Interior & Design
THIS IS HOW YOU USE COLOR TO MAKE A ROOM LOOK BIGGER
It doesn't all have to be crisp white
I myself am hysterically enthusiastic about a white house. When we painted our entire house white last year, we really chose a brand new whiter-than-white color. The gentlemen at Praxis looked at me somewhat surprised, because normally our desired color would only be suitable for ceilings, but I painted the whole house with it, with the effect that an average normal person would wear sunglasses all day. And I am still incredibly happy every day that I live in a white palace, because our favorite house (which is just an apartment of 60 square meters) looks like a palace with three bathrooms, five bedrooms, and two living areas. Very occasionally, when I see a nice color, I almost tend to grab the paintbrush, but then I look at that brand new wall and quickly take off the painter's suit again. It may bring a lot of coziness and warmth with it, but I am terrified that color will make the room look smaller.
Well. I have it all wrong. With color, you can also make your living room look big. You shouldn't turn it into a circus house, and there are indeed some rules you can best adhere to, but it is possible. And I think those gentlemen at Praxis will be very happy about that.
Tip 1
Keep it low. If you choose a black ceiling and purple walls, you can bet your bottom dollar that your house will look like a basement. Small and dark. Keep the ceilings very light in color, because then the space looks a bit higher.
Tip 2
Choose one accent color. If you choose all different colors, it quickly looks like a colorful mess and that is very distracting. With one color, you make it look optically larger. Especially if that color also comes back a bit in accessories or larger furniture items.
”Very occasionally, when I see a nice color, I almost tend to grab the paintbrush, but then I look at that brand new wall…”
Tip 3
Patterns are incredibly fun, but keep it in proportion. So if you have a large space, that space can handle larger and bolder prints. Do you have a dollhouse instead? Then choose tiny prints. With a nice detail, but not too flashy.
Tip 4
Use horizontal patterns for small rooms and vertical variants for low rooms. This way, you get the most out of the space and can make it look as big as possible.
Tip 5
Keep your color palette under good light. Because believe me, choosing a certain color can also do a lot for making the space look larger. Colors like purple and blue seem to work very well when you want to sneak in a few extra meters. So take a look at the cool color palette, then you're on the right track. If you also choose pastel? Double the number of meters.
Tip 6
You don't have to paint an entire wall right away. You can also choose to give just a part of the wall a color. In the bedroom, for example, where you paint up to a meter and leave the rest white. Or around nice photo frames, where you only give that part a color. This way, you get both a fun playful effect and immediately have a more spacious feeling when you walk into the room.
