Feeling Claustrophobic? How to Make Your Space Feel Larger

11/1/2021

November in Canada means we’re firmly moving into winter territory. If you don’t have snow yet, it’s probably coming soon (unless you’re those lucky Vancouverites). When you live in a colder climate, winter means spending a lot of time indoors, and you need a space that works for you. Some people love a cozy space, while others want their space to feel as large and spacious as possible. So what is the best way to achieve each of these? Here’s our top 3 tips:

1) Colours with a lighter value and lower saturation help a space to feel more expansive. This means using light, neutral colours. Because of the reflective qualities of light colours, they help to bounce the natural light around a space, helping to create a bigger space. As you can guess, by using darker colours, you will make a space feel cozier.

Picture of a transitional, white couch with a mountain of pillows, and a wooden coffee table.

Picture of a colourful green living room with a small white sofa and a wooden bookcase.

As part of this, to make a space feel larger, stick to a monochromatic colour scheme with the walls, trim, and drapery being a similar colour. This allows the eyes to read each of these elements as one, and tricks the brain to see a more spacious room. By using different colours, you will cut up the walls into sections, creating a smaller, cozier space.

Picture of a modern living room with a corrugated, navy blue accent wall, a navy blue sofa with orange pillows, and an orange accent chair

2) Similar to the first point, to create a larger space we need to ensure that natural light bounces around the room. Another way to do this is to add large reflective surfaces, such as a mirror, across from natural light sources.

Picture of a white room with a large mirror, small wooden desk, and a white futon.

3) If you would like a narrow room to feel wider, paint the walls a light colour with a darker or patterned accent wall at the narrow end. The darker wall will advance towards the eye, making the space feel wider. Paired with the lighter side wall colours, the space will feel larger overall.

Picture of a transitional bedroom with a velvet bed and mirrored night stands.

On this note, to create a cozier space, paint the ceiling a darker colour. It will make the ceiling feel shorter and hence cozier.

Those are our top 3 tips to create a space that feels larger (or cozier). Have any questions or comments? Just drop them below; we’d love to hear from you. And don't forget to join our mailing list so you never miss an update.

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