Maximize Your Space: 19 Tips to Make a Small Room Feel Bigger

Small rooms are cozy and efficient but can often feel crowded. My kids’ bedrooms are small, and through trial and error, I’ve found that the wrong decor, furniture, and even paint color can make their small spaces feel even tighter. Tackling the unique organization and storage challenges in a small space is a big challenge. Fortunately, many clever hacks and visual tricks can make any small room look larger.

Check out these small room ideas, along with expert input from two interior designers who share their secret formulas for creating beautiful and organized small rooms.

Choose a Light Color Scheme

While paint colors are a matter of personal preference, dark colors are often best avoided in small rooms. Lighter color palettes create the illusion of a larger space and make the room feel airy, as seen in this kitchen from @jogalbraithathome. Using dark colors in smaller rooms can lead to a suffocating feeling, as if the walls are closing in on an already limited space.

What We Like About It: “Lighter tones are a go-to for small rooms because they reflect light. I always suggest warm, soft neutrals like off-white, pale taupe, or muted sage instead of stark white, which can feel too sterile for a home,” says interior designer Bree Steele.

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Leggy Furniture

Choosing furniture with visible legs can open up a small space. Large pieces that rest directly on the floor can appear too bulky and visually weigh down the room. In contrast, leggy furniture allows the floor to breathe, creating the illusion of more light and space.

What We Like About It: “Raised furniture leaves more of the floor visible, tricking the eye into perceiving more space,” says Steele.

Sheer Window Treatments

Avoid heavy, bulky, and ornate window treatments. While they may look pretty, they often block too much natural light. Use the windows in a small room to illuminate every corner. Consider slatted window blinds, sheer curtains, or bamboo shades.

What We Like About It: Slatted blinds provide privacy when closed, and bamboo shades offer semi-privacy while still allowing sunlight to filter through the woven material.

Use Mirrors

Mirrors work wonders in small rooms. They are perfect for making a room appear larger. Mirrors serve two important purposes: first, they visually double the room size due to the reflection (especially with a large floor mirror like the one here from @life_at_number52). Second, they reflect natural light, making the room brighter and airier.

What We Like About It: “I often place a large mirror across from a window to reflect natural light,” says Steele. “For a two-in-one approach, you can use mirrored furniture in your space.”

Color-Coordinate Shelves

Display accessories with similar colors on wall shelves or bookshelves. This keeps a small room looking organized and tidy rather than cluttered. You can also use baskets and bins on your shelving to hide away unattractive items while keeping essentials within easy reach.

What We Like About It: Small rooms don’t have to be plain! You can still use your favorite decor and accessories, but keeping things organized by color will help make a small room look bigger.

Add Stripes

I love a good stripy moment, and this beauty from @graceful_designs_diy is a perfect example. Vertical stripes on the walls or furniture draw the eye up and create the illusion of more space. Consider using striped wallpaper, painting stripes on the wall, or floor-to-ceiling striped window treatments.

What We Like About It: “Find a way to incorporate striped wallpaper on the walls,” says interior designer Ashley Powell. “Take it even further and line those walls with grosgrain tape trim studded with nail heads.”

Incorporate Multifunctional Furniture

Don’t overload a small room with too much furniture. Instead, use pieces that serve dual purposes—this way, the room remains functional but isn’t overcrowded. Try a sofa with hidden storage, a steamer trunk used as a coffee table, or, like in this bedroom from @lifeat_rosecottage, a makeup vanity that doubles as a nightstand.

What We Like About It: “Compact designs that serve multiple purposes leave more open space for the eye to wander,” says Steele. “Modular and nesting pieces are also great as they offer flexibility without cluttering the space.”

Tall Storage Furniture

While short bookshelves or other small storage pieces might seem like the best choice for a small room, the opposite can be true. Tall furniture creates the illusion of a larger room and gives you more space for storage and decor. Don’t be afraid to include a bookshelf that reaches all the way to the ceiling!

What We Like About It: “Tall secretaries and etageres keep the eye traveling upward in small spaces,” says Powell. “Especially when you load the tops with art and cool objects.”

Ditch the Clutter

To make a small room look bigger, start by decluttering. Too much clutter overpowers the square footage and makes the room look small and cramped. This doesn’t mean you need to be a minimalist, but try to reduce visual clutter and keep only meaningful or useful items on display.

What We Like About It: Decluttering is powerful! It not only makes small rooms look bigger but also improves your mood and frees up precious mental space.

Light-Colored Flooring

Light-colored flooring can make a space feel larger. Light wood, in particular, reflects light around the room and creates a sense of openness. If you can’t replace dark wood floors or carpets, use light-toned rugs to cover as much of the area as possible.

What We Like About It: In a small space with an open floor plan, continuous light flooring will trick the eye into perceiving endless space. Changes in the flooring chop up the rooms and make everything feel smaller.

Monochromatic Color

“A monochromatic color scheme—where the walls, trim, and ceilings are all painted the same shade—is a good trick to expand the room as it creates a seamless look with no hard lines for the eye to get stuck on,” says Steele. Light colors are safest for small spaces, so try drenching the room in warm taupe or sage green. However, a monochromatic moody color can also work, as seen in this space by @meganpisanodesign.

What We Like About It: When the walls and ceiling are the same color, your eyes can’t distinguish where the wall stops and the ceiling begins, making the space feel endless.

Built-In Storage Cabinet

Sometimes, the only thing lacking in a small bathroom is storage space. When there’s no extra floor space, consider a built-in cabinet that utilizes the space within the walls. You (or a contractor) can build this functional cabinet with the detailed instructions found here.

What We Like About It: This storage cabinet is entirely built into the wall, freeing up precious floor space while still providing plenty of storage.

Clear Furniture

Dark wood or bulky furniture can overcrowd and weigh down the room. Instead, opt for see-through furniture like a glass desk or a clear acrylic coffee table, as seen here from @adlintejeda. Clear furniture allows more of the floor to be visible, making the room feel more open while still adding a chic design element.

What We Like About It: “Glass or acrylic furniture creates a barely-there look that keeps the room feeling airy,” says Steele.

Plain Upholstery

Choose plain, solid-color upholstery instead of pieces with busy patterns. Solid, minimalist upholstery helps streamline a room and prevents it from looking chaotic. Plain upholstery also preserves the clean lines of furniture pieces, making a room feel neat and orderly.

What We Like About It: Unlike trendy patterns, solid upholstery is a timeless choice that won’t worry you about going out of style.

Move Furniture Away from the Walls

You might think pushing all your furniture against the walls will make a small room look bigger, but that arrangement can look imbalanced and awkward. Simple adjustments like moving your sofa away from the wall or your bed out of the corner can create more flow and make the space look roomier. This cozy living room from @homewithchelc shows this tip in action.

What We Like About It: “Floating furniture in the middle of the room keeps seating arrangements intimate and allows for pathways around the periphery, thus making the space feel more open and spacious,” says Powell.

Vertical Paneling

“Add vertical paneling that plays with the sense of height to draw the eye upward,” says Steele. “This movement tricks the brain into thinking the ceilings are higher, which instantly adds to the illusion of space.”

What We Like About It: Vertical paneling not only makes a small room look bigger but also adds an interesting design element that enhances the room’s style and coziness.

Play with Scale

Don’t overload a small room with big furniture, but using too many small pieces doesn’t work either. A small room filled with small pieces looks like a cluttered dollhouse. “Make sure you have a good balance of appropriately sized rugs, furniture, and case goods,” says Powell.

What We Like About It: A large rug, tall bookcase, or roomy armchair can anchor the room while still leaving plenty of space for other pieces.

Strategic Lighting

Choosing the right lighting can brighten up a small space and make it look bigger. Opt for a semi-flush or flush mount ceiling light, which will bounce light around the room without impeding the line of sight. Floor lamps add visual height, and wall sconces instead of table lamps free up surface space—seen here in this small apartment bedroom from @heyiitscourt/.

What We Like About It: Well-chosen lighting makes a small space more practical and adds ambiance for a cozy glow.

Large Artwork

A single oversized piece of art on the wall of a small room creates a sense of grandeur. Look at how the large art in this small kids’ bedroom by @jessica_kaarina makes the space seem bigger. Art and wall accessories that are too small can look like clutter in a small room with limited wall space.

What We Like About It: Oversized artwork is an easy way to make a big statement without obstructing walkways in your small room.

About the Experts

Bree Steele is an interior designer and event stylist at RJ Living. Steele has been in the industry for over a decade and has styled homes, Airbnb units, and commercial spaces. She’s passionate about helping people create sophisticated, functional spaces that emphasize natural light and muted palettes.

Ashley Powell is an interior designer and co-owner of Roseberry Allen Interior Design. She has over 15 years of industry experience. She works closely with her clients, blending proportion, scale, and personality to create original spaces tailored perfectly to their lifestyle.