How to Enlarge a Small Room With Color
When decorating, one of the first decisions people make is what colors to use in the room. Color can make a space seem serene or vibrant. It can also play tricks on the eye to either make a large room seem cozier or even to enlarge a small room. Here's how you can achieve a larger-looking room with color. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Consider a monochromatic color scheme. This doesn't mean that everything in the room has to be exactly the same color, but you should use shades of the same color on the walls, the ceiling, the flooring and fabrics. The consistency of the color doesn't visually break up the space but allows the eye to flow throughout the room.
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Opposites are attractive. If you're working with a small, square room try painting opposing walls a rich, deep and intense color. Using the same bold color on opposite walls will trick the eye into seeing a longer room than the small, boxy one.
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Paint the walls gray or blue. If you use shades of gray or bluish-gray on your walls, all of the other colors that you feature in the room will stand out against the neutral backdrop. The focus of the room becomes the furnishings and accessories, the neutral tones open up the room and the space seems much larger.
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Highlight the room's focal point. Decide what your focal wall will be in the room, such as a fireplace or a wall with bookcases. If you paint the focal wall a deep, rich color, you play up the best feature of the room. Paint the rest of the walls a lighter, coordinating color to allow the focal wall to stand out.
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Add a reflective sheen to your color choice. For example, you might choose to paint a layer of polyurethane over your walls. This will add a bit of lightness to warmer tones and help to reflect any natural light that enters the room.
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Use horizontal strips to enlarge a small room. Choose a couple of shades of the same color and mark off equally wide stripes on the wall. Alternate the colors and not only will you have a beautiful decorative finish, but the room will appear much larger all around.
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