Of course, it is impossible to increase the physical size of a small room without redevelopment, but there are still many ways to visually expand its space.
Visual techniques are one of the main tools of designers, which allows you to modernize housing according to the needs of the customer. Here are some of them:
- You can visually do more by using light pastel colors in the interior. Cool tones will also help.
- The apartment will appear larger if the walls, floors and ceilings are painted in similar light shades.
- Both furniture and curtains should match the colors of the interior. Single-layer, light, translucent curtains that freely transmit light will visually expand the space.
- Hidden lighting with natural light will help create a feeling of enlargement.
- Use mirrors on the walls; if you want to visually raise the ceiling, then hang one of them horizontally along the wall.
- Choose light furniture, creating a feeling of free space.
- Place it in the corners or around the perimeter to free up the central part.
- Direct your attention to a specific object, placing it in the far corner. This creates a feeling of spaciousness.
- Remove unnecessary items. Use narrow shelving and vertical cabinets.
- Replace the doors with a folding screen, and 2 small rooms will be combined into one large one.
What methods do you know?
When starting a renovation, we want to not only update the interior of the house, but also adapt the space to suit ourselves, so that small rooms seem larger, brighter, and the ceilings are higher.
For large rooms, the opposite task is how to make the room not look like a ballet hall.
Everyone wants to have large apartment, and it has cozy and spacious rooms, but this is not accessible or possible for everyone. To expand the space, you can break the partitions, but why bother? big renovation When you visually expand the area of a small room, some simple design solutions will help.
To the question of how to visually increase space in a small room, the answer is simple, use available tricks to deceive the eye (optical illusions). Such visualization methods are effective and very important in design; they are often used by architects, interior designers and fashion designers.
Visually enlarging a room, even a very cramped one, can be achieved by combining such techniques as play of light, harmonics of color and its shades, correct selection wallpaper, increasing reflective mirrors in the room, using frescoes and photo wallpaper. This should include the correct layout and selection of furniture, interior items, the location of cornices and correctly selected tulles, curtains and curtains, as well as the use of textiles in the room, creating an atmosphere of freshness, softness and lightness.
First, let's remember the basic principles that guide designers:
- Light colors increase space dark colors reduce space
- Every time you draw a line, it breaks the space apart
- Every time you use a contrasting spot, it makes the space appear smaller.
- Any large object in small space reduces it even more
- The fewer objects in the room, the larger it looks
As is known, the most The best way to expand a room is to connect it to an adjacent room by knocking out partitions. But this decision is not easy for everyone: the volumes are scary construction work, problems with legalization, and sometimes there is nothing to connect the existing premises to. What to do then? In this case, you need to think about how to visually enlarge the room and what techniques to use to make it visually appear larger and lighter. It is these secrets that we will reveal to you today on the “Dream House” website.
Expanding the space: room colors and geometric patterns
Probably, everyone knows from school that a light color makes an object visually larger, while dark objects visually decrease in volume. We definitely apply this postulate in the design of a small room, covering it with light wallpaper and arranging it not too much. dark furniture. By the way, if you think that light walls And light furniture merges into a single spot, then you are mistaken. They combine perfectly with each other, the main thing is to choose furniture that is several tones darker or a different shade than the same walls.
If we talk about the preferred color scheme, it is better to choose pastel neutral shades and cool colors that expand the space. But you should completely avoid contrasting, flashy colors; they not only attract attention to themselves, but also emphasize the small dimensions of the room.
Professional designers use an interesting technique to visually enlarge the space. To do this, they cover one wall with wallpaper with a contrasting geometric pattern, while the other three remain in neutral colors. At the same time, the effect of optical illusion is activated, we move our gaze from one wall to another and to subconscious level we perceive the room as wider than it actually is.
Continuing the theme of drawings, it should be recalled that it is inappropriate to use large contrasting patterns on wallpaper, for example, dark blue flowers on beige wallpaper. It is extremely unpleasant to be in such a room; it not only looks even smaller than its size, but also puts pressure on a person; it is difficult to breathe in such a room. You also need to be careful with small designs. If it is miniature and often repeated, then after a while it begins to dazzle the eyes.
If you don’t know how to visually increase the height of the ceiling, then wallpaper with a vertical stripe or wallpaper with a small ornament located vertically will come to the rescue. They will visually stretch the room up, and the ceiling will seem higher. By the way, if your apartment has low ceilings, then do not use a contrasting border underneath (it will visually reduce the height of the walls), it is better to stick and paint them white.
How to visually increase the height of the ceiling
What furniture to use to visually enlarge the room
Logic dictates the use of multifunctional furniture in small spaces - furniture that takes up minimal space when folded. Among such furniture one can highlight a sofa bed, a chair bed, all kinds of tables, etc. They all save valuable square meters, while delivering a minimum of discomfort to household members.
If we talk about dimensions, then there is no need to choose bulky sofas, cabinets and tables. It is better to give preference to neat models made from light and weightless materials, such as rattan and glass. But even a classic sofa will fit well into a small room if you choose the right size. Use your imagination and calculate different variants, the main thing is to maintain the proportions of the room and furniture.
Upholstered furniture should not be too “lush” or voluminous. It is better to adhere to its strict forms.
Using mirrors and glass in the interior of a small room
This one is known to everyone design technique Even our grandmothers used mirrors. It is clear that a large mirror placed on the wall reflects the decor of the room and, therefore, doubles it. If you don’t know how to visually enlarge a small room, then hang it on one of the walls. Moreover, in the case of a rectangular room, placing a mirror on a long wall will visually turn the rectangle into a square.
If we are talking about rooms such as a bathroom and a bathroom, then it is more advisable to replace the mirror with mirrored or simply glossy panels. Not only are they not afraid of moisture, but they are also quite easy to care for. Can the ceiling be sewn up? mirror tiles or panels, so it will seem even higher. Just don’t use mirror panels to decorate the entire room, otherwise you won’t be able to avoid the feeling of enclosure. Better than walls sheathe with glossy ones, and the ceiling with mirrored ones.
It can be done with lighting, which imitates the presence of the present and seems to flood the room daylight- this is how the bathroom space visually becomes larger.
Along with a mirror, the idea of glass is also very successfully used in small rooms. At the same time it is placed, the facades are decorated glass elements or, doors with glass inserts, as well as transparent lamps and small ones. All these interior elements are designed to make it lighter, airier and weightless, not to clutter up a small room with furniture, but, on the contrary, to unload it.
Don't ignore modern technologies ceiling finishes - we are talking about glossy ones with good reflectivity. Such ceilings will visually expand the space, make it larger, the main thing is to choose light shades and a glossy surface. And for those who are not afraid of bold ideas, we can advise you to stretch a mirrored ceiling, which reflects the entire room, visually expanding its boundaries.
Other designer tricks to increase space
Designers strongly recommend that all owners of small apartments decorate it in a minimalist style, getting rid of unnecessary trash and trinkets arranged on shelves. Laconicism in decoration and furniture, a single color scheme with several accents - this is what you need for small rooms. All kinds of figurines, candlesticks, photographs in frames, small paintings distract attention and cause a feeling of clutter. On the contrary, instead of several small paintings, hang one medium-sized one, and open shelves free from unnecessary decor.
Here's another tip from the pros: make the room as bright as possible. To do this, you need to remove dark and thick curtains, you may even have to free the window sill from large curtains. The room should receive as much natural light as possible.
A good idea is to stick it on one of the walls. Don't know what wallpaper will make a room appear larger? The unequivocal answer is with an image of a landscape in perspective, for example, the horizon of a field or sea, mountain peaks or forest edge, a view of a city at night. Also among the latest innovations on the construction market are photo wallpapers with a three-dimensional three-dimensional pattern that create a spatial effect.
And finally, a few more tips on how to visually enlarge a room. Builders recommend making the floor in such a room light, not dark. And if you are going to use it as flooring or, then it is better to visually increase the area of the room and hide the incorrect geometry of the walls.
Architects Andrey Stube, Nadezhda Kablukova Photo: Sergey Ananyev
A small apartment is a reason to contact original techniques. As practice shows, it is in small apartments that it is possible to create an interior with a recognizable face. Every little detail is of decisive importance, starting with the placement of the boundaries of the premises and ending with the dimensions of furnishings and decor. You just need to use your “reserves” and select optimal solutions.
Method 1. Think carefully about zoning
There is no need to turn a small apartment into a studio, deprived internal partitions: problems will arise with the placement of the necessary furniture, the modest size of the room will become noticeable, and the feeling of security and comfort will disappear.
If possible, it is better to arrange a separate bedroom or place it in an alcove; the hallway should be partially separated from the reception area to make it easier to maintain cleanliness and provide psychological comfort. Mobile systems (sliding doors or curtains, screens, screens) are also suitable for this purpose: they allow you to add variety, change the proportions and atmosphere in the room.
Architect Olga Simagina. Photo: Vitaly Ivanov
The function of separating adjacent zones can be performed by furniture: a bar counter, replacing regular table, high back of the sofa, chest of drawers - this technique helps create a feeling of lightness and spaciousness. Good option in a studio layout - a free-standing compact partition (up to the ceiling or not very high), which separates the kitchen-dining room and living room, adjacent to one wall or with a circular path.
Method 2. Give preference to white and light shades
Architect Evgenia Verevkina. Photo: Olga Rikli
White walls visually expand the interior, and in combination with a white ceiling, they raise the upper plane. Black and dark gray create the effect of depth, but these colors require a flawless arrangement of other details. Avoid large patterns and bright contrasts, choose small, soft patterns; remember, that horizontal lines“expand” the interior, vertical ones “stretch” it in height.
Designer Natalya Lebedeva. Photo: Zinon Razutdinov
Glossy colors also contribute to “increasing” the scale. stretch ceiling. Photo wallpaper on one wall or in a partition with an image of a deep street or landscape turns into something like a huge window and “pushes back” the boundary of the room.
Method 3. Use mirrors and reflective surfaces
Architect Yulia Chernyaeva. Photo: Alexander Kamachkin
The more air and light there is in the apartment, the more spacious it looks. Glare and reflective surfaces help create a similar impression: glossy light (less often dark) cabinet fronts, glass mosaics, glass panels, transparent or matte glossy partitions, countertops and display cabinets.
Designer Svetlana Yurkova. Photo: Sergey Kuznetsov
A mirror can “double” the volume of a room, the main thing is to choose one for it appropriate place(preferably opposite a window or passage in next room). The whole panel can be replaced with mirror panel, composed of fragments with a facet made on them.
Method 4. Don’t buy ready-made furniture
Architect Yulia Levina. Photo: Sergey Kuznetsov
In small apartments, even a couple of centimeters can be of fundamental importance, therefore, when it is not possible to find a piece of furniture of the required dimensions, it is worth making it to order. So, by slightly reducing the length of the sofa, chest of drawers or bar counter, the width of the bed, or the depth of the closet, you can achieve a balance between beauty and functionality. In this case, it becomes possible to perfectly match the furniture to the overall style.
Furniture built flush into pre-existing or specially built niches helps create a seamless, comfortable space. It is very important that cabinets or other elements of the composition fit exactly into them in depth - even facades protruding slightly beyond the wall line look sloppy and interfere with movement. In pursuit of storage reserves, it is important not to overdo it: you should not occupy all the walls with shelves or cabinets; in racks, closed sections should be alternated with open ones. The bedroom and hallway should not be overloaded with furniture, but work area and the kitchen, on the contrary, can be “densified” - the main thing is that the rooms are comfortable to move around.
Method 5. Do not cover the windows with “powerful” curtains
Designer Zhanna Studentsova. Photo: Svetlana Ignatenko
Curtains optically reduce the depth of the interior; besides, the more textile “decorations” on the window, the smaller the room appears. If the window opens beautiful view, you can do without curtains or provide roller blind according to the size of the opening to visually increase the space.
If the landscape is not pleasing or there is too much sunlight, use light translucent roller blinds, Roman blinds with a sparse pattern, horizontal blinds by size window opening. An asymmetrical curtain looks good (on one side of the window opening).
On can be equipped workplace, under it - storage space (providing holes for circulation warm air from the heating radiator).
Method 6: Make the most of your space
Architects Mark Safronov, Natalia Sirbu. Photo: Ilya Ivanov, Yuri Afanasyev
Each apartment, as a rule, has hidden reserves of free space that make it possible to successfully solve storage problems - primarily under the ceiling and on the floor line. So, instead of cabinets and bedside tables with legs, it is better to choose floor models, purchase folding sofas with drawers for bed linen.
It will also come in handy - built-in or combined with separately standing wardrobe. Wall-mounted kitchen modules should be “duplicated” with a second row of cabinets up to the ceiling and rarely used items (and not necessarily intended for use in the kitchen) should be placed there.
Architects Andrey Stube, Nadezhda Kablukova. Photo: Sergey Ananyev
A small hallway will be visually relieved by something attached to the top of the walls. Sports Equipment(skateboard, bicycle). Open shelves near the ceiling are suitable for books; you can also place cardboard or plastic boxes with various little things. And so that the room does not seem cramped, select furniture that will look like a continuation of the walls, without contrasting with them in color and finish.
Method 7. Do not block the corridor and windows
Designer Artemy Saranin. Photo: Artemy Saranin
Think about the trajectories of movement around the apartment in advance: in a small apartment, nothing is more annoying and creates a feeling of cramped space than protruding corners and too narrow passages (the minimum width of the corridor or hallway is 80 cm). The opening between the hallway and the reception area (living room and separate kitchen) should not be occupied door leaf: A long open perspective with alternating different plans deepens the space.
Do not block the window areas with massive furniture, free up space between the window and the door: even small rooms will seem spacious, since the view from the window or even the light opening covered with a transparent curtain is perceived as a continuation of the interior. Good insolation also contributes visual increase rooms.
Method 8: Identify bottlenecks first, then buy doors
Architect Alexandra Ostankova. Photo: Andrey Kocheshkov
Before you choose the type and design interior doors And furniture facades, it is necessary to identify bottlenecks - sliding models, rather than swing ones, are best suited for them. The latter are also optimal in cases where several doors are adjacent to a small area. In order not to emphasize the modest scale of the premises, select doors and their frames to match the color of the walls. Doors can be complemented with discreet decor.
If you are the owner small apartment, you are faced with the question of how to make it more spacious and comfortable. This article will help you understand how to visually expand a room and make it unique. Decide what you want your room to look like. Create stylish interior 2017, based on fashion trends.
Colors that expand space
Choose a color for the walls. If you are a bright girl, a sunny bright color or creamy white will suit you. If you are confident, then light green or Blue colour. If you are a creative person, then pink or purple. Think about the big picture of your room. Don’t forget, the colors that expand the space are beige, cream, and pudding shades.
Think about your interests. Some examples are: music, art, movies, animals, etc. Write that list. This will be useful for choosing the design of your room. How to visually expand narrow room– stop at light colors!
Start by moving the furniture. Find good new positions and make sure all your favorite furniture will fit. Move only empty tables and drawers, and temporarily place things on the bed. Donate or throw away any unnecessary items to clear out space and free up drawers.
Color scheme to expand the room
Who wouldn't want to big house with spacious rooms? But often a person cannot afford such a pleasure as buying a large living space, so he has to huddle in small rooms.
But if you look at the situation from a different angle, then you can understand that in fact not everything is so bad, and a small room has its advantages. Firstly, they are easier to clean, secondly, they are cheaper in terms of heating, and thirdly, if you approach the design of the room correctly, then you can create a truly cozy and visually large room.
To create a visual space, you can use a simple “optical illusion”, the possibilities of optical illusions. In order to recreate visual space you will need:
- Wallpaper in light, cold or pastel colors.
Photo wallpaper.
Mirrors and lamps.
Curtains and furniture.
What wallpaper expands the room
For a small room, you should give preference to light colors; it is also strongly recommended to “play” with contrasts. For example, if the room is longer and narrower, this option would be perfect for making long walls in light colors to distance them from each other and visually expand the space.
And the smaller ones, on the contrary, should be darkened to bring them closer to each other. Or make a contrast - stick wallpaper with small patterns on one wall, and large ones on the opposite wall. A small pattern on the wallpaper makes the room visually larger.
What wallpaper expands a room with low ceilings? You can wallpaper it with vertical lines. This technique will visually make the ceiling higher. Or paint the ceiling a couple of shades lighter. If you paint the entire room in monochromatic light colors, it will create a unique, airy atmosphere.
Photo wallpaper
Photo wallpapers with a view of a receding forest path, the sea with small boats in the distance, a mountain landscape, etc. will fit perfectly into the interior of a small room. In general, everything that depicts perspective.
Another chic solution would be to choose photo wallpaper with an enlarged image of something, for example, a shell, some plant, a bird, and so on. The main thing is that the photo wallpaper should be pasted on a wall that is not filled with furniture, especially high furniture, because this will spoil the whole effect.
Furniture
It is advisable to install furniture that is multifunctional, light, and uses colors to expand the space. An excellent choice would be folding sofa, in which you can fold your bedding for the day and pack it up so it doesn’t take up space. Shelves on the walls can be painted to match the walls themselves. It is strongly recommended, if possible, to collect things in a closet so that they do not clutter the room.
Curtains
How to visually expand a narrow room? Curtains, just like wallpaper, should be chosen light, with small patterns. An excellent option would be to choose longer curtains that lie slightly on the floor. This length will visually make the room taller. You cannot use huge curtains, large and heavy curtains, a huge number of ruffles and bows, because... they create the visual feeling of a small space.
Cleaning.
It may seem boring, but it can actually be a fun activity if you imagine what your room will look like later. Remove dust, dirt, cobwebs... Do everything you can.
Put all your books on bookshelves. How about a stuffed animal on a nearby shelf or on the bed? Organize the room as you wish.
In other words, do everything to make your room cozy. The answer to the question of how to visually expand a room has come, and now we wish you only success!
