​The 7 mistakes that make your home seem small

Johannes van Graan Johannes van Graan
homify Modern windows & doors
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No one can argue that playing interior designer isn’t fun. Picking out fabrics for the living room curtains, deciding what backsplash to use in the kitchen, and wondering which purple hue would make for the perfect scatter cushion in the guest bedroom: periwinkle or iris.

But through all the fabrics, colours and patterns, one can easily lose control, especially if being guided by the latest and best-brand items that are cluttering stores and design websites seemingly everywhere. Here is a hint: you do NOT need to buy every single “must-have” item out there, as they will clutter your home. 

So, to show you the common missteps that most of us are guilty of when it comes to designing interior spaces (and how to fix them), just scroll on.

You’re welcome!

Mistake 1: Furniture in the wrong places

What you did: You pushed all those furniture pieces against the walls, and now they are eating up the edges and shrinking the room.

What you need to do: Arrange the furniture away from the walls in strategic and cosy groupings to allow the walls some breathing space. 

homify hint: If you prefer an open space, leave a few centimetres between the wall and furniture, as this will make it look as though those walls are further away than they actually are.

Mistake 2: Everything matches

What you did: You took your love for matching fabrics, motifs, and colours too far, and now that whole room melts together and makes the space seem smaller. 

What you need to do: Add some interest and variation by mixing up the styles for the pillows, rugs, wallpaper, etc. 

homify hint: Constrain yourself. If you love designing your décor around a topic (like nautical), limit the theme to either the furnishings or the walls, but not both.

Mistake 3: Dark-coloured wallpaper

What you did: That dark wallpaper swallows up the entire room and makes it seem much smaller than it actually is. 

What you need to do: Bring in some lighter tones for the furniture and accessories, as this will help to make the space feel open and airy. 

homify hint: Should really need to add some darker shades, confine them to a feature/focal wall instead of all four.

Mistake 4: Too many accessories

What you did: Your room seems cluttered because you brought in too many keepsakes, décor pieces and other accessories.

What you need to do: Instead of displaying all your favourite things at once, mix it up. Create seasonal displays of your keepsakes and change them regularly to keep it interesting. 

homify hint: If the thought of packing your favourite trinkets away drives you to tears, then put up a floating shelf or two (no more) specifically for display purposes.

Mistake 5: Short curtains

What you did: You put up curtains that ended up being way too short; now they make the room’s ceiling look too low. 

What you need to do: Switch up that window treatment with floor-to-ceiling curtains to make the room feel bigger. 

homify hint: If full-length curtains aren’t your style, then rather place your curtain rail as close to the ceiling as possible and cut the curtains off at the windowsill. This will create the illusion of a higher ceiling.

Mistake 6: Too much furniture

What you did: You packed too many furniture pieces into that room, and now you can’t get out—and your family/friends can’t get in!

What you need to do: Relocate the extra furniture to other rooms in your house. For example, you could place that wingback chair in your bedroom corner (and conjure up a neat little reading nook) instead of the living room. 

homify hint: Never let furniture block the windows. Your interior spaces always need to connect with the outsides in order to create the illusion of depth and space.

Mistake 7: The lighting is just bad

What you did: You hung a sad little overhead lamp in the room that makes the space feel small, dark, and cramped in. 

What you need to do: Opt for layered lighting, such as three lighting sources (an overhead ceiling light and two table lamps, for instance). The additional light will easily bounce off the walls and glow up those dark corners. 

homify hint: If you don't have extra space for more lamps, then hang a mirror to reflect the existing artificial/natural light around the room. 

Looking to add more sunshine to your home? Let’s see how you can: Bathe your home in natural light!

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