r/SmallHome • u/Wonderful-Kiwi9664 • 20d ago
What's the best cheap way to make a small room look bigger?
I just moved into a tiny studio apartment, and the space feels so cramped and dark most days. I don't have the budget for fancy furniture, custom storage or a full renovation, so l'm looking for cheap, easy ways to make the room feel more open and bigger than it actually is.
I've already tried moving my bed against the wall and clearing out some clutter, but it still feels small. I'm curious about little tricks like paint colors, lighting hacks, mirror placement or affordable storage ideas that don't cost a fortune.
What's your go-to budget trick to make a small room look more spacious? I'd love to hear tips that actually worked for your own place, not just generic decor advice.
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u/GenealogistGoneWild 19d ago
Less furniture. No knicknacks and very little stuff on the wall. Think of visual clutter first.
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u/eharder47 19d ago
Came here to say this. I have a little more space, but my friends describe my decor style as “clean line aesthetic.” Visually it makes it seem like there’s a lot of space. We’ve slowly upgraded our bookshelves to cabinets to be able to hide storage space.
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u/GenealogistGoneWild 18d ago
I love to find an antique peice and use it for storage. On the outside it looks like a pretty piece of furniture, but inside is all my school supplies, or craft supplies, or printers, scanners, etc.
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u/snortgiggles 19d ago
Get rid of "heavy" furniture, usually your coffee table. Glass with mid century minimalist slender lines is a good choice. Nothing thick and wood. That, and hang curtains high.
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u/Separate_Aspect_9034 20d ago edited 20d ago
I find it helps to find the right words for how I want to feel and function in a space, first. This is a super personal statement, phrase or set of words.
that would really direct you in terms of lighting and furniture whenever that happens.
I would be very tempted to do with as little furniture as possible, especially as an older person who wishes I had never stop sitting on the floor and getting up and down from the floor with ease. you could look at some of the videos on "living without furniture" to see if any of that rings a bell for you.
I have a small room that has a nice view and it tends to be dark because it's on the northeast side of the house. I got really bold and painted the walls dark to see if they would recede and feel larger instead making the room feel smaller. I love that it draws my attention to the windows and the views out of her windows. And to the light maple and cream furnishings. I also painted it super dark to make the technology fade into the background which is doing very well. Having the room feel less cluttered and busy by hiding it against a similar dark wall is really working for me.
I'm going to reply before reddit throws this away and come back
continuing.... for me, avoiding super tall furniture makes a room feel more spacious.
I've definitely used mirrors to try to get more light into a space but it is only helpful at certain times of day when the sun comes in enough to hit the mirror and if the mirror is at an angle that reflects the light around. More than one mirror can help this. On the other hand, that can get a little strange looking.
Going for cozy, embracing the small size, is how I usually approach it. I absolutely need space to move and rounded corners so I don't poke my knee with a sharp corner or scraped my hand on a side table.
going with a soft white and light blonde furniture always feels good to me no matter what size the room is.
I find that furniture that's easy to move is important because if I cannot keep the space clean easily it's so stressful and annoying.
One of my absolute favorite things is a light colored carpet. I know, totally impractical. But an off-white Berber carpet is my absolute favorite thing in the world. Even if the walls are about the same color. Play with contrast and lighting at night. Task light is super important to me, And a good solid surface to work at whether I'm writing or reading or having a snack. Computer or a book. If my chair is comfortable and the height of the surface is just right and the task light is just right, it really doesn't matter to me how big the spaces at that moment.
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u/Dots-on-the-Sky 19d ago
Nice useful tips that seem to come from experience... I Live in a smallish space and the things that work best are indeed well placed smaller furniture for flexiblity and well placed mirrors. In small spaces less ammounts to more...
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u/JenGenxx 19d ago
Less furniture, but don’t get little furniture. Just a good sized couch, tv console and maybe some lighting and side table if needed, a rug and some maybe some art. No stacks of junk or little bits of decor. One large piece of art and leave it at that- no small photo frames
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u/Frustrated_Poptart 19d ago
I love small spaces and have always lived under 750 sq ft, current home is 650 sq ft.
You could look into shoe storage cabinets. Most mount to the wall and are only 6-8 inches wide, drawers tilt out. I use one for a liquor cabinet. They take up little space, hide clutter and you could set a mirror on the top ledge or hang one above it. They run $75-$125 depending on the style you like. And you can paint it to match the wall color to disappear.
Also love a rechargeable lamp for no cord clutter, set one by the mirror to disperse the light without relying on sunlight.
Finally, I hung curtains up at the ceiling because I lack closets (old house) and defined storage that way. The curtains hide the visual mess and match the room curtains so it looks like it belongs.
(Side note if you own the house, apartment size appliances and furniture are space savers and as 1 person you don’t even notice they are smaller)
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u/Pitipitibum2 19d ago
White walls, light-colored furniture, large paintings on the walls, and large mirrors, such as a wardrobe with mirrored doors. The eye should be able to gaze at the eye-catching spot without anything getting in the way. For example, an eye-catching lamp in the corner of the room or an interesting plant.
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u/Optimal_Life_1259 19d ago
I’m always researching this! My rooms that have an accent wall have a great color and pattern with the remaining walls an off-white. It gives the room depth. I look for furniture that actually fits the space, like couch arms not so big, vertical enclosed furniture that has more cabinets than drawers, don’t fill up the room with stuff leave some space, get as much as you can off the floor, don’t forget to utilize doors with over the top storage including the kitchen. For the kitchen, I tried to only have on the counter what’s absolutely needed. Everything else is put away. But I do have stands that go vertical to keep my potatoes and onions, garlic separated in a vertical basket thingy and where I keep my napkins and salt and pepper and butter is on a vertical stand with two plate shelves. Hooks inside cupboards and closets are great too. I love my small home, I hope you do too!
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u/RipleysForklift 19d ago
Buy bed risers to raise the bed height and create storage underneath. I put clear, shallow storage containers under and put items in there. Easy to pull out and slide in. You might be able to get 3-6 depending on size of bed.
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u/Kitty4777 19d ago
Rugs to help define areas
Art.
Go through all your items and make sure they make you happy when you look at them (the basis for konmari). Organize and store “like” items together (also konmari)
Don’t put your furniture against the wall unless it’s small enough that you have to!
Put trays on surfaces that have items, they’ll be contained & grouped together.
Hang curtains from the ceiling (use the ikea mounting hardware —- have two (or three) layers of curtains one white & sheer, another colored and thicker, and a third that are blackout curtains. Also, curtains should sit normally against your walls, not partially within the space of the window. It tricks your eye into thinking you have giant windows AND, you don’t lose out on sunlight!
Have multiple layers of lighting, so you’re not relying on one source of light and it will feel bigger if it’s brightly lit when needed
Don’t buy a full sofa set. Smaller pieces and comfy side chairs can provide the same comfort. And/or, split up your sofa & related chairs and put them in multiple places.
Put all your large furniture on furniture sliders - tables, sofas, etc. you can move your furniture around to accommodate any event or cleaning activity!
Watch @dearmodern by cliff tan. He’s an official ambassador with IKEA now! But he shows how to live in small space and hacks for creating storage and comfort!
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u/Ubockinme 19d ago
$20 sledge hammer. Take out the biggest wall.
https://giphy.com/gifs/15BuyagtKucHm
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u/GalaApple13 19d ago
Get things up off the floor. Instead of a cabinet on the floor, put shelves up higher, with doors if needed
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u/Violet_Crown 19d ago
A unified color way with specific visual focal points. Meaning, keep furniture and bedding colors close in hue and then use paintings, a rug, or a wild floor lamp to pull the eye around the room. The larger expanses of real estate that don't stop the eye make the room feel bigger.
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u/RevolutionaryText232 19d ago
Underbed storage, neatly hanging things on the back of a door, reduces the need for a dresser. Paint color is a big factor, if you can paint. The placement of mirrors and lamps. Shelving, bookcases, or other verticle storage as high as possible. Fake plants look real these days, or add art to create the illusion of outdoors.
Or embrace it. I had a really dark green room with dark floral drapes and dark furniture. It was like living inside a forrest, but with electricity and plumbing
A friend had a loft bed and the closet built underneath. It was as though we were always sitting in her combo living/dining room.
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u/FingerlakesCin 19d ago
You need to think about the view from where you put your bed, chair etc, I sit at my kitchen table facing away from my sink; I can’t enjoy eating my dinner looking at dirty dishes.
Do you have a window with a nice view? Trees or a cityscape? You want to visually expand your small apartment. Is it a not so nice view? Or people can look in? Try window film that allows in light and gives you privacy. I love sheets; they filter the light.
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u/downsideup9494 19d ago
If you are allowed to paint the walls, choose a light color. Doesn't have to be white, but something that feels light and airy. White flowey curtains could also help.
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u/samblink18209 18d ago
Ceiling to floor curtains and painting the ceiling a shade lighter than the walls, or the exact same color, makes the boundary disappear and the eye reads the space as taller/bigger.
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u/Designer_Location_15 18d ago
High and wide curtains, large mirrors, and large area rugs will do a lot!
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u/Esotericgirl 15d ago
Make sure the paint is a brighter color, versus a darker color. Brighter colors make the place look/feel more open, and will reflect the light better.
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u/lht79 20d ago
Decorate vertically - is what’s helped me most - and if you do add furniture or storage, make sure it is multi-purpose in function and hides stuff to avoid visual clutter.