A small room does not have to feel cramped. With a few practical choices about light, mirrors, furniture and pattern, you can make the space look larger and, just as importantly, work harder. Here is what we suggest to customers who come into the shop with a compact living room, bedroom or home office.
Make the most of light
Light is the single biggest factor in how large a room feels. Start with daylight: keep windowsills clear and choose curtains that can be pulled right back off the glass. Hanging a pole wider and higher than the window frame lets the curtains stack beside the window instead of across it, and makes the window itself look bigger.
After dark, avoid relying on one central bulb, which leaves the corners in shadow and shrinks the room. Light the edges instead. A wall light frees up floor and table space, so look at our ceiling and wall lights for options that work hard without taking up room. Add a small lamp or two at a lower level. A compact table lamp like the White Mouse Lamp by Seletti, which gives off a gentle glow from an exposed bulb, works well on a narrow bedside table or bookshelf where a bulky lamp would not fit. Our table lamps offer plenty of other small-footprint options.
Use mirrors with purpose
Mirrors bounce light around and create a sense of depth, but placement matters. A mirror opposite or beside a window will reflect daylight and the view back into the room. A large mirror leaned against a wall can make it look as though the room continues beyond it, which is especially effective in narrow hallways.
One generous mirror usually does more than several small ones, which can start to look busy. Browse our mirrors and pictures and think about size first: in a small room, a bigger mirror is often the better choice.
Get the scale of furniture right
It is tempting to fill a small room with small furniture, but lots of little pieces can make it feel cluttered. Fewer, well-chosen pieces in the right proportion work better. Leave clear walkways, keep the floor visible where you can, and choose furniture raised on legs so light passes underneath.
Pieces that do more than one job earn their place. The Rico Divan from ferm LIVING is a good example: it could pass as a daybed, resembles a settee and has the feel of a chaise longue, all in one piece, and it comes in a left or right version so you can fit it to the shape of the room. Its soft curves help too, as rounded edges are easier to move around in a tight space than hard corners. For side tables, storage and consoles, look through our tables and cabinets.
Think vertically
When floor space is limited, use the walls. Tall shelving draws the eye upwards and keeps surfaces clear. The Bookworm Bookshelf by Kartell, designed by Ron Arad, is a flexible shelf that can be curved into gentle waves or spirals, and this 820cm version has 17 bookend supports. Fixed along a wall, it gives you storage and display without a bulky bookcase on the floor.
Hang pictures and curtains a little higher than you normally would, and keep the tops of shelves tidy. Clutter at eye level is what makes a small room feel smaller.
Use colour and pattern cleverly
Light colours on walls and ceilings reflect more light, which helps. Painting the walls, skirting and ceiling in similar tones blurs the edges of the room so it reads as one larger space. Pattern does not have to be avoided either: a wallpaper with a vertical stripe or upward trail can make a ceiling feel higher, and a single patterned wall adds depth. Keep the rest of the room calmer so the pattern has space to breathe, and repeat one of its colours in a cushion or throw from our home decor range to tie it together.
If you are working on a small room and would like a second opinion, browse our furniture and lighting for ideas, or visit the shop in Somerset and talk it through with the team.
