avoidable and expensive mistakes.
Instead, you should hire a reliable and experienced team of painters to take care of the job for you. If you’ve been having a hard time finding an interior house painting company that you can trust, then take the time you need to do your research and make some phone calls. You don’t want to make the wrong choice!
2 – Remember to Open Up Your Windows
One of the most effective things that you can do to enlarge a room’s appearance is opening up the windows. This allows natural light to flow into the room and makes it seem brighter and more energetic.
Additionally, it gives you and your guests the ability to look outside. In turn, you and your guests have more to look at. Open windows can also distract you and make you forget about the small space that you’re in.
However, if the scenery outside of your window isn’t the most appealing, you should consider putting some flowers or a potted plant in front of it. This allows natural light to enter the room without subjecting you to whatever is outside of the window.
Not everyone wants to keep their windows open 24/7. There are several reasons as to why homeowners don’t want their windows open all of the time, however, the most obvious is that it affects their privacy. If you want to get the best of both worlds, you can get translucent curtains or drapes that don’t block out all of the natural light.
If you have window-less rooms in your home, you can open up space by making a fake window out of LED lights. This fun and practical project will reinvigorate a previously dingy space.
3 – Install a Skylight
Traditional windows aren’t the only things you can use to let natural light into your home. You can also use a skylight.
For those that don’t know, skylights are essentially windows for your ceiling. Skylights are ideal additions to any bedroom, living room or small space. This is because, like windows, they allow natural light to flow into your home. This opens up space, making it much more attractive and inviting during the daytime.
Before you install your skylight, you should do some research on daylighting. This is the practice of placing a window, skylight or other open feature in an area that allows the optimal amount of (direct or indirect) light to enter the space. By picking a well-lit area for your skylight, you can light up your home at a fraction of the cost of traditional overhead lighting.
Skylights aren’t just great during the daytime; they’re also amazing at night. This is because they allow you to fall asleep under the stars without leaving the comfort of your warm bed. What could be better than that?
4 – Strategically Placed Mirrors Are Your Friends
Many homeowners like to have a mirror in their bedroom or foyer, as it gives them one last chance to check their hair or makeup before they head out for the day.
However, did you know that a properly placed mirror can also make any room in your home look bigger than it really is?
It’s true — a well-placed mirror can reflect light into the deepest corners of the room. This makes the room appear less shadowy and gives it a welcoming ambiance.
For the best results, you should place the mirror across from a window or beneath a skylight. This will amplify the amount of natural light in your room.
If you don’t have ample wall space for a mirror, you can get similar results by placing a glass top table in the room. Just know that glass top tables take up a significant amount of floor space, so you’ll have to find one that works with your current furniture or reorganize your small space.
If you’re tired of living in a small space, you don’t have to start looking for a new home just yet. Alternatively, you should try repainting your walls with a light color and keeping your windows open. You can also install a skylight and strategically place mirrors around your home. After utilizing these tips, you’ll have a fresh, airy and open space that you can be proud to call your home.