Last Updated on January 16, 2024 by Vannessa Rhoades, Three Bears Home Staging
When staging a home for sale, you want the rooms to look big. That’s because despite the “tiny house” movement and recent trends toward minimalism, research still shows that buyers in almost all demographics want more square footage.
How Can I Make My Room Bigger Visually?
If you’re prepping your home for sale and dealing with a room that feels a little cramped, we have a few clever staging hacks that can help even the tiniest rooms appear more spacious. Take a look at our DIY home staging tips to help make a small room look bigger.
1. Add light
Open the blinds and turn on all the lamps and lights, especially for listing photos or when potential buyers are visiting the home. Eliminating dark corners makes a space feel bigger and brighter (which is what buyers want). Opening the curtains or blinds extends the feeling even further by connecting the space with the outdoors.
2. Use light colors
It’s a pretty straightforward color principle that most of us are familiar with: pale colors reflect light, whereas darker tones absorb it. Painting a room in a light color scheme will almost always make the space feel larger.
How to Make a Small Room Look Bigger: Before and After. This client painted the walls a lighter color, pared down the furnishings, and swapped some of the darker decor with something lighter. What a difference!
3. Use mirrors
A well-placed large mirror can make a room feel twice its actual size. In many homes, mirrors are well-suited for specific focal points, such as over the fireplace or above an entryway table or a dining room sideboard. They reflect natural and artificial light, making a room feel brighter and bigger.
4. Simplify and tidy up
With less room to move and too many focal points for the eyes, a messy space or a room with too much “stuff” will feel tinier and more cramped.
5. Hang curtains higher
Wondering how to make a room look bigger with curtains? It’s simple! Hanging curtains as close to the ceiling as possible will make windows appear larger, walls seem taller, and leave the room feeling more spacious because the eyes will be drawn upward. And if you’re getting your house ready to sell, you may even want to evaluate whether you should hang curtains at all (spoiler alert: you probably shouldn’t).
6. Minimize patterns
Large swatches of busy patterns or bold prints (such as rugs, wallpaper, bedspreads, or couches) can feel fussy and cluttered. This is especially important to keep in mind if you’re staging a home for listing photos (which tend to exaggerate certain patterns and colors). Instead, choose soft colors and subtle prints for a more spacious feel.
7. Remember scale and placement
The size of the furniture should be in harmony with the dimensions of the room. In other words, don’t try to fit a matching set of a chunky, oversized couch and a love seat and a chair into a small living room. No walkways or conversation areas should be blocked off by furniture size or arrangement.
How Three Bears Home Staging Can Help
Creative staging can help you get the most from a small room, helping it look bigger and feel more spacious without tearing down walls or breaking the bank. If you need a little help? Here’s how we’re helping homeowners all over the country:
Vannessa Rhoades
Vannessa Rhoades is the author of Just Right! Easy DIY Home Staging and the founder of the award-winning firm, Three Bears Home Staging®. She specializes in providing positive, empowering virtual consultations that help homeowners and real estate agents all across the country sell more quickly and for more money.
