How To Make A Small Room Look Bigger

If you have huge rooms, high ceilings and an unlimited budget, it isn’t very hard to decorate it, or to redecorate it often. What proves to be real challenge is to make smaller spaces less claustrophobic and more livable. If you have a small space that you need to turn into a usable room, either for studying or into a guest room, here are a few things you can do to make it look bigger and better.

Hidden storage
No matter what you use the room for, you’re bound to need to put stuff somewhere. Since you’re space is already small don’t try putting up shelves or buying racks and stuff. Find furniture that provides hidden storage space. Beds and tables with storages spaces can easily be found.

Mirrors
To make a room seem less claustrophobic, use mirrors with lighting. Mirrors against any one wall, whether narrow or wide can help to make a room look more open and fools the eye into thinking it has bigger dimensions.

De-clutter
Since you’re going to be using hidden storage spaces it only makes sense that you keep any and all clutter out of the room. Don’t mount too many pillows on the bed if you’re making it in to a guest room, or if it’s a reading room, don’t do overboard trying to fill it with too many rugs, pillows, chairs, and any other kind of seats.

Lighter colors
It’s okay if you use a dark color sparingly but keep most of it in a lighter shade. Lighter shades in the carpet, on the walls and in the curtains will make a room seem bigger and less overwhelming.
Smaller furniture
If you know you’re room has limited capacity don’t fill it with the biggest beds or sofas or racks. You can find nice modern and functional furniture in smaller sizes. Even sitting chairs come in less space consuming designs.

Find space saving furniture here (with lots of ways to arrange it)

Taking Your Paint Palette Outside - How To Decorate The Backyard

Decorating inside may seem easy if you consider the daunting task of decorating an outdoor area. Inside, where you have a four or three walled room, you hang pictures and decorative lights and you don’t have to worry about the rain or snow ruining the shine on your new table top or the color running in your new cushions.

Whenever you plan a party you know where you’re going to hang the streamers and where the guests can set their drinks down (you’ve placed coasters accordingly) and when it’s time to eat everyone can sit where they see their place card on the table. All of this goes out the door once its summer and most if not all parties are likely to be held outdoor where decorating ideas on a budget run somewhat thin.

Here are a few things just to help you start out slow and steady so that by the time summer is full on and school is out, you can start the partying.

Lawn chairs
You may already have a lawn chair, you may have two of them but it would be nice if you had an entire outdoor sitting arrangement much like your living room in your backyard and lawn chairs are best for it. Here’s something that might surprise you; buy/ make cushions to match your lawn chairs. You can put cushions outside as easily as you can put them in. Make/ buy an outdoor storage baskets or cabinet to put them in when the weather is likely to get rough. If you have some old wicker baskets lying around, bring them outside and use them for storing the cushions.




Lighting
People have had the sense to create lighting for every room in your house and they’ve also had the sense to create outdoor lighting. If you try shopping online, you’ll find that there are all kinds of unique lightings available, ones that are decorative and that can stand any kind of weather. You’ve probably heard of tiki torches, well there just in a huge variety of outdoor lighting options available like Chinese lanterns. If you plan on having a party, it may be a good time to bring out all those scented candles (don’t forget to place them safely) to create a nice ambiance.

Outdoor accessories
Give your back yard a cozy look by adding ‘backyard accessories’ like a hammock, a nice table; one that can stand rain and excessive exposure to the sun and is preferably a darker color and don’t forget to mow the lawn! You can use place mats made of bamboo (instead of the regular doilies you use inside) and give you flower beds a unique look by planting different flowers in uniquely shaped bottles.