10 Designer Tricks to Make a Small Space Feel Bigger
If you’ve ever wondered how to make a small room feel bigger, you’re not alone!
As a Designer and True Color Expert®, I help clients every day transform tight, dark rooms into open, airy spaces that feel twice the size—without tearing down a single wall.
Here are my top 10 professional design tricks you can use to visually expand any small space!
Studio McGee
Everyone has one small space in their home that they want to feel bigger!
Or maybe you live in a small home, tiny condo or small apartment and want to make your rooms feel larger.
Banish that cramped , cave-like feeling and get the spaciousness you crave with these 10 design tips and small room decorating ideas.
1. Choose light, warm-undertone paint colors
Color is the easiest way to transform how large or small a room feels.
One of the most powerful color tricks for small rooms is using warm, light neutrals that reflect natural light beautifully.
Soft warm neutrals like Sherwin-Williams Pure White, Benjamin Moore White Dove, or Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace create light reflection that opens the room visually.
Avoid strong yellow or cool gray tones that can make walls feel flat or dingy.
Designer Tip: Paint your trim and ceiling the same color as your walls (but one sheen lighter). It eliminates harsh contrast and blurs visual boundaries.
2. Keep contrast low for a seamless look
High contrast—like dark furniture against pale walls—creates visual “stops.”
Instead, stay within a soft tonal range of three to four shades. This keeps the eye moving and the space cohesive.
Small room decorating ideas include adding accessories in 3-4 shades of the one color.
Think soft beige and ivory bed and bedding, creamy drapes, and pale walls for a beautifully expanded look.
3. Use mirrors strategically
Mirrors bounce light and instantly double perceived space.
Place one opposite a window or light source to reflect natural light throughout the room.
I also recommend placing a wall mirror in the darkest corner of the room so it can reflect and bounce light throughout the space.
Large, framed wall mirrors above a console work wonders in entryways and bedrooms.
4. Choose furniture that fits the scale
Oversized sectionals and heavy cabinets shrink small rooms.
Opt for pieces with open bases, visible legs, and slim arms.
Another solution is to choose a small apartment sized sofa for a small living room. It will provide comfortable seating and has smaller proportions to fit small spaces.
Another fabulous idea for a tiny living room is to skip the sofa and add 4 accent chairs instead!
This will create a cozy, gorgeous conversation zone.
When selecting furniture finishes choose glass, acrylic, and light-wood finishes to keep the look airy.
For a small bedroom read these Small Bedroom Ideas To Maximize Space & Style.
Designer Tip: Measure twice before you buy! Leave at least 18″–24″ of walking space around furniture.
Bonus Tip: The Layout Secret That Instantly Makes a Room Look Bigger
Pull the furniture off the walls.
Most people push sofas, chairs, and consoles against the perimeter of a room because they think it will “free up space”—but it usually does the opposite.
It actually highlights the room’s small footprint and makes the center feel empty and awkward.
Designers float furniture to create intentional pathways, conversational groupings, and breathing room around each piece, which tricks the eye into reading the layout as more spacious and balanced.
This is a design trick to double visual square footage!
5. Layer your lighting
A single overhead light flattens a room.
Instead, layer lighting with table lamps, and sconces to create depth and highlight corners.
Use warm-white bulbs (2700K–3000K) for a soft, inviting glow.
Using wall sconces instead of floor lamps and table lamps will maximize your floor space for furniture.
6. Hang curtains high and wide
One of my favorite designer secrets: hang drapery as close to the ceiling as possible and extend rods wider than the window frame.
This makes windows look taller and the walls feel higher.
Hang curtains so that when they are pulled back a minimal amount of the curtain is hiding the window frame.
This lets in as much window light as possible, making the space feel bigger!
Designer Tip: Choose curtain fabric in the same color family as your walls for a seamless flow.
7. Add vertical elements
Drawing the eye upward is key to making a room feel larger.
Try vertical shiplap, narrow bookcases, or tall art pieces.
Even adding vertical patterns in wallpaper or decor can make a huge difference.
Adding a tall faux tree will also help draw the eye up!
8. Simplify your palette and materials
One of the most effective small space design tips is to create visual continuity with color, materials.
A small space feels larger when the visual clutter is reduced.
Limit your color palette to two neutrals + one accent, and repeat materials like wood tones or metals for harmony.
When every element relates, the room feels calm and open.
Here’s one of the easiest color tricks for small rooms: stick to a cohesive palette of warm whites, light taupes, and soft beiges to instantly open the space.
9. Choose see-through and reflective surfaces
Glass, acrylic, or metal accents lighten up a room.
A clear coffee table, glass lamp base, or metallic side table adds visual airiness while reflecting light.
Place plenty of light reflecting decor items around your room – especially the darkest corners.
Add framed wall art with frames in reflective metallic finishes such as brass, gold and or silver.
Bonus Tip: Use glossy finishes on small furniture or decor pieces—they subtly bounce light around the room.
10. Style with restraint
Editing is everything in design.
Leave open surfaces, skip bulky decor, and style shelves with negative space.
When there’s visual breathing room, your space instantly feels more elevated and spacious.
Of all of the small space design tips, this is the most impactful!
Clear the clutter and make room for spacious living with shelves, baskets, organizers, and more.
Need Expert Help?
If you’re designing a small room and want professional help choosing colors, furniture layout, or lighting, I’d love to help!
Explore my Virtual Interior Design Services — personalized design delivered straight to your inbox.
From full room design plans to color consultations, I’ll help you create a space that feels bigger, brighter, and beautifully cohesive.
Shop the items below that will make your small room feel larger!
Click on each image below to see more info about the item!
These small space design tips will help you create a room that feels intentionally styled and noticeably larger! Try them today!
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Just want you to know, how much I enjoy reading your website. Your ideas are affordable and interesting. I am interested in the coral prints in the guest bedroom. Wondering where they can be purchased? Looks like they are navy. Is that correct? Thank you for your help.
Thank you soooo much Gail for your lovely compliments!! YOu can find the sources of the coral prints (yes they are navy! I LOVE them!!) and all of my home decor right here: https://www.settingforfour.com/shop/ I hope that helps! Have a beautiful week! xo Heather
I do enjoy reading about your decorating, color coordination, and space-saving ideas and such.
I love the mirror suggestion, we often just think to put a mirror where you need one to see yourself.
Absolutely Robin I agree!! Thanks for visiting and I’m glad you enjoyed my post! xo Heather
Thanks for the great tips…Love LOVE the blue and white room!
Using furniture that doesn’t have a lot of visual weight and clearing the clutter.
I just love all your ideas. They certainly look beautiful, each and everyone.
Thank you Diane for your lovely compliments and have a beautiful weekend!! xo Heather
Thanks for the ideas, Heather. They reminded me of a mirrored tray I have stashed away that I can put to better use. Thanks again!
Oh fabulous Marilyn! Your mirrored tray will be perfect for reflecting light! It sounds beautiful! xo Heather
Glad I found you. Will be trying ideals for small living room.
I’m so thrilled you found me too Vera!! Have fun decorating your living room!
xo Heather
Hi! I really love the built in on the wall across from the sofa in the first photo. Do you have any tips on where to get this or how to make this?
It’s lovely isn’t it? No I don’t know where to get it but I suggest you ask a carpenter or contractor in your area that does built-ins if they can build one for you!