I recently had the opportunity to ask 16 amazing home design and decor bloggers any question that I wanted! Since I know that everyone has at least one of these types of spaces in their home, I decided to ask:

What is your best advice for making those teeny-tiny, small spaces in your home look, or at least feel larger than they really are?

The answers that these 16 pro-bloggers came back with are pretty clever, and I’m more than sure that they will definitely help when you are faced with this more than common, design challenge!

Let’s see what they had to say!

Less is more is the best advice for making those teeny-tiny, small spaces in your home look and feel larger than they really are. The size of your furniture and decor needs to be set to the same scale as the room or outdoor area. Use the same colour throughout the space and use minimal features.

Making a small space look bigger is easier than you think. Try painting your ceiling the same color as the walls, as it will trick the eye to continue looking up and make the space seem bigger. All white ceilings are a thing of the past. Pick low profile furniture or furniture that has clearance off the floor to make the space feel light and airy. Light neutral paint colors will make a space feel bigger, as well as hanging your drapes above the window casing. Try hanging them about a foot from the ceiling, it will draw the eye up and give the illusion the space is bigger. Adding mirrors to your space will also help make it feel bigger because the mirror will reflect light and make the space seem brighter. One final thing, take a look around, do you have too much stuff? Decluttering will definitely make your space look and feel bigger.

Let there be light! If you can add a window, a skylight, a pass-through, or my favorite… a transom, in that teeny-tiny space, DO IT. If you can’t add light in any way, then add a big mirror. It will help to reflect the light that’s already there. Light is the biggest friend to small spaces. Next reduce the contrast in the space, either go all dark or all light. Stay in the same color palette or use different shades of the same color. This will let your eyes float over the entire space and not get caught on anything.

A great tip to making a small space feel larger is to use crown molding or a beautiful ceiling color to draw the eye up. I also recommend using fewer furniture pieces and simple decor to avoid a cluttered look. A couple of larger scale furniture pieces will make a space seem larger than several small pieces. A well placed mirror used to reflect a pretty view will also help to expand the space. Good lighting is also key, a dark space will always seem smaller. Go with light and airy window treatments so as to not block light, a beautiful ceiling fixture (again, to draw the eye up), and table lamps for a soft glow.

Now this is a really good question for me as we live in a teeny tiny house in the Netherlands. It’s quite normal here to have small homes and more often than not (like ours) they have open plan living and kitchen areas. Our house may not have much square meterage but I think that the way the living area has been divided up and is completely open, stops it from feeling too claustrophobic. When it comes to choosing the furniture for small rooms, I would advise that you try to choose smaller well-proportioned pieces of furniture that match the size of the room, and avoid overfilling it. Another good idea is to use pieces of furniture that are raised up off the floor (for example; couches, and cupboards on legs) which can create the illusion of space. Lastly, I think it is better to go easy on the heavy prints. If you do like to incorporate intricate patterns, then it’s a good idea to combine them with less fussy plain and neutral colours which will help to keep the overall look more open.

In order to make small rooms look larger I use light shades of paint. The airier it feels the least confining it will seem. I also like to use a large mirror if possible in order to trick the eye into thinking there is more space beyond the walls… and lastly, don’t use heavy drapes. They allow for less light to come into the room and they take up wall and floor space making it feel crowded. Sometimes all you need are sheers or a patterned valance over the top of your window.

Light paint colors always make spaces feel bigger. Try using mirrors to reflect light and give the illusion of a larger space. Also make sure your room has good lighting. Bright and cheerful goes a long way to making a room feel larger. Finally do not over crowd small areas with too much furniture, sometimes less is more.

My best advice for decorating teeny-tiny, small spaces in my home so that they look larger is to make sure that the furniture in the room isn’t too big and overpowering. I also keep the decor accessories to a minimum to avoid making the room look cluttered. Lastly, I stay away from dark colors to keep the room light and open.

Draw the eye up with a great ceiling treatment! Paint it a different color, wallpaper it, or apply reclaimed wood, or a white shiplap! Great lighting is essential. The more light and bright, the more open it feels. A great overhead such as a chandelier (size appropriate) on a dimmer for adjustment, and table lamps are fantastic options. And don’t be afraid to go bold. You can do an accent wall on the farthest wall from the door in a cool wallpaper or bold color and lighten up the rest with a complimentary soft color. (I did this in my ORC challenge space, it’s only 64 sq ft with no natural light and worked incredibly well.)

The best advice I can share for small space decorating is to own it. For Example: Try to get the largest and most comfy seating possible and then design the space from those key pieces. One excellent eye catching piece of artwork can make the room seem larger, and keeping the paint bright and airy will make the room feel welcoming. Small spaces are the perfect excuse to show off a small collection, or interesting pieces from travel, and funky pieces from the latest Flea Market or Thrift shop. I love showing off my vintage cookbooks! Just because it is a small space don’t be too minimalist, small nooks are opportunities to show your true heart in design.

I find using light colours make smaller rooms feel larger. Also try drawing the eye to a large piece of furniture, or a piece of wall art. When hanging the wall art, hanging it closer to ceiling can also help too.

Use light colored neutrals, “leggy” furniture, and glass or acrylic. These all give minimal weight to the eye, so it feels bigger! Also, don’t forget to take advantage of wall space! Hanging things (so they don’t take up any floor space) is a great way to add interest without taking up any valuable real estate.

My best advice for making small spaces feel larger, is go big with your artwork and wall decor. Ikea is a great place to find affordable oversized picture frames (24×36”) You can visually enlarge your space by hanging a grouping of 3 oversized pictures. Print out three of your favorite family pictures in black and white at Staples or Walgreens or Walmart also offer oversized prints in the poster size. Or find a favorite quote from a book to frame.

Go bold! Tiny spaces are the perfect place to add fun wallpaper and bold color! Make your spaces feel special, and it will help to distract you from how small they are. Don’t be afraid to use dark colors. They can trick the eyes into thinking that the space doesn’t end, and make it feel bigger!

We like to pick light and bright colors in our small bungalow, then add pops of color through our decor. Your eye follows the color and the light or white wall, and will help to give the feel of open space in-between. Remember to focus on storage and organization for a space; if the room functions well for the people and the things in it, it will always appear larger than if its constantly in chaos.

Wow! Did we ever get a lot of great advice and different ideas from our guest bloggers! Lots of different ways, not only on how to help make your space look or feel larger, but also great advice on how to do this, while making it really feel like it’s your own personal, unique space, as well!

Thank you so much to all of our guest bloggers who participated in this awesome project!

Lastly, I would like to add in my own personal advice for making those teeny-tiny spaces look and feel larger than they really are, for you all as well!

In order to help make those teeny-tiny, small spaces in your home look, or at least feel a little larger than they really are, I first off, would definitely recommend using a light paint color! Maybe even pick a light paint color that you like, and then actually even go one shade lighter. On top of that, you also want to incorporate as much natural light as possible into your space. Mirrors or a shiny-ish wallpaper can really help with reflecting a little more natural light into a room. Another great trick of the eye can be done using your window treatments! Rather than fitting them to your window, hang them from ceiling to floor. This will help to create the illusion of larger windows and higher ceilings, which will definitely help your space feel larger!

For more answers to design questions, don’t forget to visit my blogging friends!

Jessica Devlin Expert Bloggers Top Home Decorating Ideas

Sam Hay Expert Bloggers 16 Best Decorating Tips

Susanne Stewart Decorating on a Budget, 16 Design Bloggers Tell You How

Kimm Boes Ask The Experts: Favorite Paint Colors For Furniture

Sarah Foote Making those Teeny-Tiny Spaces Look & Feel Larger; 16 Bloggers Share their Best Advice

Pam List Expert Bloggers Top 3 Decorating Items

Sam Franklin Home Decor Style & Trends; Design Experts Favorites

Denise Bryant Decorating With Thrift Store and Flea Market Finds

Susan Kuc Small Home Design; 16 Bloggers Tell All

Yami Platero How to Keep a Stylish and Organized Home with Small Children

Nicole Corr Design Experts Tell Us What Their Dream Outside Relaxation Space Looks Like