light filled living space — *Image Credit:* *Laskasas*

With an increasing population and city living as popular (and as expensive) as ever, our homes can often be on the smaller side and a lot more compact than we would prefer.

In order to make the most of the square footage available, here are a few quick, easy and clever decor ideas that you can incorporate to make your small space feel bigger, brighter and lighter.

Embrace A Lighter Colour Palette

While strong, heavily pigmented paint colours look amazing, there’s no denying that they can constrict the feel of a room, so it might be a better option to keep it light on the walls and bring in colour via the furniture and accessories.

However, steer clear of pure, brilliant whites, which can be blinding. Instead, go for soft off-whites and warm whites in a matt finish that will soften the space. Brown or pink-based whites look amazing and will warm up a room and add character more than cool whites. Try Little Greene’s ‘Hammock’, or ‘School House White’ by Farrow & Ball for interesting whites that keep things light.

Add Mirrors Where Needed

Mirrors are a great way to reflect natural light around a room and quickly and easily make it feel larger and brighter.

Feature mirror walls for modern interiors by CreoGlass Design are a great example of this. They cover the walls and reflect light back into the room, enhancing the natural spaciousness while improving the design. The floor-to-ceiling mirrored glass doubles the size of the space via reflection, which can be functional as well as decorative.

Choose Lucite Furniture

Lucite furniture is classic and stylish and is a great way to keep compact spaces feeling open, as it lets light travel through its frame with its acrylic versatility. One of my favourite pieces of Lucite furniture will always be the Ghost Chair by Philippe Starck for Kartell. These classic chairs make great kitchen or dining chairs as they don’t feel bulky, while they are completely wipeable of any food or drink stains.

Use Lighting Where You Need It

Putting lights in the right place can change the feel of the room and make it feel larger and more welcoming. The best way to achieve this effect is to layer a mix of lighting: include wall and pendant lights as a starting point, then move on to lamps and atmospheric lighting where required to highlight darker corners.

Skinny and Raised Furniture

Furniture with slim frames allows light and air to travel around it, making it feel a lot less bulky within a smaller room than furniture that contains chunky arms and legs.

You should also choose furniture on legs, rather than those pieces which sit directly on the floor. Legs allow light to travel underneath the piece, making it feel lighter (and less imposing in the room).

Use Vertical Space

Using vertical space is one of the most effective ways to deal with cramped spaces, as spreading upwards instead of outwards enables you to retain more of the room in your property.

Make ceilings feel higher with floor-to-ceiling curtains, or invest in large-scale artwork to lengthen the walls.

For storage solutions, consider floor-to-ceiling bookcases that make the most of the space available. This doesn’t have to be a built-in; brands like Tylko sell bespoke freestanding storage units that you can order to size.

Go For Sheer Window Treatments

Sheer window treatments offer privacy, but also filter in natural light - something that cannot be achieved with traditional, heavy curtains. Sheers are a great option for living spaces where you do not sleep, with a wide range of modern sheers available. Rather than a plain design, opt for sheers with a simple texture or stitched detailing to add some character and personality to your windows, while still keeping the room feeling spacious.

imogen heath sheer curtains — *Imogen Heath’s* *decorative sheers.*

Make Some Surfaces Reflective

If you can make some surfaces reflective, that can help to open your rooms and make them feel larger. Adding small elements like chrome handles and glass vases can make a lot of difference, even if these objects are only small. Little touches like these can brighten rooms substantially, as well as adding visual layering to a room to make it more homely.

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