Expanding a Room's Visual Space with Paint: 12 Color Ideas
Wish your room felt a bit more spacious? While you might not be able to expand the square footage, there's a cost-effective and reliable solution to help trick the eye into thinking your space is larger. Paint!
Simply repainting a room can drastically change how the walls appear, either making them seem to soar or pushing them back, thus highlighting your beautiful 8-foot ceilings or the possibility of fitting a king bed in your 100-square foot guest bedroom (even if it's a tight squeeze).
Contrary to popular belief, choosing light colors is not always the best choice to make a room look bigger. Here are 12 designer-approved colors to consider for a room transformation, both light and dark, that can help amplify the space:
1. Sherwin-Williams Foxy
Inspired by resorting from neutral colors to make a space look larger, interior designer and co-founder of Lucas/Eilers Design Associates L.L.P, Sandy Lucas, opts for bold choices like Sherwin-Williams Foxy. This warm apricot hue, she explains, works wonders in creating depth, continuity, and expanding the room by eliminating visual breaks, giving it a more expansive and inviting feel.
2. Sherwin-Williams Zircon
A pretty light blue, Sherwin-Williams Zircon, is a perfect choice to open up a room dramatically, drawing the eye and creating a sense that the space is vast and open like the sky itself.
3. Sherwin-Williams Rivers Edge
Neutral lovers will appreciate Sherwin-Williams Rivers Edge, a light tan that exudes a soothing calm and, as designer and home renovation expert Sara McDaniel notes, dramatically opens up small spaces perfect for those who love the light and agreeable hue of a taupe.
4. Sherwin-Williams Lacing
For citron lovers looking to make a space look bigger, Sherwin-Williams Lacing serves as a fantastic option. Its vibrant bright green hue brings freshness and life, drawing attention away from the room's actual size while creating a welcoming vibe.
5. Farrow and Ball Sulking Room Pink
When dark colors are used thoughtfully, they can actually create the impression of a more expansive area, as Farrow and Ball Sulking Room Pink demonstrates. It's how the bold saturated color, when used throughout a space, draws the eye in, making walls seem to expand and giving the room an overall warm and generous size.
6. Farrow and Ball Shaded White
If you're searching for cozy yet large, a classic choice for adding some brightness and light is Farrow and Ball Shaded White. As design expert Lisa Ellis explains, it impacts the room by setting the stage as a background, infusing a touch of warmth without taking up any visual room.
7. Benjamin Moore White Dove
White Dove has made a mark as a go-to neutral color for designers and homeowners alike, ideal for creating a light and inviting vibe in smaller spaces like this charming foyer that visually stretches its dimension across two floors, thanks to white walls, trim, and details.
8. Sherwin-Williams White Heron
For achieving a crisp, airy atmosphere in a room, Sherwin-Williams White Heron serves as a versatile hue with an unexpected violet undertone that adds a cool and contrasting touch to any space, making it seem somewhat larger.
9. Sherwin-Williams Alabaster
A soft, warm white, Sherwin-Williams Alabaster, is widely known for brightening spaces and giving off a light, airy aesthetic, which lessens the visual weight of a room.
10. Sherwin-Williams Quietude
A soothing and calming color that provides a sophisticated look when paired with a light ceiling or white trim, Sherwin-Williams Quietude serves as a versatile color choice for creating an illusion of depth and openness.
11. Sherwin-Williams Peppercorn
Far from making a room feel cramped, dark paint colors, when used thoughtfully, can lend the space a sense of depth, thereby visually expanding it.As designer Nancy Parrish demonstrates, Sherwin-Williams Peppercorn presents a prime example of how deep and inviting colors can add dimension and a sense of space, especially when paired with lighter furniture.
By experimenting with these designer-approved paint colors, along with smart techniques and thoughtful decor choices, you'll find new and exciting ways to transform your space into a more extensive environment that makes the most of your square footage.
- Consider using bold colors like Sherwin-Williams Foxy for painting your Home Decor Ideas; it can help eliminate visual breaks and expand the room, as suggested by interior designer Sandy Lucas from SouthernLiving.
- If you prefer light colors, Sherwin-Williams Zircon could be an excellent choice for opening up your rooms dramatically, creating a sense of vastness similar to the open sky.
- Homes with neutral preferences might find Sherwin-Williams Rivers Edge appealing. This light tan color can help soothe the atmosphere and open up small spaces, making them appear larger and more inviting.
- For citron lovers seeking to make their Home feel more spacious, Sherwin-Williams Lacing offers a vibrant bright green hue that can bring freshness, life, and a welcoming vibe to your spaces while drawing attention away from size constraints.
