How To Visually Enlarge A Room

2023 Author: Douglas Hoggarth | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 05:40

• Where to begin? From idea
• Basic concepts of modern interior
• Where to get apartment interior ideas
• Narrow kitchen. Design
• Design of a small hallway and living room
• Interesting interior idea

Small room design

In this case, special attention is paid to details, both in the interior itself and in the execution process. What should you do if you are doing interior design yourself? How to make the future living space airy and comfortable?

Despite the availability of fairly simple recommendations, it is not always possible to put them into practice and get what you want. The interior should be harmonious, comfortable, spacious, such epithets are often applied to the description of really good interiors, and the published advice does not give a clear idea of how exactly to achieve this. Therefore, we will try to fill this gap.

Where to begin? From idea

Of course, when you are busy forming the image of your future interior, you think that the room should be filled with air, well lit, and optimally furnished. All interior items should not interfere or depress, the color scheme should not spoil the mood or create the impression of monotony. Many owners, while observing all of the above, want to bring bold design ideas to life and create something like that. In such cases, a simple statement of dry advice is not informative enough to create a good interior on your own, methods and ideas should be clear and accessible. Of course, practical recommendations help more.

Basic concepts of modern interior

So, let's begin. Any design is an artistic idea embodied in a material. In the interior, the working material for the designer is furniture, architectural forms of the room, color scheme, textures and much more. Each designer has his own personal "trick" and certain patterns (templates) of solutions. They may well lend themselves to methodological analysis, and then they can be successfully applied by people far from the sphere of professional interior design.

The interior is in the "organic" style, the style is set by the architectural features of the premises, in particular frameless glazing and panoramic views

Self-creation of a room design is a rather complicated thing, the interior should be harmonious both in details and in general. There is no single recipe for finding a good design solution. This is not to say that you first need to make the walls and floor, and only then fill the space with details. The converse statement that interior design is based on details would also be wrong.

It can be stated definitely that the main accents in the interior are created by the idea, as well as the well-formed image of the future space. On the basis of them, the entire subsequent action plan for repair work is built.

The idea in the design project is dominant, then even the most unexpected details within it will not look bad manners. Any room should be interesting. This approach gives the room a dynamic and new life accents. Interesting interiors will never be bland, and the detailing of individual elements allows you to create images of various levels of abstraction in the interiors.

Of course, the design idea should be based on the principles of ergonomics, to assume a convenient, functional and comfortable use of the premises. A good spatial solution in the interior is often characterized by such a phrase as "a lot of air". Definitely the main components of a successful interior design project are such components: idea, dynamics of images, ergonomics and good spatial solution.

Where to get apartment interior ideas

To come up with an idea for an interior, you first need to choose a “starting point”. Perhaps your apartment has a beautiful panoramic view, has architectural features, for example, high ceilings, non-standard elements of the building structure - columns or an attic. These elements can be a starting point, because some elements will have to be smoothed out and others underlined. A beautiful panorama from the window will be a natural continuation of the apartment's space. In attics, it must be borne in mind that this room may be poorly lit, therefore it should not be cluttered.

As a rule, in any room there is a place that is not spacious enough. It can be a small hallway or an elongated kitchen. A nursery for two children becomes very cramped due to the excessive use of furniture. Under any conditions, you always face the problem of lack of space, as a result, the room ceases to be comfortable.

A poor layout is not a cause for frustration. You can always make a cozy and spacious apartment, where the flaws in architecture will be completely lost.

Similar tasks can be formulated from the opposite. Any room can become visually small and uncomfortable if the visual proportions are disturbed. In this case, the task of visually enlarging the room can be changed to the following: "How to make the room do not visually decrease."

The required functionality of the rooms significantly affects the transformation of the idea of the interior of the apartment. For example, cabinets reduce the space, so you need to think over a visual solution with all the necessary furniture. Last but not least when looking for an idea is the owner's preference. Often, when combining the requirements and characteristics of housing, insoluble difficulties arise. But, as you know, there are no insoluble problems. Let's move on to practical options.

Narrow kitchen. Design

The problem of a narrow kitchen in modern new buildings is the most common problem. In addition, we take into account that the owners not only want to visually expand the premises, but also make it as functional as possible. European trends in this case determine the fashion for interiors. Often the kitchen becomes a living room studio, which houses the kitchenette, dining area and seating area. In addition, various cabinets and shelves are provided, which further reduce the room.

Design a narrow separate kitchen, expanding the space with the effect on the ceiling

How to make this part of the apartment harmonious? First you need to decide on the permissible functionality of the kitchen. Will it be an open plan living room with a kitchen area, is there a dining area? Or does the hostess want to make a separate kitchen that will only be used for its intended purpose?

Of course, advice on organizing small kitchens can relate to the choice of colors, furniture, decor elements, lighting. With regard to the color scheme, we recommend using light shades. The most popular for the kitchen are various natural or coffee shades. Choose transparent blue, pale pink, light green, light gray. Keep in mind that popular warm shades make the room smaller. For example, when choosing a coffee color scheme, add more lighting effects to compensate for the visual reduction in space. Cool shades enhance the room. Their use is especially recommended in the southern regions, as they still give the impression of coolness in the hot season.

To visually increase the space, not only walls, but also the ceiling can be used as an experimental plane. Many designers expand the space of a narrow kitchen precisely due to the design of the ceiling. Ceiling zoning involves zoning the kitchen into several parts, this allows you to smooth out visual imbalances. Architectural and plaster elements add depth to the light-colored ceiling. Artificial beams are located along the main axis of the room, because if placed laterally, the ceiling would visually become lower. In this version, due to the light and dark contrast, the impression of additional space is created.

Narrow kitchen design with dining area

Whenever possible, in narrow kitchens, it is better to use "open" shelves, which create the feeling of additional space. Use transparent elements, for example, chairs in a small kitchen should have transparent or open backs.

Preferences when choosing furniture for a narrow kitchen should also shift towards light colors and minimalist shapes. However, not all owners prefer minimalism, and good-quality classic furniture in a small kitchen requires compensatory elements and thoughtful lighting. Sophisticated lighting is capable of modeling and adjusting space.

To maximize the functional space of the room, in narrow kitchens they use the space under the windows. This little trick greatly expands the room. For visual expansion, other horizontals are used, they will be provided by modest, but so cute, simple curtains, as well as French blinds. In small rooms, heavy curtains are unacceptable. Furniture should not be massive, large elements visually reduce the room, and sofas in the kitchen-living room are chosen with a preference for light colors. When choosing, it is better to dwell on simple shapes without exquisite detailing and modest sizes of upholstered furniture. Multiple details visually reduce the space.

Functional filling of the kitchen space under the window

Design of a small hallway and living room

Small hallways are more common than small living rooms, but in practice you have to deal with both problems. There are simple and affordable methods for expanding space in small rooms. It will be about the use of photographic images with a linear perspective as wallpaper. There are ready-made wallpaper, you can also make them yourself. The required image is printed on a large format printer.

Photographs with linear perspective expand the space of the room

The perspective play can be applied in a different context. You can select an attention-grabbing object and place it at the farthest point in the room, resulting in a broadening perspective effect. The room will become larger and as if filled with air.

Photo wallpaper Evergreen Highway with window effect by Mr Perswall

To expand the room, it is recommended to make the floor glossy, self-leveling floors with a mother-of-pearl effect will look great. In small rooms, mirrors will be a saving element. In this case, their direct functionality is not considered at all, their task is to multiple reflect light. In small rooms, furniture should be installed strictly along the walls, the central arrangement of furniture will reduce the room. Try to use furniture with glass inserts. When arranging furniture, place it in the corners, so the interior looks more interesting. When choosing furniture, you need to focus on more squat models. And the curtains in such rooms should be weightless and transparent.

The use of large parts in small interiors is controversial. Large details, placed along the walls, give the interior a monumentality, thereby pushing the real boundaries of space. On the other hand, large elements are able to visually divide the room. An interesting solution would be to use a photo wallpaper with a window effect. Such large elements with a linear perspective multiply the boundaries of the room.

Interesting interior idea

The interior should not be static and boring. Create an image, place it indoors with minimal distortion. For example, the entrance hall can be made as a pavement with a panoramic view of the city. Be attentive to details: the tiles should resemble the pavement as much as possible, the ceiling can be made with the image of a real sky, realized using stretch ceiling technology, the hallway lighting should resemble street lighting.

Linear perspective photographs can depict not only landscapes but also city views, such as a busy street or intersection where many people are waiting. Such a creative approach to decoration will ensure the genuine delight of your guests. Your hallway will not only get bigger, but also fill with life.