You don’t have to have an enormous floor plan to have the comforts of living in a large space. Find out what your family plans on using that space for and arrange it to accommodate your plans. Here are a few visual tips and tricks that you can use to make any sized room appear larger.

1. Play with Proportions: Create optical illusions with the objects that you have in the room. Place a large, framed painting over a small entryway side table. A large painting makes it look like there is ample space for luxury things. Don’t overcrowd a space with too much activity. Keep the lines simple and play with size and dimensions. Have one or two larger pieces of furniture in the room, accompanied by smaller things like lamps, end tables, and chairs. If there is a full-sized piece of furniture in the room that still allows of all of the other smaller comforts, then it makes the room appear to able to accomodate more.
2. Keep it Neutral: A simple color palette will bring things together. The lighter the color, the larger the room will look. This doesn’t mean you have to be devoid of color. Have pops of your favorite color in the artwork, throw blankets, towels, and rugs. If one item is too colorful, it will draw your eye to one spot closing off the room. You want to let your eye move around the entire room so you take everything in as one.
3. Think Vertical: You have limited floor space with a smaller space, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fit everything that you need. Take advantage of the vertical space on your walls. Have plenty of streamline shelving, and mount TVs and other accessories to the wall to create more space. If it doesn’t need to be on the floor, then move it up onto the wall.
4. Organization Techniques: Clutter is the number one space killer. The smallest amount of clutter will busy the room and make it look messy. Keep things nice and tidy with organization. Have stylish baskets to set on shelves to house more things in one space. Create a filing system for papers with office supplies and binders. Give your children or pets a designated space for their toys in a toy chest. As soon as you take something out, put it back where it belongs to keep things spaciously organized.
5. Plenty of Light: The last thing that will absorb space is lighting. If there is limited lighting, the room will appear cramped and tight. Have ample natural light coming in, as well as lighting fixtures to add ambiance to the room. Add a hanging pendant light for the overhead lighting, have table and floor lamps that reach over the seating areas, and have rope lighting for under cabinets.

It’s easy to set up a comfortable living space to function exactly as you need it to. Get creative with your decorating and storage solutions to help give you the space that you need. Keep things monochromatic or neutral, and give yourself plenty of light to open up the space.