By Rose Burke
A poorly designed tiny house can sometimes make a room appear smaller than it really is. This is the last thing you want when your living space is just a few hundred square feet. Fortunately, making your home seem bigger can be as simple as executing a few of these simple design tips. Whether you’re just starting to build or you’ve been living in one for years, make your tiny house feel big by taking some of these tips into consideration.
Natural Lighting
Natural light is the key to making any space appear more significant, as it gives the room more depth. You can achieve this by installing a skylight and keeping your windows bare. Not only will this solve your space issue, but it’s far more energy efficient. If your tiny house runs on a generator, you’ll save both money and power by using natural lighting during the day.
Light Colored Walls and Floors
Steer clear from any dark colors when choosing the paint for your walls and your flooring. Lighter colors tend to reflect light, making your tiny house appear larger than it is. Your best bet is to go with white walls and light wood flooring. If you want to add an area rug, keep reading!
Add a Striped Rug
Similar to how wearing a striped outfit gives the illusion that a person is taller or thinner, a vertically striped rug will elongate a room. The stripes should run the length of the room in order to optimize the illusion and not have the opposite effect. Keep at least one of the colors in the stripe design light to prevent closing off the room with a dark rug.
Hang a Large Mirror
One of the simplest tricks to make a room seem bigger is to hang a large mirror on the wall. Mirrors tend to reflect light which helps to add to the illusion that your tiny house is more spacious than it really is. Placing the mirror across from a window is the best way to optimize this design tip, as here it will be able to reflect the most natural light.
Paint or Wallpaper the Ceiling
By painting or adding wallpaper to the ceiling, the eye will naturally be drawn upwards. This will make the walls of your tiny house appear taller, ultimately making it feel bigger as well. Using patterned wallpaper or hand painting a design will help to draw the eye up and make this illusion more effective. Don’t want to paint your ceiling? Continue reading for another decor tip that will leave you with similar results.
Hang Shelves Close to the Ceiling
If you own a decent amount of books, this tip will do more than just make your tiny house feel more spacious. Hanging shelves close to the ceiling will not only draw the eye up, but it can also solve any storage issues you might have. Your tiny house’s ceilings will feel taller, and you have a bookshelf that won’t take up any precious floor space.
Skip Overhead Lighting
If you’ve just started building your tiny house, then skipping the overhead lighting is something you’ll want to seriously consider. They tend to only light up small sections of the room, making your house appear tinier. Instead, use a few lamps that will help to draw the eye to different areas of the house. If you really want overhead lighting, install a skylight instead that will provide your tiny house with steady natural lighting.
Create an Outdoor Space
Tiny houses are a great solution to avoiding the costly housing market, but there’s no reason to stay cooped up inside all day. By creating a cozy outdoor space for yourself, you’ll basically have an infinite extension to your home. Have dinner outside by simply adding a chair and table. With a small BBQ, you can get out of the kitchen every now and then and cook outdoors. Hang a hammock to give yourself a comfortable space to read and relax. You can even set up your outdoor area so that it can be used at night with a firepit or some solar lights. The possibilities are endless!
Summary
Tiny houses don’t have to seem so tiny with these simple decor tips. Whether you’re just starting to build or you’re looking to give your home a fresh look, be sure to apply some of these little tricks as well as a few tiny house storage tips. This will not only make sure your home feels less claustrophobic and larger than it is, but it will prevent clutter and give your tiny house a unique flare, separating it from others. Get started on redecorating your tiny house now!