How to Make a Small Living Space Feel Larger

Most people who buy Murphy Beds do so because they want to save space in their home. While there is no single magic trick to make a small living space feel larger, there are several strategies that will help.

The first element of the strategy is to focus on making most of the available space while leaving enough room to move around. The second objective of the strategy would be to create a sense of openness--predominantly using aesthetics--to give the illusion of spaciousness. While your space itself is fixed, it can look and feel larger with some smart maneuvers.

The first priority is to buy essentials that are perfect for a small living space. For instance, you should not go for multiple chairs or couches in a small living room. Simply stick with one large couch that makes the most of the available length and width of the room. You should also avoid cluttering the room with too many small fixtures. The already cramped space will look disorderly and cramped.

So aim to include one large sofa or couch with its legs exposed, which is a ‘lighter’ look than one with skirting covering the legs. Built-in cabinets and shelves are a fantastic way to make the most of the space on your walls. Stay away from heavy drapes or dark colored curtains because they can turn even a well-arranged room into a cave. You want to think ‘light and airy’ when choosing furnishings and fabrics in order to achieve a spacious feel.

Start thinking vertical. You have to make as much use of the walls and the ceiling as you can, since your floor space is limited. Use shelves and cabinets all the way up to the ceiling. Use custom made bookshelves that can draw the attention towards the ceiling or up on the walls so one is distracted and would not really gauge the limitation of space at the floor or even eye level.

You may want to consider painting the ceiling a darker shade than the walls. Despite what you’ve heard about dark colors making rooms feel smaller, when used on the ceiling, darker colors tend to draw the eye upward. This will help create a sense of spaciousness and it will also act as a distraction.

Make use of hanging mirrors where appropriate because by reflecting the light in the room, they will make your small living space look and feel larger.

You must have the right kind of lighting in a small living space. Do not have lights that will beam all its rays down onto the floor. Use lights that will focus on art or fixtures on the walls or ceiling. Bounce light off some parts of the room. You can go for small pendants, recessed lights and accent lights, as long as none of them put the floor space under spotlight.

Buy a Murphy Bed with storage. We may be biased, but one way to tick a few of these boxes in a small bedroom is to simply install a Murphy Bed system with built-in storage. As you probably know, Murphy Beds are easy to pull down, are available in either horizontal or vertical arrangements, and make saving space a whole lot easier than downsizing the rest of your furniture.