8 design mistakes that make your home feel tiny

Kayla Gulec Kayla Gulec
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When designing your home, every square centimetre matters. And as we all know, no matter how large your home may be, arranging furniture in a way that best suits your space can be quite difficult. 

There are a few decorating snags that people run into that can truly make your room look smaller, and we're here to tell you exactly what they are and how to avoid them. As a standard rule, the 'less is more' principle should be applied to each room of the home, and we'll go into greater detail just below.

Even those of you with larger homes will benefit from these tips, so go on, keep reading!

1. Having too much stuff in one room

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That's right, too much junk in one room is the number one reason your space will feel small. Don't litter every surface with accessories and have your kitchen looking like it came out of an episode of Hoarders. It's time to declutter. Find discreet places to store various items, such as behind closed shelving or in the utility compartment underneath the oven. Or better yet, get a display shelf specifically for displaying items.

2. Get rid of bulky furniture

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Similarly to the amount of stuff you have in one place, you want to limit the overall size of your items, as well. A big and clunky wardrobe or entertainment centre might seem practical for storage, but that doesn't mean a thing when it comes to the amount of walking space you have.

3. Using dark colours

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It's no secret that dark colours visually limit your interior. It's because these dark hues aren't able to redirect as much light as brighter colours, and that's what keeps things feeling tight. If you want to incorporate a darker colour, do it with an accent wall and keep your main colour light and airy. This will have your space looking larger in no time.

4. Not enough light

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So, since we just talked about the benefits of light coloured walls and how they bounce off light, you can bet that the amount of illumination in your space is important, too. Most homes only come with a single light fixture on the ceiling that only provides one central source of light. To make your space lighter, add two or three floor lamps so you can light up all corners of the room.

5. Matching everything

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When everything you have in one room has the same pattern, they blend and visually become one, making your space look smaller. To avoid that, add different styles of cushions or a throw.

6. Misplaced furniture

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We all have a habit of doing this next one, but it seems so intuitive, so how are we to know the difference? Most of us have a habit of pushing our furniture up against the walls to free up space in front of it. But when we do this, we actually create an area of nothingness in the centre of the room and it makes it seem smaller. But if we pull out the furniture just a few centimetres from the wall, it tricks the eye into thinking that the walls are farther back than they actually are.

7. Too much pattern

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Many of us like solid, matte colours on our walls, and for good reason. It's calming and non-invasive on the eyes. We can't quite say the same about this room, though. The geometric and three-dimensional wallpaper is bad enough with its optical-illusion quality, but paired with a checkered green floor? Now that's just too much. These hefty patterns visually enclose the space. If you must have a wild and eclectic pattern, limit the area and balance it out with solid colours.

8. Short curtains

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Last but not least, and something you might have never even thought of, are curtains. If your curtains are too short and dangle half to three quarters of the way down your window, it gives the impression of a lower ceiling. There are two ways to avoid this one, depending on your style. You could opt for floor-to-ceiling curtains that will make both your room and windows look larger. Or if you're not a fan of long curtains, you could place your curtain rod as close to the ceiling as you can and cut your curtains at the base of the window. This will make it seem like you have higher a ceiling.

If you thought this was helpful, you should check out these clever storage solutions!

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