Esme Clemo
Unlocking the secrets of how to make a room look bigger with paint will help you maximise the perception of space in your home, making even the tiniest of rooms feel more spacious and welcoming.
Never underestimate the power of paint. More than merely offering a change of colour, how you use the latest interior paint colour trends can be equally as transformative to enhance and improve any room – it's just about knowing how.
From trompe l'oeil two-tone walls to colour-drenching techniques and using alternative shades for ceilings, there are many creative ways to make a small room look and feel bigger.
How to make a room look bigger with paint: 10 expert tricks
Try these simple ways with paint to instantly create a sense of space, with suggestions from industry experts and interior designers who know all the best tricks when decorating for maximum impact...
1. Use colour drenching to create the illusion of depth
Colour drenching is the latest interior design trend that involves saturating an entire room in one colour. This includes furniture, as well as painting walls, woodwork, and even ceilings in one cohesive colour palette that 'stretches' the space by making the walls appear endless.
"Colour drenching uses a single shade or closely related colours across everything from skirting to ceiling: walls, window frames, doors, and radiators," explains Ruth Mottershead, creative director of Little Greene.
Justyna Korczynska, senior designer at Crown, adds, "Not only does colour drenching create a contemporary, monochromatic look, but it is also an easy way of creating the illusion of bigger walls, making the room as a whole appear more spacious."
Think of a stark white skirting board as the equivalent of wearing high white socks that draw the eye down and make your trouser legs look too short in length. This is why many interior designers say painting skirting boards the same colour as the walls is a must.
In the case of walls, the effect can cut the height of the room short and therefore make the space feel smaller. This is incredibly distracting when decorating with dark paint colours, meaning in that instance it's always advisable to paint the woodwork in the same shade – with the right paint finish of course.
2. Make surfaces recede with soft shades
Light, bright colours are generally favoured to open up small or awkward spaces because they reflect natural light. Therefore, light shades create a sense of space. But many lighter tones can do the trick; it's not all about the best white paint colours.
"Probably the simplest way you can make a room appear bigger with just a bit of paint is to use pale ‘receding’ colours that make walls look further away than they are," explains Marianne Shillingford, creative director at Dulux.
"These are soft organic greens and sky blues like Dulux Willow Tree and Dulux Heritage Country Sky. Paint them on all the walls and keep the woodwork in the same colour or a delicate off-white like White Cotton."
"This offers a subtle way to bring colour into the home and open up those small spaces whilst connecting the indoor and outdoor spaces seamlessly”. This is the ideal way to make a dark room feel brighter.
3. Try a two-tone effect to add height
Trick the eyes into thinking the room is bigger than it is by painting a two-tone effect on the walls. This will add height by creating an off-centre divide that creates a taller perspective, making a small room look bigger with paint.
"A band of colour painted around the lower third of the walls teamed with a subtle off-white above and on the ceiling will help to make a room look taller and airier," advises Marianne.
For best results, split the room into thirds and paint the bottom third in a richer shade than the remaining two-thirds above, to anchor the gaze down and, in effect, extend the space between the floor and the ceiling.
All you'll need to achieve a crisp line between the two different colours is a roll of masking tape and a spirit level to ensure it's precise. We recommend Frog Tape Green Multi-Surface Painters Masking Tape, available at Amazon.
4. Paint ceilings in a colour other than white
When it comes to painting ceilings, it's commonplace to reach for white paint. However, experts recommend looking for alternative ceiling paint colours to elevate the appearance of the roof.
"Many of us paint ceilings white out of habit, which can often make a space look smaller, drawing the eye to the shape and scale of the room", explains Ruth from paint brand Little Greene. "Opt for tonal colour instead. By immersing an interior in one colour and incorporating all elements within the space, you can create a truly engaging scheme that will soften architectural detailing to create a cohesive and enveloping space."
Marianne suggests, "Popping the lid off the room and creating a sense of limitless sky by painting the ceiling in a breezy summer blue like Bright Skies. It will immediately make the space appear bigger and less hemmed in, and you will wonder why you never added a bit of colour to your ceiling before."
While the illusion of an open sky works especially well for Marianne's suggestion if blue is not your shade of choice the concept would still work in an equally soft shade such as sage green or pale grey, because the idea is simply to remove the stark white contrast that puts a figurative 'lid' on the room.
5. Disguise storage with paint
One of the most effective ways to organise a small space is by providing plenty of storage. To make a room look bigger with paint, simply painting these storage units and shelving in the same colour as the wall is a great way to make the extra storage blend in with the colour scheme. This will make the room feel more spacious and is one of the best ways to make a small living room look bigger when you can't cut down the amount of 'stuff' needed in the space.
"Tall storage furniture such as a bookcase or walls filled with shelves can quickly eclipse a room," explains Michael Rolland, Interiors expert, and MD at The Paint Shed. "An easy way of disguising it is to paint it. Try painting this furniture or shelving the same colour as the walls. This will allow them to blend into their surroundings, not making them look too daunting in a small space."
Use paint to create a continuation of colour further by choosing a tone that matches the upholstery of the sofa and other soft furnishings. This will create a seamless wall of colour (like colour drenching mentioned earlier) that will help to prevent the space from feeling overcrowded and enclosed.
6. Soften the colour above the picture rail
If you're lucky enough to have architectural details such as picture rails in your home, use this feature to your advantage by contrasting the colours above and below.
Choose a softer alternative to stark white if you are decorating with a strong colour below the rail, because often the harshness of white can draw unwanted attention, and therefore not help to make the gap work to your advantage. This is a common interior design mistake to make.
In the same way that skirting boards in stark white can gain unwanted attention, so can the area above the picture rail and ceilings, so a softer, gradual fade of colour helps to soften the line.
Ruth explains, "Many choose to use bright white in smaller spaces, assuming white will make the room appear larger; however, light neutrals and soft colours used in a tonal scheme will have the same effect whilst not appearing too stark or cold."
7. Opt for pale paint on the floor
Painting original floorboards in a light shade will help to create a sense of space by figuratively pushing the floor away from the ceiling and all four walls.
It's well known that an all-white colour scheme is ideal to make a room look and feel bigge,r thanks to the airiness and light-reflecting properties, in addition to adding a touch of the 'quiet luxury trend' to any room
Ruth offers her advice on decorating with an all-white scheme: "If you wish to use a white, opt for a well-balanced, warm white rather than a stark, bright blue-tinged white. ‘Silent White’ is a perfectly balanced, neutral-warm white. Use with its lighter and deeper versions on other walls, the ceiling, and trim to add softly-spoken depth to the room."
8. Layer metallic finishes to reflect light
The nature of metallic finishes means the surfaces become reflective, which can help to welcome light to a smaller space, instantly making it come alive and feel brighter. A metallic finish is an ideal bedroom paint colour to add a luxe touch to the decorating scheme.
"Layering metallic paint alongside a flat matt emulsion will make the colour pop and stand out, as well as create depth to a room," says Justyna.
"Or if you are feeling bold, painting the ceiling is a fun way to add something different to a room. Metallic paint will also work well in smaller rooms such as guest toilets or cloakrooms, to make them feel bigger."
Metallic paint finishes are also a great way to make a room look more expensive and luxurious on a budget.
9. Incorporate doors into the wall colour
Painting doors the same colour as walls is an extension of using the colour-drenching idea.
“Painting doors, like painting other accents, including window frames and skirting boards, the same colour as the walls, is an especially effective way of making a room feel bigger," Justyna.
Painting doors makes them seamlessly blend into the wall colour, enabling them to 'disappear' and, therefore, act like a continuation of the wall area, making the space feel bigger.
10. Embrace dark shades
Aura interior matte in Regent Green, £35.50 for 0.94ltrs, Benjamin Moore
“Be bold and play to the strengths of a small room with a rich paint colour that will create instant character,” says Helen Shaw, at Benjamin Moore. “Using dark colours will cleverly absorb the light, making the division between walls appear blurred and, in turn, the space feels deceptively bigger.”
Feeling brave? Go as dark as you can with an almost-black green or blue shade. A terracotta-toned red will work just as well and bring in warmth, too.
FAQs
What colour paint makes a room look bigger?
Colour specialist Helen Shaw, at Benjamin Moore, shares her professional opinion on paint ideas, techniques and colours to help make a small space feel bigger
“When working with smaller spaces, a lighter colour will instantly make the space feel bigger, so for many people, white is an effortless and uncomplicated choice. However, if you want the room to have a bit more personality through colour, a pastel like lilac or a subdued hue like sage green will have a similar impact with some added dynamism.
"If you opt for a pastel or subdued hue, consider adding freshness with crisp white painted woodwork, reflective surfaces and undressed windows to flood the space with natural light to further enhance the feeling of space."
Alternatively, be bold and play to the strengths of a small room with a rich paint colour that will create instant character. "A bold colour drench in a small space will instantly take it from drab to stylish and using dark colours will cleverly absorb the light, making the division between walls appear blurred and in turn the space feels deceptively bigger."
"For something a little more trend-led, consider painting the lower half of the walls in your favourite hue. This not only adds interest but will also trick the eye into making the space feel bigger with the top half of the walls in white seamlessly blend into the ceiling, making it appear further away. For the lower half, opt for a light pastel to create a relaxing feel that keeps the space open, or go for something bold, such as yellow, to instantly add character.”
How do you make a long, narrow room look wider with paint?
“When working with a narrow room, a simple yet often overlooked trick is to combine a light shade with a darker shade," says Michael Rolland, paint expert and managing director of The Paint Shed. "Using the lighter shade on adjacent walls and opting for a darker shade on the wall opposite the door can give the room a lengthened effect.
"For example, painting the hallway walls in an off-white shade to add brightness to the small space, and pairing with a terracotta orange colour will give a longer feel to the room.”
If you prefer a more statement look in your home, using vertical stripes in your narrow space could be a great option. This bold style is not only the perfect way to make a lasting first impression but can also trick the eye into thinking a room is bigger than it is.
"Subtle stripes using an off-white, cream or neutral shade as a base and pairing with a pale blue, earthy green or slightly darker neutral shade to the base can elongate the look of the room and give more light to the space, whilst adding a touch of colour.”
