expert are share their best bakshish for elevating small space .
You might not be capable to increase a room ’s square footage , but you’re able to use paint to visually flesh out the blank space . blusher offers a cheap and easy way to update a space , and when used strategically , it can visually extend ceiling tiptop and make paries retreat to create a more expansive spirit . " Color can trick the eyes and make the illusion of a larger space , " says Hannah Yeo , senior manager of color marketing at Benjamin Moore .
We turned to paint color experts to get their best painting tricks and find out which pigment colors aid make rooms look big and which ones are best to avoid . Sure , affirmation ceilingsare a fun design trend , but does paint the ceiling draw your center up or make the space look like a cave ? Similarly , many citizenry have jumped on thecolor drenchingbandwagon , but does the color trend only inclose a blank and make it calculate smaller ? Read on for our experts ' best picture tips , tricks , and techniques to make a way look larger .
Credit: Peter Molick
1. Stick with Soft Neutrals
As a oecumenical ruler of pollex , stick with soft neutral if you want to make a room look larger . " Opt for gentle , unaccented , and electroneutral smell for the walls , while incorporating bolder hues in your accoutrement , " Yeo says . These tones ruminate light or else of absorbing it to create a more expansive spirit and their gentle show has a calming , breathable outcome . " Whether througha paint chairor a colorful throw pillow , adding a few smart accent mark draws attention to the foreground , making the wall slicing into the background , " she sum .
2. Paint Trim in Rooms with Low Ceilings
" For room with abject roof , paint the trimthe same color as the walls to help the space feel marvellous by blending the trim in , " Yeo suggests . In small-scale spaces , there is power in persistence and using contrasting colors on wall and trim can create a choppy tone and break up persistence . Extending the wall color to the clipping creates a seamless transition and make a elbow room with small ceiling appear larger .
3. Stay Away from Sharp Color Contrasts
If you ’re hear to create the illusion of a larger space , in gain to avoiding pigment colour that take in light , Erika Woelfel , BEHR ’s VP of color and creative services , advises against sharp colour contrasts because they can make the room feel more enclosed . " too bold traffic pattern or gamey - contrast combinations between walls and ceilings can also disrupt the flow of the way , making it feel humble , " she says . alternatively , Woelfel suggests you focus on maintain a balanced and cohesive colour palette that promotes openness and flow throughout the entire space .
4. Reach for Cool-Toned Colors
Paint experts say cool - toned colors tend to make walls pull back and make a space feel larger . " flabby whites , swooning grays , wan blues , and blue-blooded greens are all great choices as they think over lighter , helping to produce a tonic and broad atmosphere , " Woelfel says . If you ’re looking for a little more affectionateness , she suggests using a Inner Light beige or ardent taupe flavour , but note that it ’s important to keep the paint colors muted for a more heroic event . " Tranquil GrayandBlank Canvasare two of my favorites for get a space experience bigger , " she says .
5. Reflect Light with Pale Yellow
If you ’re work with a room that has limited natural luminousness , Yeo intimate add a plash of pallid xanthous such asWindham CreamorCrisp Linen . The sunlit chromaticity instantly light up a space by reflect more light and contribute in an optimistic push .
6. Apply the LRV Rule Based on Lighting
In the context of paint colors , LRV refers to scant reflective economic value . Simply put , a paint semblance ’s LVR let on how much light it excogitate . Kantz says it ’s authoritative to look at the amount of instinctive light in a way when choosing a rouge color and hold the LRV rule based on lighting . " high LRV gloss likeCreamyorDrift of Mistcan help in rooms with low natural light , whereas lower LRV colors likeStorm CloudorPavestonewill oeuvre best in elbow room with a lot of natural visible radiation , " she explains .
7. Use Serene Blues on Walls or Ceilings
If you need to incorporate a soft pop of coloring material into a room , Woelfel recommends turn to calm shades of racy such asAerial View . " It ’s a calm sky blue that evokes passive contemplation , create a calming ambiance while maintain an open and airy finger in the elbow room , " she read .
A soft grim subtlety on the ceiling can create the head game of blue skies and visually rear the ceiling meridian . " I love our 2024 Color of the Year , Upward , as a ceiling coloring because it ’s like a recreation of the sky , " Kantz says . This paint fast one is n’t just for indoor space , in fact , there is a longstanding custom of painting porch ceilings inshades of haint blueto make a sky - like issue .
Chad Mellon
Credit: Spacecrafting Photography
8. Choose White Paint
White is a go - to when choosing a paint color that reflects scant , brightens a distance , and establish a elbow room look bigger . " dig a little deeper into color theory , white and similar lighter chromaticity are recessive to the optic cheek , create the illusion of a larger space , " say Emily Kantz , director of color merchandising at Sherwin - Williams . Not allwhite paint colorsare likewise and there is more sport in white tones than you may think . Stark Edward Douglas White Jr. make a clear and refreshing feel , whilewarm whiteandoff - white tonesintroduce an chemical element of coziness while maintaining receptiveness .
9. Paint the Ceiling a Shade Lighter Than the Walls
" Using a lighter colour above eye stratum can make an airy force and visually elevate the roof , " Yeo says . She explains that this proficiency is ideal for making a elbow room seem large and magniloquent , so it ’s particularly effective in smaller spaces or in rooms with low ceilings . " Simplypaint the ceilinga lighter refinement , or a subtle edition , of the wall colouration , " the color expert suggest . The fragile vividness demarcation lightly adds deepness and property without interrupt the room ’s overall colouring scheme .
10. Use a Higher Gloss Finish
It ’s not just the rouge color that can make a elbow room come along larger , thepaint finishplays a role , too . While high glossiness refinement can highlight imperfectness on the walls , Yeo says they can also reflect more light . The more light the paint reflects , the more spacious the way feels . " To attain a fluid , unflawed close , be certain to take the clip to properly prep and sand the aerofoil before painting , " Yeo say .
11. Draw the Eyes Up with a Statement Ceiling Color
Even though a light rouge color can make low-down ceilings look taller , you may also take a wholly dissimilar approach and draw the center up with astatement cap colouration . " A bluff , dark cap color can make an interesting focal point in a way ; When the rest of the room is painted in calorie-free , reflective tonicity , a statement ceiling color can visually lift the summit and guide the oculus up , " Woelfel explains . The color she ’s currently loving for this effect is BEHR ’s 2025 Color of the Year , Rumors , which is a cryptical ruby red that adds rich warmth while still maintaining a sense of receptiveness when apply on the ceiling . " It ’s a active , captivating tone that makes a statement and work beautifully to create a sensory faculty of depth and drama without submerge the way , " Woelfel says .
12. Avoid Color Drenching
Color souse has been a self-aggrandizing color style in recent long time , but expert say it ’s not one to implement if you ’re trying to make a way attend bigger . " For ceilings , I would debar paint the ceiling the same colouring as the skirt walls as color soaking in mid to deeper pure tone sometimes creates a smaller feel , " Kantz enjoin . Applying the same paint color to the wall , trim , ceiling , and even doors visually enfold and dedicate it a cozier palpate , but it ’s a trend to avoid if you desire to make an already little space feel larger .
13. Incorporate Vertical Stripes
upright line draw the eyes up and can be an splendid elbow room to expound a space . " Consider incorporating perpendicular line or light-colored - colored grade insignia to add height , making the room experience taller , " Woelfel suggests . Verticalshiplapis another clever trick for visually extend ceiling height . Thewall panelingintroduces vertical line in a pernicious mode to set an talkative backdrop for furniture and home decor .
14. Blur Wall Edges with Deep Tones
Just because a room is small-scale , Yeo say it should n’t hold you back from usingrich and bold colors . Even though as a general ruler of thumb you want to bind with promiscuous coloration to make a way appear tumid , the expert order when done right , deeper tonescanhave the same effect . " bass tones can blur the edges of the wall , creating the illusion of a more expansive blank space , " Yeo state . To prevent darker hues from whelm a space , she recommend balancing them out with plenteousness of short tones in your piece of furniture , linens , and graphics .
Credit:Chad Mellon
Credit: Annie Schlecther
