How to Use Rugs to Make Small Spaces Look Bigger

Most people try to make rooms appear larger when space is limited by concentrating on furniture arrangement and wall color. But one of the most overlooked tools in the small-space arsenal is the rug. It's amazing what rugs can do to change the look and feel of a room, create an illusion of more space, add warmth, and style. If you are one of those people who have always wondered how to make the small room look big, use rugs. Here are a few decorating tips that can help maximize your space by choosing the right rugs:.

At Adore Rugs, we understand selecting an ideal rug for every room, irrespective of its size, is very crucial. Let's dive into ways you can enhance your small spaces with correct rug placement and design.

Opt For Larger rugs

This may seem counterintuitive but a common mistake people make is choosing an area rug that is too small. A small rug will give you the opposite effect make the room feel more cramped rather than making the room appear bigger. In a small room, a smaller rug disrupts the flow and visually chops up the space into even smaller pieces, only reducing the relative size. Instead, you will be able to create continuity and openness by choosing a big enough area rug to go under your furniture and extending it beyond your furniture. It creates one continued line of vision across the space visually and, therefore, makes it feel larger rather than confined.

For instance, in a small living room, the rug should be large enough to hold at least the front legs of all the furniture on it. This simply allows for a cohesive look that ties elements in the room together rather than making them appear disconnected. Put a rug in the dining room that is large enough for the table and chairs while pulled out. A rug that's larger than your furniture anchors the room, serving as a base to hold everything together. That gives the room a larger look. The balance between rug size and placement is the key to full potential in a small space.

Use Light Colours and Subtle Patterns

Light colours are a big friend when one is trying to make a room feel larger. Lighter shades reflect more light, which helps in creating an open and airy atmosphere. A neutral-coloured or light-coloured rug in tones such as beige, ivory, soft grey, or even pale blue can visually expand the area by brightening the space and enhancing the natural light it receives. It sends more light off the rug to dispel shadows and dark corners that make a room feel enclosed. Such subtlety in expanding the visual boundaries of the room makes it larger than it actually would be.

Subtle patterns can also play their part in this visual game of increasing apparent space. Light geometrics, soft stripes, or tone-on-tone patterns bring visual interest without overpowering the room. The subtle pattern adds texture and depth to the rug without overwhelming the space. It's best to avoid busy designs as this might make a room feel confining. It is a matter of balance in selecting a rug, make sure to choose one that would add visual appeal and spaciousness yet retain the light, open feeling of the room.

Play with Placement for Visual Flow

The placement of the rug will, to a great degree, affect the perceived roominess of such a small room. The positioning of a rug in the center of the room-think "path"-can control the direction of the eye through the room and, as a result, make the room feel larger rather than cramped and confining. This then leads to strategic placement, allowing traffic to move through the space with ease and, thus, to be sensed as more open. For rooms or hallways of narrow dimensions, a runner rug does wonders to create an elongating illusion. A runner focuses attention on the room's full length, thereby creating the impression of extended space, which helps narrow areas feel less claustrophobic.

The other effective technique can be having the rug extend under the key furniture pieces. This will not only anchor the furniture but will also create some connection between the various elements within the room. When you overlap a rug with your furniture, you attain one unified layout that feels put together and cohesive. Visual continuity tends to avoid the fragmented look, which can be achieved when rooms make one feel small; hence, this makes the whole space more open and inviting.

Rugs with Borders for Extra Dimension

Placing a bordered rug is one brilliant way to create an illusion of a room's space. A bordered rug puts a virtual picture frame on the room, making it look more put together and defined. The clear delineation between middle and border on the rug provides further sense of space by pulling the eye out to the edges of the room. This minute contrast helps to organize the layout of the room and makes it less cramped and more spacious. It does not make the space constrictive but provides an organized flow in which the room can be opened up and become more inviting.

This technique will really be great in minimalist areas where furniture could be very simple or scanty. Less visual clutter, the bordered rug itself may become the 'eye-catcher' for the gaze to rest on when looking down at the floor, giving the impression of a larger area. Moreover, bordered rugs can add an air of sophistication and style to a room that may come across as more polished and further thought out. This effect can be complemented through the choice of a rug that shows colors complementary to the colors used throughout the rest of the room's decoration and will, therefore, unify the space in such a way that it feels harmonious and well-balanced.