Architects Andrey Stube, Nadezhda Kablukova Photo: Sergey Ananiev

Small apartment - a reason to turn to original techniques. As practice shows, it is in small apartments that it is possible to create an interior with a recognizable face. Every “little thing” is of decisive importance, starting with the arrangement of the boundaries of the premises and ending with the dimensions of the furnishings and decor. You just need to use the "reserves" and pick up optimal solutions.

Method 1. Think carefully about zoning

There is no need to turn a small apartment into a studio devoid of internal partitions: there will be problems with the placement of the necessary furniture, the modest size of the room will become noticeable, and the feeling of security and comfort will disappear.

If possible, it is better to arrange a separate bedroom or place it in an alcove; the entrance hall should be partially separated from the reception area to make it easier to maintain cleanliness and provide psychological comfort. Also suitable for this purpose mobile systems (sliding doors or curtains, screens, screens): they allow you to add variety, change the proportions and atmosphere in the room.

Architect Olga Simagina. Photo: Vitaly Ivanov

Furniture can perform the function of a separator between neighboring zones: a bar counter that replaces a regular table, a high back of a sofa, a chest of drawers - this technique helps to create a feeling of lightness and spaciousness. A good option for studio planning is a free-standing compact partition (up to the ceiling or not very high), which separates the kitchen-dining room and living room, adjacent to one wall or with a circular bypass.

Method 2. Prefer white and light shades

Architect Evgenia Veryovkina. Photo: Olga Rikli

White walls visually expand the interior, and in combination with a white ceiling, they raise the upper plane. The effect of depth is created by black and dark gray, but these colors require an impeccable arrangement of the rest of the details. Refuse large patterns and bright contrasts, choose small, soft patterns; remember that horizontal lines "expand" the interior, vertical - "pull" it in height.

Designer Natalia Lebedeva. Photo: Zinon Razutdinov

Glossy stretch ceilings also contribute to the "increase" of the scale. Wall murals on one wall or in a wall depicting a street or landscape going deep into the interior turn into a kind of huge window and "push back" the boundary of the room.

Method 3: Use mirrors and reflective surfaces

Architect Yulia Chernyaeva. Photo: Alexander Kamachkin

The more air and light in the apartment, the more spacious it looks. Glare and reflective surfaces help to create a similar impression: glossy light (rarely dark) cabinet fronts, glass mosaics, panels made of glass, transparent or matt glossy partitions, countertops and display cabinets.

Designer Svetlana Yurkova. Photo: Sergey Kuznetsov

The mirror is able to "double" the volume of the room, the main thing is to choose a suitable place for it (preferably opposite the window or passage to the next room). A solid panel can be replaced with a mirror panel, made up of fragments, with a facet made on them.

Method 4. Do not buy ready-made furniture

Architect Yulia Levina. Photo: Sergey Kuznetsov

In small apartments, even a couple of centimeters can be of fundamental importance, so when you can’t find a piece of furniture of the right dimensions, it should be made to order. So, by slightly reducing the length of the sofa, chest of drawers or bar counter, the width of the bed, the depth of the closet, you can achieve a balance between beauty and functionality. In this case, it becomes possible to perfectly fit the furniture to the overall style.

Furniture built flush into pre-existing or specially built niches helps to create a solid, comfortable space. It is very important that cabinets or other elements of the composition fit exactly into them in depth - even facades that slightly protrude beyond the wall line look sloppy and interfere with movement. In pursuit of storage reserves, it is important not to overdo it: you should not occupy all the walls with shelves or cabinets; in the racks, closed sections should be alternated with open ones. The bedroom and the hallway do not need to be overloaded with furniture, and the work area and the kitchen, on the contrary, can be “compacted” - the main thing is that it is convenient to move around in the premises.

Method 5. Do not close the windows with "powerful" curtains

Designer Zhanna Studentsova. Photo: Svetlana Ignatenko

Curtains optically reduce the depth of the interior, besides, the more textile "decorations" on the window, the smaller the room seems. If the window opens beautiful view, you can do without curtains or provide roller blind according to the size of the opening to visually increase the space.

If the landscape is not pleasing or there is too much sunlight, use light translucent roller blinds, Roman blinds with a stingy pattern, horizontal blinds by size window opening. The asymmetrical curtain looks good (on one side of the window opening).

Can be equipped workplace, below it - storage spaces (providing holes for circulation warm air from the radiator).

Method 6: Make the most of your space

Architects Mark Safronov, Natalia Sirbu. Photo: Ilya Ivanov, Yuri Afanasiev

Each apartment, as a rule, has hidden reserves. free space, allowing you to successfully solve storage problems - especially under the ceiling and on the floor line. So, instead of cabinets and bedside tables with legs, it is better to choose floor models, purchase folding sofas with drawers for bed linen.

Useful and - built-in or combined with a free-standing cabinet. Hinged kitchen modules should be “duplicated” with a second row of cabinets up to the ceiling and rarely used items should be sent there (and not necessarily intended for use in the kitchen).

Architects Andrei Stube, Nadezhda Kablukova. Photo: Sergey Ananiev

A small hallway will be visually unloaded by sports equipment attached to the upper part of the walls (skateboard, bicycle). For books, open shelves right under the ceiling are suitable; you can also place cardboard or plastic boxes with various little things there. And so that the room does not seem cramped, select furniture that will look like a continuation of the walls, without contrasting with them in color and finish.

Method 7. Do not block the corridor and windows

Designer Artemy Saranin. Photo: Artemy Saranin

Think over the trajectories of movement around the apartment in advance: in a small apartment, nothing irritates and creates a feeling of tightness like protruding corners and too narrow aisles (the minimum width of a corridor or hallway is 80 cm). The gap between the entrance hall and the reception area (living room and separate kitchen) should not be occupied door leaf: a long open perspective with alternating different plans deepens the space.

Do not block window zones with massive furniture, free up space between the window and the door: even small rooms will seem spacious, because the view from the window or even the light opening, covered transparent curtain, is perceived as a continuation of the interior. Good insolation also helps visual magnification rooms.

Method 8. First identify bottlenecks, then buy doors

Architect Alexandra Ostankova. Photo: Andrey Kocheshkov

Before choosing type and design interior doors and furniture facades, it is necessary to determine the bottlenecks - for them, not hinged, but sliding models are best suited. The latter are also optimal in cases where several doors are adjacent to a small patch. In order not to emphasize the modest scale of the premises, match the doors and their frames to the color of the walls. Doors can be complemented by discreet decor.

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How to choose wallpaper for a small room: 6 golden rules

White expands, a large print steals space, and textured wallpapers are completely unacceptable - forget about these stereotypes. Here are some really good advice, which will tell you how to choose the right wallpaper for a small room and which will add to your room square meters due to the visual effect.

Rule 1: choose the right print

Do you like wallpaper with a large or bright print, but you are afraid that the room will look smaller than a shoe box? In vain. The right approach to the selection of a large print in wall decoration, on the contrary, allows you to visually expand the room.

As for the right approach to choosing a pattern, I can recommend the following:

• The use of a print that almost merges with the background makes the room airy and spacious;

• The combination of a large print with plain walls allows not only to visually expand the room, but also to make it more comfortable and homely;

• The combination of wallpaper with a large pattern with a plain drapery visually elevates the ceiling - take this into account if your ceilings are low;

• The combination of a large print on the walls with a single-color drapery makes the windows larger, and at the same time enlarges the oversized room;
• A similar effect can be achieved using a set of plain furniture, coupled with a large pattern on the walls;

• Two zones aged in one color scheme, make each of the two conditional rooms more spacious and functional;

• The use of designer wallpaper with a retro print allows you to visually move the sofa away from the wall behind which the dressing room is located;

• The horizontal pattern contributes to the visual expansion of space;

• Just as a horizontal pattern stretches a room, a vertical pattern stretches a room upward;

The following example shows which wallpaper is better not to choose for pasting all the walls in a small room. The stark contrast between the background and the pattern is very eye-catching, and even the red pillows don't help the situation.

In the photo - a bright print on the wallpaper is too intrusive

Rule 2: looking for the right strip

Are you crazy about stripes, but don't risk using them to decorate the walls in a tiny room? You've probably seen the "wrong" stripe. Depending on the desired effect, striped wallpaper can and should be used in small spaces.

How can a vertical strip help?

In the presence of low ceilings, I recommend decorating the walls with vertical striped wallpaper. And if the drawing and the background do not differ much in color, you will achieve a double effect, because your room will become more spacious. This is a great option for those who want to pick up wallpaper for a small dark room.

A vertical strip can lighten the room, even if the design is dominated by a rather dark and deep color. Due to the gradation of different shades of the dominant color, the interior softens and becomes more elegant.

This effect can be created with purple, turquoise, burgundy, gray and brown wallpapers.

Where there is clearly a lack of a high ceiling, a vertical strip comes to the rescue. Feel free to use this pattern indoors.

What can a horizontal stripe do?

If your goal is to visually expand the room, a horizontal strip will help. The thinner the strip, the more noticeable the effect. Wide stripes will practically not change the proportions of the walls. Take a look at your home and decide which ones are right for you.

You will need a thin horizontal wallpaper if you live in a "Stalin" or in a house with high ceilings.

Important points for gluing

So, how to glue striped wallpaper so that they play in your favor? The instruction is simple:

1. It is important to choose a drawing with maximum accuracy, so I advise you to buy one roll more than you counted by footage;
2. Before gluing, take care of a perfectly flat surface - putty and then prime the walls;
3. When the striped canvases lie on even walls, only then will the visual effects of the striped wallpaper come into play.

Rule 3: choose the invoice

embossed wallpaper, different shades or plain, designed for small spaces. The fact is that the presence of a texture, even the smallest one, will affect the perception of a room by a person. The more pronounced the relief on the coating, the more tangibly the shadows contrast with the light, and this gives volume.

If you have a question, what kind of wallpaper to glue without first leveling the walls, I definitely advise you textured ones. The presence of the relief lubricates the original plane and creates a new one, with an uneven, and therefore advantageous in this case, coating.

How much do textured wallpapers cost

Flizelin has optimal qualities: durability, wear resistance, environmental friendliness. Therefore, the price of such paintings is quite justified.

Rule 4: pay attention to shine

In addition to relief, walls in a small room need surfaces that can reflect light. Glossy, iridescent, shiny canvases are just what you need in such situations.

This technique is effective in various manifestations. You can decorate the entire room with glitter canvases, and you can also decorate one or two walls, enhancing the accent.

What color fabrics to choose? The most advantageous colors are selected according to the principle of contrast - gold on medium and dark brown, silver on medium and dark gray, gold on turquoise. A golden pattern on a white background looks no less impressive.

How much will glitter canvases cost?

Wallpaper with glitter, mainly made from textiles. The material looks great, resistant to sunlight, environmentally friendly.

Rule 5: accent wall

One of my favorite tricks, which I can recommend to everyone and everyone, is accent wall. The use of an accent wall can not only decorate your home, but also make it more spacious.

What colors to choose for accents? Basically, I advise you to choose a color or print that contrasts with the rest of the surfaces in the room.

When there is an unusual ornament or an intense color in the interior (except for yellow and red), I recommend choosing a color similar to this color or print.

As an accent, you can use not the whole wall, but only a part. It can be a headboard, a y zone, or any other place that deserves special attention.

The location of the accent wall also depends on the furniture of the room, the location of the openings (windows and doors) and, of course, on your preferences.

Rule 6: Perspective on photo wallpapers

Photowall-paper photowall-paper strife. Therefore, when pasting a wall with macro photography of a flower, think about how visually the parameters of your tiny home will decrease. But an image that carries light and perspective is ideal for decorating a wall in a small room.

A few words about how to glue photo wallpapers beautifully:

• Remove the old coating, including adhesive residue;
• Fill all irregularities with putty - for an impeccable result, you need a perfectly flat surface;
• Apply the primer to the wall, in two coats, to ensure that the two surfaces adhere well;
• Lay out the wallpaper on the floor front side down, and carefully make a markup;
• Sticking start from the corner or from the window - this will be the starting point;
• Avoid drafts when gluing.

Following my advice, you can stick photo wallpaper with your own hands. Even if you've never done it before.

findings

So you got acquainted with how to arrange a small living space. And although this article will not add real footage to your apartment, now you know how to create such an appearance. If you have any questions, ask them in the comments to the material.

October 30, 2016

If you want to express gratitude, add a clarification or objection, ask the author something - add a comment or say thanks!

Compact furniture and visual tricks in this article will help you visually enlarge the interior of any room in the house. You will learn how to save space, visually expand the area, raise the ceilings and make a small room as light and bright as possible. We bring to your attention 7 secrets on how to visually enlarge the room!

1. How to save space in a small room: smart furniture

When shopping for furniture for a small room, you can save a lot of space by opting for shallow cabinetry (especially for kitchens, bathrooms, and entryways), narrow armrests, and thin legs. The latter will help not only visually enlarge the room, but also simplify the cleaning process, while furniture without legs will look much more massive and accumulate dust under it.

1. A sliding or folding table that can be expanded when guests visit. Just stock up on extra folding chairs that can be hidden against a wall or in a closet. Choose a table model with wheels to make it easier to move.
2. Bar counter, which can also act as a narrow dining table, kitchen island, window sill or even a partition between the kitchen and the living room.
3. Sofa with lifting mechanism and storage space. It is convenient to hide bed linen, bedspreads and various old things in it. Armrests can be equipped with additional shelves for decor and accessories.
4. A folding wardrobe bed that solves the problem of decorating small single or two-room apartments as well as .
5. Banquettes and ottomans with a hinged lid and a cavity inside.

Finally, built-in corner furniture make the most of the available space. Corner hallways, a reading chair in the living room, a built-in wardrobe above the head of the bed and similar solutions will make the interior of the home more comfortable and interesting.

2. Optical illusion: transparent and mirror interior items

3. How to visually expand the room: horizontal lines

Choose wallpaper with horizontal lines or sheathe the walls wooden planks to visually expand narrow room. The striped path will play the same role in the hallway or corridor. In general, in small rooms it is better to refuse to use carpets, as they visually break up the space and make it narrower.

4. Enlarge space with lighting

Lighting up every dark corner and avoiding massive pendant lights is another way to make a small room look bigger. Use oversized ceiling lamps, behind the sofa and armchairs, sconces above the tables, built-in spotlights and led lights that will not steal your free space.

5. What color expands the space of the room: choose wallpaper for the walls

What wall color is best for a small room? And how to visually enlarge the room with wallpaper? Here are some photo ideas!

For a free and fresh atmosphere, choose light, natural and pastel shades of beige, gray, green and blue. Fashionable olive and mint tones. Pair them with white and different textures for a more expressive design. Please note that wallpaper for walls is best chosen with medium to large, but not small patterns, which can make a small room look crowded.

A good option is to design the walls and furniture in one color. The interior will look cohesive and spacious, and colorful accents can be introduced with vases, indoor plants, sofa cushions and other accessories.

High shelves, shelving and cabinets to the ceiling will help you make the most of the space and also make it look taller. Just as horizontal stripes expand a room, vertical accents help lift the ceiling. Therefore, instead of one wide wardrobe in the living room, it is better to put two narrow, but high ones. Two tall showcases for decoration, kitchen cabinets to the ceiling and shelving with open shelves are also suitable for this role.

7. How to visually enlarge a room with curtains

A small room needs good natural light. Therefore, the curtains here should emphasize the windows, leaving them open. Ordinary long curtains are well suited for this, which can make the room taller if they are decorated in bright color(like vertical stripes). On the other hand, for a small room, you can safely choose curtains for wallpaper, stripes and sheer tulle. simple cut. It would be better to refuse lush French curtains, as well as any decor on the windowsills.

Thank you for your attention!

Small space: how to visually enlarge the room? updated: December 5, 2016 by: Margarita Glushko

Who among us has not dreamed of a cozy cottage or an old estate like those where the heroines of Jane Austen's novels live? Alas, the reality is harsh: many have to be content with a modest one-room apartment in panel house. But if we are not able to change the footage, then filling our home with light and at least visually making it more spacious is available to everyone.

Choosing a wallpaper

With the right wallpaper, you can transform any room beyond recognition and even make a miniature room visually spacious.

You can increase the space of the room if you paste over the walls light wallpaper soft cold shades - blue, silver-gray, mint, ash-pink.

It is better if they are monophonic, with a small discreet pattern or embossing. Wallpaper in large roses or with wide stripes will create the opposite effect - they will turn an already cramped room into a box.

Room square shape will acquire the missing depth if the wall farthest from the entrance is pasted over with photo wallpapers with a calm landscape.

A room with a low ceiling will become visually higher if you take wallpaper with vertical stripes. But in their use there is little nuance. To achieve the desired effect, walls are pasted over with such wallpaper up to the very ceiling, laying a narrow, concise design, white along the contour. ceiling plinth. Resist the temptation to run a strip cut from the same wallpaper along the top edge. This will make the ceiling in your room even lower.

Also, in a small room, it is undesirable to use wallpaper of two colors that are very different from one another, and to cover the junction with a noticeable border.
But almost the same technique will help to increase the height of the ceiling, if you take the wallpaper of the same color, but for the upper part - plain, and for the panels - with a pattern, or make the lower part of the walls plain, and the top and ceiling - striped.

And one more trick: if you want the rooms to seem higher, during the repair, before painting the walls or sticking wallpaper, round the joints between the ceiling and walls. Then you will not have to resort to various tricks so often.

Laying the right floor

If you want to make the room seem more spacious, opt for light shades of the floor: ceramic tiles– for bathroom and toilet, laminate or parquet – for bedroom or living room.

Pay attention to how the tiles or parquet dice will be laid. Placed longitudinally, they will help make the room elongated, and if laid diagonally, the room will appear much larger than its true size.

When choosing a carpet or rug, give preference to plain models in pastel shades. Catchy, with a contrasting pattern, visually reduce the already small space.

If you decide to visually expand the space, remember that the longitudinal stripes look very elegant. You can't go wrong with this type of flooring.

Don't skimp on mirrors

With the help of mirrors, you can create a real miracle, because the space reflected in them is doubled! Of course, it’s not worth turning an entire wall into a solid mirror, otherwise the room will look like a ballet class.

A low room will make a tall (from ceiling to floor), but not too wide mirror more spacious. You will immediately feel that the room has become different.

Do you want your living room to look not only fresh, but also balanced? Place the mirror so that your favorite plants are reflected in it: three or four pots will turn a cramped room into a real greenhouse.

You can also visually enlarge the bathroom with the help of a mirror, which, according to the good old tradition, is hung over the sink. It is not only practical, but also beautiful. A light monochromatic tile will enhance the effect.

We hang curtains

In a small apartment, “clothes for windows” must obey all the same requirements - be plain or with a discreet pattern and, if possible, translucent. Too voluminous, with heavy folds and a complex lambrequin, the curtains will do it already small room even tighter.

In the design of windows, try to avoid layering. Transparent tulle with light curtains can be successfully replaced with a denser material without adding anything to it.

If you are uncomfortable in a too open room, you can limit yourself to Roman blinds or textiles. roller blinds. By the way, it is not at all necessary to supplement them with ordinary curtains, and tulle will be completely superfluous.

Do you consider curtains an indispensable attribute? window decor? Well, your right! Just try and use it wisely. In a room with low ceilings, window curtains should be attached just under the ceiling, allowing lush folds to freely fall to the floor.

Did you have the dubious “happiness” of living in a house with narrow windows? Outside, there is nothing to help here, but inside you can combine two such windows with a common cornice, and take a translucent dense tulle as a decor. The room will look much more harmonious. But you should not use this technique if you have windows of a standard size: it is impractical, washing and ironing such huge curtains is very inconvenient, and hanging them is a real torment. In addition, a long horizontal strip of fabric draping the entire wall does not decorate the interior at all.

We arrange furniture

Owners of small apartments need to pay great attention to the choice of material from which the furniture is made. Coffee tables of the same size and shape, the tops of which are made of glass and wood, look completely different: wooden - solid and heavy, glass (though often heavier) - almost weightless.

They seem so light and airy glass shelves. The feeling of spaciousness will become even stronger if you place a white planter with a weaving plant (for example, cissus or asparagus Sprenger) on such a shelf, and attach a large mirror to the wall in a discreet frame or without it at all.

Glass objects are a win-win option: they visually enlarge a small room. A well-maintained aquarium in the living room, beautiful glasses or original glasses in the kitchen, elegant photo frames in the bedroom are just a small part of where glass can be used.

Life hacks for expanding space for different types of premises

And finally, one more piece of advice: without neglecting the words of professionals, listen to your own feelings. Designers' recommendations are of a general nature, but only you can make your home, even a small one, cozy and unique.

It would seem that not the easiest question is how to enlarge a room, there are many solutions. By playing with color, texture and lighting, you can significantly increase the lack of space in the room. These techniques are especially relevant in standard city apartments and Khrushchevs. Most suitable for decorating a compact apartment Scandinavian style, minimalism, hi-tech.

What colors make the space bigger?

Everyone known fact that the lighter the shade, the larger the object appears. The same technique applies to interior solutions. In order to visually increase the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room, it is worth using the finish in light colors: white and cold pastel shades. Furniture should also be used in a light color, but different in tone from the walls, ceiling and floor. For example, it can be a delicate pastel range.

The photo shows a compact kitchen in Khrushchev. In order to visually increase the area, the room was decorated in bright colors.

How to decorate the walls?

What wallpaper enlarges the room

Using some finishing tricks, you can push the boundaries of the room and visually enlarge the room.

• Vertical stripes elongate the space, making it taller;

• Wallpaper with horizontal stripes will increase the width of the room;

In the photo, the wall is decorated with wallpaper with horizontal stripes, this type of decoration visually increases the width of the room.

• One of the walls can be pasted over with wallpaper with a pattern or ornament; this technique will make a long room more proportional;

• Flashy bright colors should be avoided;
• Walls can be decorated with wallpaper with a shiny surface;

In the photo, the accent wall in the bedroom is decorated with gold wallpaper with a shiny surface.

• You can use wallpaper with a small pattern or discreet pattern, they will increase the volume.

What drawings enlarge the room

It would seem that simple drawings and geometric shapes miraculously affect our perception. The same pattern for different color, scale or location change dramatically appearance premises.

• Volumetric drawing on one of the walls (photo 1). A large drawing shortens the room, visually bringing the wall on which it is located closer. This type of finish is suitable for long narrow rooms. The image will shorten the length and expand the space.
• Small patterns (photo 2). A small pattern of a light shade opposite visually enlarges the space, making it voluminous.
• Horizontal stripes (photo 3). Transverse stripes can increase the width and stretch the walls. However, a low ceiling effect may occur. In the case of wallpaper with horizontal stripes on only one wall, the room will appear shorter.
• Vertical stripes (photo 4). Vertical stripes, on the contrary, stretch the space, making it taller. The thickness of the strips enhances this effect.
• Horizontal stripes on the floor (photo 5). As with wallpaper, horizontal stripes make the room look wider but shorter. This method of decoration is suitable for disproportionate rooms.
• Longitudinal stripes (photo 6). Vertical stripes deepen the room, making it longer. As with wallpaper, the width of the stripes enhances the effect.

Wall mural that enlarges the room

The image can increase or vice versa reduce the area of ​​​​the room.

• Wall murals with an image going into the distance will make the room bigger;
• An unpromising image will reduce the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room;
• Photowall-paper with the image of different texture will allow you to create a play of light, which will also add volume;
• Wall murals with a shiny surface will increase the area due to reflective properties;
• Wall murals with an image moving from dark to light shade will make the room taller;
• You should not paste over all the walls of the room with photo wallpaper, they will have the opposite result, one or two will be enough.

Ways to increase due to the ceiling

The easiest and most popular way to enlarge a room with a ceiling is to make a tensile structure with a glossy surface. Mirror material due to reflective properties will double the space. An interesting solution there will be a combined ceiling, a combination of matte and glossy material can create an unusual composition, increasing precious square meters.

In the photo, the ceiling in the living room is decorated with a tensile structure with a glossy surface.

A disproportionate room can be leveled by combining colors. A strip of a darker shade across an elongated room will make it appear wider. The same effect can be achieved with ceiling beams, a few straight lines. wooden beams will be sufficient.

Another way to increase the space is photo printing with the image of the sky.

The choice of flooring

Flooring, like other surfaces, are performed mainly in light shades. For the living room, you can use laminate, linoleum or carpet, it is better to choose a solid color or with a small discreet pattern.

Laminate and parquet can be laid out diagonally or in a herringbone pattern, so the room looks more spacious.

They also use already familiar stripes, the direction in any of the directions will increase the room in the desired direction.

In the photo, horizontal stripes make a narrow kitchen visually wider.

Self-leveling floor with a reflective effect will double the space.

How to increase the height of the room?

There are several ways to make a room taller. One of them is wall decoration. Vertical stripes or patterns on the wallpaper will "stretch" the wall. It can be wallpaper, painting or hand painting.

Wall murals with a perspective image, for example, a receding path in the forest or a high waterfall, will have the same result.

The photo shows wallpaper with a perspective image (a receding pier), helping to visually increase the height of a small bedroom.

You can increase the height of the room with the help of high door and window openings. Curtains or tulle with a straight cut from ceiling to floor will also contribute to this.

Mirrors are a stylish way to significantly increase the area, such as a tall mirror on the wall or a composition of small mirrors on the ceiling.

How to visually expand a narrow room?

You can expand a narrow room quite simple means without resorting to construction work. What to do if you got a room of imperfect proportions? It is necessary to take up their “correction” already at the stage of repair and finishing.

• Elements will help to visually expand a narrow room, guiding the gaze "across" space. Floors that have pronounced stripes, such as laminate or patterned linoleum, are best run along a short wall or at an angle. Laid along a long wall, such coatings will further narrow the room. Another option is to use a monophonic coating, for example, carpet, linoleum without a pattern, cork.
• Wall covering will also help expand a narrow room. Feel free to use horizontal stripe on end surfaces. Wide stripes and well-chosen colors will help enhance the expansion effect.
• Alternatively, try paint short walls bright, juicy colors, and long ones - in neutral, or use wallpaper with an inconspicuous pattern on them. This technique will help to “compress” the room in the right direction, it will become more “square”.
• Ceiling beams, parallel to the short sides of the room, will also help to perceive it differently, visually expand the narrow room. They can be purely decorative, made of drywall. Such a solution is very appropriate in today's popular Mediterranean style of housing design.
• Try abandon the standard rectangular space. For example, suspended ceiling a custom shape can change the look and expand a narrow room. Painting the walls not with planes, but with curly elements will support this effect. But such complex design options are best left to professional designers.

If you don’t plan to do repairs, but you want to visually expand a narrow room, you can use simple and accessible techniques for everyone.

• If possible, remove furniture from long walls, do not be afraid to put furniture across, for example, a cabinet at the end of a short wall or place furniture against a wall with a window - you can put desk, it is functionally convenient and allows you to visually expand a narrow room.
• Divide the total by functional areas using a shelving unit that is open on both sides and placed perpendicular to a long wall - this technique will allow you to split the space and correct unfavorable proportions.
• Play with light. It is better to refuse a standard chandelier in the center of the ceiling. Spotlights placed in the center of the ceiling will help expand a narrow room if their light is directed to the walls.
• Hang a picture, a spectacular poster or a large decorative element (for example, a clock with a large dial) on the end wall, this will attract attention, the rest of the walls should be in neutral colors.

Make a room look bigger with mirrors and glass

Reflective surfaces are the most common and effective way to increase the boundaries of space. With the help of mirrors, even the most compact room will seem spacious.

In the photo, the accent wall is decorated with mirrored canvases that make the bedroom visually more spacious.

A high mirror starting from the floor itself will add volume to the room, forming a passage to another room without any obstacles. It should be borne in mind that covering more than one wall with mirrors is not the most good option, instead of a stylish living room or bedroom, you get a real ballet studio, devoid of comfort and homely atmosphere.

Mirrors can have different shapes and frames; with unusual frames, they will also play the function of a decorative element of the apartment. Curly mirrors can make an unusual composition on the wall or ceiling, they will unobtrusively increase the volume.

Another common way to increase space is to stretch ceiling with glossy surface.

The perfect solution would be to install mirrored or glossy furniture.

False fireplace with mirror inner wall will be an interesting design decision. Such decoration takes up a minimum amount of space, while creating the illusion of passage to another room.

If it is necessary to separate rooms, a glass partition will perform the function of the wall. It will not create the impression of a closed space, but will divide the room into zones.

Photo of compact furniture and decor

When choosing furniture for a small room, you should give preference to low items. For example, instead of high bar stools, put a stool or ottoman, a bed without a high headboard or a sofa with a low back.

Weightless transparent furniture performs its direct functions, while not overloading the space, it can be plastic chairs and a table with a glass surface.

The photo shows a transparent dining group in the interior of a small kitchen.

Pieces of furniture should be placed along the walls so that the central part of the room remains free.

Interior details and accessories are best used in a vertical form. Such techniques will help visually increase the height of the ceiling.

Concerning decorative elements, then there should not be many of them, otherwise you can get a feeling of clutter.

Choice of curtains

Window decoration plays an important role in the design of the apartment. The selected material and cut will fill the room with space or, on the contrary, overload it.

• Tulle white color from ceiling to floor will visually enlarge the windows, respectively fill the room with light and stretch the space;

• Light textile curtains with a small pattern are suitable for decorating the windows of the living room and nursery;

• Roller blinds or Roman blinds will save space and become ideal option for the kitchen or nursery;

• Some styles allow you not to use curtains at all, for example: minimalism, loft, Scandinavian.

Choosing the right lighting

In a small apartment, it is worth using diffused light. Bright chandeliers with transparent shades or open light are not suitable for a small room. It is more appropriate to use lamps and chandeliers with frosted glass shades or a light shade.

To increase the width of the room, use a spot lighting system around the entire perimeter.

An interesting effect will give the backlight from the LED strip. The tape, recessed in a two-tier structure, will create the impression of a soaring ceiling.

Same way led strip pieces of furniture can be trimmed.

In the photo, the bed in the children's room is highlighted with LED strip.

How to visually make the bathroom bigger?

In a small bath best idea will be the decoration of walls and floors tiles light shades. White tiles will fill the bathroom with light as much as possible and visually increase the area.

Combining two colors good option the horizontal line will become a brighter shade, this will expand the walls.

Finishing the ceiling with metal panels with a mirror finish will increase the space.

A large mirror above the sink will also play a role.

In the photo, white tiles fill the bathroom with light, and the mirror above the sink visually enlarges its area.

Choice of lighting Spotlights and mirror lighting.

An important role is played by furniture, for example, shelves recessed into the wall and a narrow sink. You can save usable space by placing washing machine under the sink.

Even the most compact apartment can be made comfortable by placing everything you need for life. Modern technologies allow you to create miniature appliances and mobile furniture that save the maximum amount of free space. And repairs in the right shades will increase the space and make the house cozy.