I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, ‘make your room appear larger.’ It’s something you hear in the flooring world quite often. So does it really work? Believe it or not, the style and layout of your floor alone can make the rooms within your home feel larger or, at times, smaller.
So let’s take a look at some of the options and ideas if you’re looking to make a smaller room appear larger.
Floor Pattern
Your floor pattern has a lot to do with the how your room appears, especially with hardwood or a floating floor resembling hardwood. Depending on how you decide to arrange your floor boards, the direction they face can change a lot. If you’re going for a longer or wider look, try to place your floor boards parallel to the longer side of the room and you will create that longer look. This is a great trick to making a smaller room appear much larger.
Stay Away From The Dark Side
Darker floors are not the way to go if you want to create a visually larger room. Although dark floors provide a more elegant, sophisticated look, they may make a room seem smaller. Instead, go with a lighter color no matter the type of floor you choose. The lighter tones tend to brighten the room, creating a sense of openness. You can still go with a grey colored floor, but to be on the safe side, we recommend going with a lighter tone.
Wider the Better
One of the easiest tricks in the book is to go with wider planks, or in the case of tile, using bigger tiles. Smaller strips and tiles can make a room appear crowded, and that’s not what you want if you’re trying to create the illusion of having a larger room. Try wider boards or strips that are 3 to 5 inches in width. Or with tile, some customers are going as big as 12” x 36”, which can create a more seamless appearance, making the room seem larger.
Stay Consistent
Having the same type of flooring throughout the home is the ideal solution to creating a feeling of space and cohesion. But that’s not always how it goes, and at times, different flooring options are used throughout a home. In this case, try and stick with floors that are within the same color family. By doing this, you can create a sense of continuity and open space throughout your home.
There’s always little tricks to change the appearance of your room, and if you’ve got smaller rooms that seem crowded, try out these tricks we’ve provided. You’d be surprised how far they can go!