So, your teeny-tiny apartment is starting to feel like a jail cell and there isn’t any room to spare. Not everything can be blamed on an awkward layout and lack of square footage; you’ve also got paint to blame for making the rooms seem smaller than they actually are. When dealing with small spaces, it’s important that we do everything we can to make them look bigger. Sure, a few strategic furniture placement and a few mirrors on the wall will help, but it won’t work wonders.
Here’s what you should do:
There are many other suggestions that involve painting your walls white or using lighter colors, but if you’re afraid that might make your room too bright and make it seem like a hotel, you can always use one of the following ideas:
1. Create an optical illusion on any wall by painting half of it in dark color and leaving the other half white (or paint the lower half white and upper half black if you prefer), but switch it up every four or so years so your room doesn’t seem like it’s fading.
2. Paint stripes on the wall, but make sure you use more of the first color rather than the second one so it doesn’t look too busy. To make your striped walls appear even bigger, paint them white on top and dark on the bottom (or vice versa).
3. If you prefer stripes with a dark color on top, apply some masking tape around the center of your wall and paint just that part. After you’re done, take off the tape to see the lines it created on your wall.
4. Paint any of your walls black (or if that’s too harsh for you, use a very dark gray or navy blue), and make sure you add some white trim or molding on top of it to give your room an illusion of height.
5. To play with angles and edges, paint each wall a different color and try not to use the same tone of one color. Avoid using too bright colors that might absorb more light than usual, so pick something dark and muted.
6. Apply long, vertical stripes (about two inches wide) on the wall that you want to look taller and more elongated, but be careful not to make them too bold as they might make your room seem even smaller; you can always use a thinner brush for this job.
7. Cover one or more walls in wallpaper that features a very subtle pattern or something that seems impossible, like stripes running in different directions.
8. If you want to cheat the system, cover your wall with mirrors so it reflects whatever is behind it and gives the illusion of more depth inside your room.
If you need some help, the Ethereal Painters team can help you, just contact us for your free estimate at 604-788-3382 or fill out our estimate form on our website.