Who doesn’t wish they could expand the square meterage of their living room, master bedroom or home office? Although this isn’t always possible, especially in small spaces, paint can be strategically used to give the illusion of expansion.
Depending on the use of colour and technique, ceilings can appear higher, and walls can trick the eye into believing they recede further into a larger space. Our professional decorators at Scott Anson Painters and Decorators Ltd have years of experience that can turn a stuffy small room into a seemingly more spacious sanctuary.
Play with Lighting and Reflections
Enhancing the natural light in a room can be key to making a small room look bigger. A variety of artificial lights used in strategic locations around the room can work more effectively than a single overhead source. Light up dark corners with a lamp, and use a pendant light to help draw the eye and emphasise vertical spaces.
The type of paint can be crucial. Using a semi-gloss paint, such as a satin or eggshell finish, can help to reflect the light in the room and make it seem larger.
Optical Illusions
Using paint to create optical illusions (also known as a ‘trompe l’oeil’) can really open up a space.
Ceiling Colour: Turning the ceiling into a focal point by using a statement bold or bright colour can visually raise the height of a room. When applying paint to the walls, another trick is to leave a gap of around 10 cm below the ceiling, which can be painted white or the same colour as the ceiling. This gives the illusion of stretching the ceiling.
Painted Floorboards: The ‘in-built’ stripe of floorboards draws the eye along the length of the room. Using a mid-sheen floor paint can elongate a room while reflecting light.
Vertical Stripes: Using striped wallpaper or painting stripes directly onto the wall can emphasise the vertical points of a room. This can give the illusion that the walls are higher.
Colours to Use and Avoid
According to Dulux, the most obvious colours to use are pale neutrals that encourage the illusion of space. However, painting a room in darker shades can create the perception of depth.
Although white can seem boring, it is the go-to colour for reflecting light and making a room seem brighter. Calming shades of light blue can also give an airy and open feel to a room.
It’s often best to avoid colour drenching – when the walls and ceilings and features are painted in the same colour – as this can visually enclose a room.