by Carol Larsson

Created on: June 18, 2009   Last Updated: October 05, 2009

When you only have, a small space to decorate, you will want to try to give it a light and spacious feel.

One way you can do this is to choose your colors carefully.

As artists know, different colors change how we perceive distance. Warm colors give a feeling of advancing towards you, while cooler colors appear to recede.Artists will often paint something small and red, in the foreground of a picture to help them with the perspective.

This means cool colors will appear to increase the size of your room. Warm colors can do the reverse and will make a large room feel cozy and snug.

Warm colors are reds, yellows, oranges some beige's. Cool colors are blues, greens, violets and grays. Neutrals are something in between they can be a warm, rich milk chocolate or a cool taupe or stone.

Do not be afraid, cool colors will not make a room feel cold.

The lighter the shade of color used to decorate the room the more light will be reflected. With more light, the whole room will look brighter and more spacious.
Try and think how too maximize the amount of light in the room, not only coming in through the windows and doors but think about how it is bounced around the room on walls, ceilings, floors and furniture. Are the surfaces reflecting the light or are they absorbing it, are they shiny or matt?

Mirrors can often help with a feeling of light and space. Hung opposite a window you will double not only the view, but also the sunlight reflecting around the room. In a dark corner, a mirror will bring light and life into what was once just a shadowy place.

Hang lightweight or even sheer curtains, at the edge of your windows to let in the light and if you make them floor length they could even trick your eye into thinking the window is larger than it is.
Don't think that a small space needs to have small furniture sometimes a larger piece of furniture will make a room feel more spacious than lots of smaller pieces.

There is no need to have a totally minimalist room, but think carefully about what you are going to have in the room. As the smaller the space, the easier it is for it to look and feel very cluttered.

If your house or apartment is smaller than you would like, something that can make it feel larger is to decorate all the rooms with a coordinating color scheme and unified flooring.

Going from one very different color to another in a small space can be visually tiring. Try to create a nice flow and unity between your rooms.

Often what we all need when we return home is a sense of peace and calm.

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