7 Tricks Home Stagers Use to Make Small Spaces Look Larger

Choose Furniture That Fits the Proportions—and Your Preferences

The first step in designing your home is to optimize your space. Think about how you’ll use each room, what essential furniture pieces you’ll need, and which ones will be the focus of the room. “Understand how you want the room to function,” says Jason Saft, owner of Staged to Sell home. “If it’s a small living room, do you watch a lot of TV? Are you having friends over to sit and catch up? Generally, when you have a smaller room, the thought is to have a smaller sofa, but if you’re always on the couch watching TV, the couch needs to be full-sized, and you can compromise on the other pieces of furniture in the room.”

A small room doesn’t mean that all of your furniture needs to be small, too. “A common misconception is that smaller furniture makes a room look larger,” says Amanda Wiss, founder of Urban Staging. “In reality, showing a king-sized bed in a king-sized bedroom is the best way to show the grandeur of a room. You want to size beds and rugs to the size of the room to give an elevated, rich feel. From here, you can choose slimmer profile side tables or opt for one armchair instead of two.”

Go With a Color Drench

Color drenching is a home stager’s trick for making small spaces feel more expansive. “Painting the room all the same color makes it much more seamless and elegant,” Saft says. “Doing a lot of different trims and colors breaks things up and reminds you that the room is small.”

While the rich jewel tones that have been trending lately may make the room feel a little cozier and more closed in, choosing softer botanical hues or light neutrals could help make it feel airier and larger. “Colors that are closer to those you would find in nature are going to give the room a calm, grounded feel,” Wiss says. “Blues and pastels often convey a certain airiness, while white and off-white are reliable standards that allow your decor to pop.”

That doesn’t mean you need to avoid those bold colors, though—just choose them wisely. “Using a darker shade of paint can be intentional to create a gorgeous, cozy respite, like a secret little hideaway,” Saft says. “Do everything with intention.”

Choose Furniture With Legs

One easy trick to make your space feel more spacious: Opt for furniture with legs. “The most important thing for a small space is to avoid really boxy furniture that hits the floor—and you can’t see under it,” Saft says. “That really takes up that whole physical space. Choosing furniture on high legs lets in the light and the view.” Tall legs make even a large item like a sofa feel lighter in the space.

Opt for a Right-Sized Rug

Across the board, all the designers said that selecting the wrong size rug can make your room feel smaller than it is. “There is a perception that if you get something smaller, it makes the room feel bigger,” Saft says. But it actually makes the room feel diminutive.” The rule of thumb? At least the front legs of every piece of furniture need to hit the rug.

Strategize Your Lighting

Lighting is one of those elements that can make a big impact in a small space (and with a small budget). “Lighting is massively important in small rooms,” Wiss says. “Chandeliers, slim floor lamps, and plenty of tabletop lamps will help brighten and open up the space.”

For ceiling lighting, be careful about proportions in a small space. “Clearance of light fixtures is really important,” Saft says. “If it’s too big for the room and takes up too much space, you should replace it with different lighting. A 9-foot ceiling should use a flush mount, so you have space between where your body ends and where the light begins.”

Add a Mirror (or Five)

A perfectly placed mirror can work wonders by bouncing light around a small room. “Oversized and well-placed mirrors expand the view and expand the size of the space,” Saft says. “They can make a room—especially one with a limited view—feel significantly larger.”

Leave Room to Breathe

There are lots of reasons to declutter—and if you have a small space, a hardcore purge will go a long way toward making the room feel larger. “Clutter is going to make any room look smaller, so focus on getting rid of any piles and storing electronics in drawers and small kitchen appliances inside the cabinets,” Wiss says.

You’ll also want to arrange the furniture to leave room for people to walk through. “In small interiors, less is more,” Hobbs says. “It is critical to allow for furniture placement that encourages conversation and flow, but be sure not to block pathways or entrances and allow a room to breathe.”

That’s especially important if you are getting your home ready to sell. “If a buyer comes in and doesn’t have a space to place their jacket, or they’re knocking into things when they’re turning around, it’ll feel tight and too small in the space,” Saft says. “You should edit and pare down to improve the room flow.”