Downsizing your Home? Make any Living Space Look Larger with Colour
Here are some tricks of the trade that can make smaller rooms bigger.
21/09/2022
Along with special furniture arranging, creative lighting and the use of mirrors, the smart usage of colour can do wonders to make a room look bigger.
When the kids leave the nest chances are that
you are looking for a smaller place to live by
considering downsizing. Downsizing have more
than a few benefits such as saving on monthly
bills,
reducing maintenance and cleaning. But the one
downside of downsizing is that perhaps you will
feel that living spaces
look and feel small. Thankfully, there are
plenty of tricks of the decorating trade that can make smaller
rooms feel and look bigger.
Colour is a key part of
making your room look bigger than it actually
is. Along with special furniture arranging,
creative lighting and the use of mirrors, the
smart usage of colour can do wonders. So, how do
you make a room look bigger with colour?
The most straightforward way to expand the
visual space of your room is to paint it in a
lighter colour. While dark shades tend to absorb
light and make the room feel closed in, a light
wall enhances natural light and makes spaces
feel more open. Soft tones like off-whites,
beiges, light blues and light greens fit the
description and are softer and more welcoming
than harsher pure whites and bright colours.
Paint walls, ceilings and skirting board all in one light colour to make the room look seamlessly big.
For a neutral yet welcoming look, try shades
like Antique Petal, Moon Beam, Evening Mist and
Frothy Milk, or brighten things up with light
blues and greens like Ella's Eyes, California
Dreaming, Green Glass, Cactus Pete and West
Coast Mist. Light, more neutral colours like
these are also easy to work with when it comes
to furniture and decor.
Interestingly
enough, despite the rule that painting a room in
dark colours makes it look smaller, painting one
accent wall in a dark colour can actually be
very effective in creating depth and making the
room look bigger. Darker accent walls also add
to the decorative appeal of a room without being
overpowering.
When picking a feature
wall colour you’ll want to start with a colour
palette that suits your style — don’t pick a
deep orange accent wall if you don’t want your
room to be centred around the colour. Colours
like deep navy blues, rich greens, dark greys
and charcoal black are perfect for making a
statement and adding depth without drawing too
much attention. For example, the Plascon colour Oceanos colour
is a moody mix of greens and blues, whereas Monsoon
Lagoon is a rich green so dark it carries the
sophistication of black without sacrificing the
beauty of the green. Alternatively, classic dark
greys and charcoal blacks like Tribeca Corner
and Graphite Aluminium are always perfect
choices for modern and minimalistic accent
walls.
Painting one accent wall in a dark colour can actually be very effective in creating depth and making the room look bigger.
One last helpful trick for making
your rooms look bigger than they are is to paint
your walls, ceilings and skirting board all in
one light colour to make the room look
seamlessly big. If you want to take it a step
further you can even paint your ceilings and
trims in a lighter colour!
Colour has
the incredible ability to transform any room
without having to change space or furniture.
Even if you don’t have that much space it
doesn’t mean you can’t create the illusion that
you do. For more advice on what colours are best
to use where, and why, please contact the
Plascon Colour Consultancy via email:
colouradvice@kansaiplascon.co.za.