6 ways to make a small bedroom look bigger

With more kids coming home after college.... or empty-nest bedrooms doubling as guest rooms and home offices, the other bedrooms (often small) in our rooms often need to look and live as big as our master bedroom.

Try these six room designers' tricks to make the most of your small bedroom!

Use cool colors.
It's amazing how well this works! Cool blue or green wall colors (with a clear, airy quality) seem to recede, or move away, from us. They also mimic the outdoors where there are no walls!

Eliminate clutter!
OK, you’ve heard this one before, but it bears repeating! Less stuff clears our head and expands the size and usefulness of our room. Built-in cubbies in furniture are a great organizing idea (...see the very compact, but efficient Cambridge desk, by aspenhome, right.)

Keep a low profile.
Skip poster beds or tall furniture anywhere but against the walls. Low furniture at the center of room opens views around the room, making the space look airier.

Expose the baseboard.
It’s a little-known, but easy way to expand the look of a room. From the door, make sure you can see the baseboard on the far wall… even just a few inches of it. (Tall legs on furniture helps to see 'under them', expanding the perceived size of a room).

Use the walls.
They're as valuable as floors in a small room. Utilize every square inch by choosing tall, rather furniture, hanging shelves on the wall and/or adding hooks.

Use a dark floor.
Opt for a darker, rather than lighter floor. It’ll appear to recede, making the room look bigger. Or add a dark area rug on top of your carpeted or hardwood floor.

For more small room ideas, and small room furniture buying tips, check out the Coming of Age article in the current issue of our home decorating magazine (Beings on page 5).