Do you live somewhere that has rooms that feel like they are smaller than they really are? If so, I feel your pain! When I moved into my current home, the kitchen and a couple of bedrooms felt tiny!

You might be thinking that you’ll have to move someplace else with bigger rooms. What if I told you that there are some neat tricks you can try out to brighten up any room? Intrigued? Keep reading, and you can try these fantastic ideas in your home:

Use light-colored wood flooring or carpets

Something that often gets overlooked when trying to make a room appear bigger is the floor. We tend to concentrate on things like walls and furnishings. But it’s surprising how few people consider the floors!

To start making any room appear bigger and brighter, you should think about using light-colored flooring. It doesn’t matter if you use wood flooring or carpet; what matters is the color.

You may not think it, but light-colored floors are ideal for high-traffic areas such as living rooms. They can easily conceal scratches and are suitable at brightening up any part of your home!

Upgrade to bigger windows

Another exciting way to brighten up any room is by letting in lots of natural light. The thing is, you can’t do that if your rooms have small windows.

Yes, it’ll cost you some money to get bigger windows fitted. But, the result of such a transformation is impressive. Every day you’ll have lots of natural light flooding into the rooms!

Before you undertake such a project, be sure to check with your homeowner’s insurance (or the provider you use for your state). That’s because some insurers might want to have a structural survey report. If you make any significant alterations, you don’t want your insurance policy to be void!

Replace your curtains with blinds

I’m not saying that curtains are a terrible idea for any home. I’d be hypocritical if I said that, seeing as I’ve got curtains in my house!

But, when it comes to making a room brighter and appear bigger, curtains can let the side down. That’s why for such rooms you should upgrade to some sleek blinds instead.

There are a plethora of choices out there. You could go for Roman-style blinds, Venetians, even wood slats! It all depends on your taste and the style you wish to have for your room.

Whichever type you go for, be sure to have your blinds fitted by a professional. I’ve tried the DIY approach in the past, and it’s more hassle than its worth – trust me!

Add metallic features and accessories

Are you fed up with a particular room looking dreary and uninspiring? Here’s an idea for you to ponder: metallics!

Consider incorporating shimmery silver or gold accessories like mirrors and light fixtures. Such items will offer two benefits to any room. First of all, they’ll reflect light around the room, and second, your design scheme will feel luxurious.

My only other advice to you is to not go overboard with the metallic accessories. You’ll run the risk of having a steampunk-themed room of sorts (unless that’s the look you’re after).

Get rid of any oversized furniture

Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for big furniture. You need to know that such items don’t work well in small rooms!

If you have a centuries-old bookcase that spans the length of one wall, it might be time for a change. And if you’ve got a sofa the size of South Carolina, I strongly urge you to downsize.

Big furniture in small rooms is a killer for stopping natural light flowing freely. In some cases, it could even make you feel claustrophobic too.

Don’t use glossy paint for your surfaces

Gloss paint is okay for things like door and window frames. But if you’ve slapped it on across all your walls, you’ve done a bad thing!

What you may not realize is that gloss creates glare. If you use matte paints instead, the light will quickly reflect in all directions.

You probably don’t need to worry about this tip as few people paint their walls with glossy colors. The thing is, I’ve personally seen some examples where folks have used leftover gloss paint on their walls. As you can imagine, it’s not the best of ideas!

Use daylight bulbs

Last, but not least, consider upgrading to LED daylight bulbs in your rooms. The 6000k rated ones let out a crisp white light and quickly helps to brighten up even the darkest of places.