If you want your home to look larger than it actually is, it’s important to show off every square foot of your listing so that buyers can visualize enough room for all of their belongings. Staging pro experts state that homeowners often crowd spaces with oversized furniture, bulky accessories, and piles of clutter that wind up making a room look much smaller than it really is.
So how can you make your space look bigger? Besides the obvious of removing clutter, try these simple ideas:
1. Scale down furniture: Having too many large pieces of furniture in a small room can make a space feel more cramped. Choose smaller-scale furniture over chunky, large options. A great choice: unskirted chairs or furniture with wooden legs so that you can see through the furniture to the floor underneath will open up the space.
2. Beware of patterns that are overly busy: Large floral patterns, big prints and bold plaids on accent pieces and fabrics can be too busy for a small space. Use texture in fabrics to add interest and stick to solids.
3. Lighten Up: Dark colors absorb the light making smaller rooms look even smaller. Lighter colors on walls — such as light blues, creams, light greens, tan, and soft yellows — help expand the room. Plus, cooler, softer tones are soothing and relaxing.
4. Add height: Add tall pieces to show off the height of the space. Whether it’s a piece of furniture such as a bookcase or an object like a tall plant, the height of the object will automatically draw the eye upwards. Also in a home where you want to show off height, hang the curtains above the normal window top level. Then to give a widening effect, tie the curtains back with a rope tieback.
5. Use the reflection: Hang mirrors on walls to add visual space. When the room is reflected in the mirror, it’s almost as if you can see ‘another room’ in the mirror. Mirrors also reflect views and light, which help lighten up the room and make it feel open and airy.
