The United States is really an anomaly compared to the rest of the world when comparing the amount of living space that is desired and is actually necessary in a home. Perhaps the reason it because people in the U.S. are more accustomed to wide open spaces associated with moving west.
The sky is a lot bigger in Texas than it is anywhere else you’ve probably ever been. The reason for this is due to many different factors. First, there aren’t masses of trees to block the skyline. Second, there aren’t mountains in Texas to do the same. Third, the state is huge, so everything is sprawled out instead of stacked on top of one another.
If you’re a fan of big skies and wide open spaces, a state like Texas just might be the place for you, but if you’re happy with having the illusion of space and would prefer to stay in city you’re currently in, here are 2 ways you can get the illusion of having more living space right in and around your own home:
Have Fun With Paint
Though there are a lot of people who just don’t have an eye for design and don’t even know where to start, if you do enough research, you can make your home feel much bigger in many different, simple ways. Start with paint. If you think about it, paint is literally the miracle worker of the world.
People use it to create worlds that never existed. Set painters use it in the theatre to make you feel like you’re underwater or in Madrid when you’re really in the heart of Chicago or New York City. If you want your home to feel more spacious, have fun with paint. Embrace painted illusions and texture, toy with the contrast of light and dark, and watch as your space transforms by these simple principles.
Raise Your Ceilings
Though this might not be as easy a fix as painting the walls, raising your ceilings will do wonders for how much space you feel like you have in your own home. People hate low ceilings. It makes them feel closed in, jailed, and like they can’t breathe. Therefore, various types of roof design are important to consider, which could make the room seem bigger and airier, further decreasing the sense of living in a small space.
If you’re buying a new home, keep this in mind and get a place that already has high ceilings, but if you’re working on a home you’re currently in, see if there are any places where the ceiling can be knocked out to the rafters. You might not gain any square footage, but the new from your head to the roof will make you feel like you’re living in a castle.
In the end, space is a large part illusion. You can have a massive room and if it’s painted or decorated with dark colors and is cluttered with objects, the space will disappear. It’s all about how you play with the space, so use those colors to your advantage, raise the roof, and feel the space multiply.