Small apartments or small rooms, lack of space is one of the major problems of our urban interiors. If you can't push the walls to make the room bigger, there are some decorating tips to optimize the space. Light shades, brightness, practical and modular furniture, it only takes next to nothing to visually gain square meters!
Clarity above all, from floor to ceiling
A dark room, even if large, will look small, cramped and give a feeling of confinement. To gain brightness, you should not hesitate to focus on light colors. All shades of white, beige or pastels are recommended, as well as cool colors such as light blues or greens, for painting walls.
If the room is really narrow, the best solution is to opt for a ceiling and floor color that is darker than that of the walls. In all other cases, it is better to keep the same color for the tiles, parquet floors or carpets as in the rest of the room, so as to create an impression of continuity and therefore visually enlarge the space.
If you choose wallpaper in preference to paint, it is preferable to choose it plain because patterns that are too present and repetitive will tend to block the vision and make the room heavier. For those who still care about color, we recommend playing with vertical stripes to gain height or horizontal stripes to gain width, or on contrasts by opting for a single wall or a single wide strip of painted wall. a more intense shade or a warm color.
Favor light, natural or not
Always with the same desire to enlarge the space by focusing on clarity, we will not hesitate to clear the windows as much as possible. No heavy, dark, drooping curtains. We will choose blinds, sheers or linen curtains, airy and light which will let in maximum light.
We forget the indirect lighting of repeating lamps which clutter the space and obstruct vision, as well as the halogens which diffuse light from bottom to top and crush the ceiling. To enlarge a small space, in addition to natural light, the ideal light must come from above. Ceiling lights, pendant lights, integrated spotlights, we need to see clearly!
Be careful, however, not to overdo it, lighting is not illuminating: a tip that works, choose dimmer lighting allowing you to adjust the intensity of the light according to the time of day, the seasons and your lifestyle. To help increase the brightness of a room and contribute to the illusion of its enlargement, mirrors are valuable allies. One condition, however, is to choose them in a large size and above all not to position them facing a window, which would completely lose effectiveness since they no longer reflect the light inwards.
Hung or placed on the floor, a long mirror will add height to your room, while a wider one will help to erase the cramped effect of a narrow room. And why not dare to play with mirrors by installing them face to face or adorning a wall or an entire section of wall with a huge mirror?
Useful furniture for a tidy room
Nothing worse than clutter in a small space! Piles of books, objects piled up and placed on the furniture, so many dust nests and so many obstacles to the view which shrink the room.
Nothing should stop the eye, so we will favor low and practical furniture. Sober and refined lines, numerous and discreet storage spaces, anything that could clash with the vision must disappear. And for that, there’s nothing like modular furniture.
In a bedroom you will opt for a storage bed with a large storage area. In a small apartment, the convertible sofa is the ideal bed. And in a studio, the bed cabinet allows you to optimize space while maintaining a practical, comfortable and decorative aspect.
A cupboard with sliding doors will house folding chairs which can be combined with a lift-up coffee table or an extendable console for a practical and ephemeral dining room.
Everything that folds, stores, hides or slides makes life easier, helps save space and clears the view, thus giving the impression of increased surface area. So many ideas that can be found at Maison du Convertible, a space-saving specialist for many years.
