5 Flooring Tips to Make a Room Look Bigger | Kennington Flooring (2023)

FAQs

Does wide plank flooring make a room look bigger or smaller? ›

Wide Planks

Selecting wide floor planks is one of the easiest and most effective ways to make a room look bigger. Instead of thin strips, go for boards at least seven inches wide.

Light color flooring tends to brighten up a space and make it feel larger. Bright and creamy floor tones can help modernize a small room, adding an element of airiness. Be sure to snag as much natural light as you can or install warm artificial lights to make your small space as attractive and inviting as possible.

A light-colored flooring such as light oak or a light-colored carpet will make the room appear brighter and more open. The same applies to the ceiling—use a light color or white to "open up" the space above. Increase the appearance of the size of the room by adding wall mirrors.

Try Out Diagonal Floors

Whether you're using carpet, laminate, vinyl, tile, or hardwood, placing it diagonally is a great idea if you want to maximize the space. Since the wide part of the diagonal pattern faces you when you walk into a room, your brain draws the eyes to the largest space, which gives it a wider feel.

Draw Diagonals with Flooring Patterns

The key to making rooms look bigger with flooring starts with the diagonal rule. Diagonal lines work to create the illusion of more space. When entering a room, our eyes are drawn to the widest part of a pattern—the same is true in art.

Color and cool tones also make the list of flooring trends in 2022. Green, blue, dark brown, ashy white, and gray add to an airy feel in the home and leave so much to the imagination because of the options in flooring colors. Gray is the most popular when it comes to flooring colors.

Use contrasts and light colors

In the design world, it's well known that light paint colors make a room look bigger and brighter. Light and bright walls are more reflective, making a space feel open and airy, which helps maximize natural light's effect. Dark shades tend to absorb light, making rooms feel smaller.

Cool Gray. A great alternative to a white paint color is a light cool gray, which can feel fresh and bright without the starkness of pure white. Cool colors feel fresher and brighter than warm ones, so it helps visually create the appearance of more space.

Many home experts agree that the floor color should be darker than the walls. The rule generally applies because lighter walls and a dark floor make the room seem larger. Most homeowners prefer a spacious looking interior.

What color wood makes a room look bigger? ›

Color: when we think about a spacious room, blonde wood often comes to mind. Floor color plays a major role in making your small space seem larger. We often recommend light colors to give the room an airy feel. For example, blonde, light brown, or whitewashed hardwood can make the room seem more open.

Plain colored tiles are an excellent option to give the illusion of a larger space. Use plain patterned tiles with only minimal contrasting colored accents. A lighter colored tile can expand the perceived size of any room. Cream and natural tones for solid colored tiles will definitely make any room appear larger.

As a general rule, make sure to lay your floor in the same direction as the main light source in a room and in the same line as the most frequently used entrance. If there are several doors and windows, then opt for the direction that's the easiest to install.

Horizontal stripes/lines make the room feel wider, while vertical lines can make the space seem longer/taller. Accent pieces such as striped rugs can also help make spaces feel bigger.

Diagonal Tiles Work Best

The way you lay out the tiles affects how big your space feels. For instance, a diamond pattern creates the illusion of a bigger room than a checkerboard pattern. In a diamond orientation, the widest section of each tile faces the entrance.

Lighter paint colors like off-whites, light neutrals, pales, and pastels give the illusion of larger, brighter rooms.

Natural Floors

Without a doubt, the number one flooring trend of 2022 is natural and raw-looking flooring. 2022 will see a rise in neutral colors and patterns moving back toward more raw and natural-looking materials. Natural-looking floors create the perfect backdrop for any room and help balance your space.

You may have already guessed it, but the floor with the highest resale value is hardwood. Since hardwood is always in demand, it is an easy choice to up level your home.

Hardwood floors work with almost any style — year in, year out. Given that flooring is the biggest expanse of product you'll see in your new space, designer Christina Fluegge of Greige Design recommends going with a high-quality hardwood that allows you to refinish as time goes by rather than having to replace.

The most frequently cited rule for laminate laying direction is: Laminate panels should be aligned parallel to the window or the primary light source. This direction of laying laminate makes rooms appear larger and longer.

How do you make a small floor plan look bigger? ›

Use Transparent Furniture

There is no better way to create the illusion of more space than with transparent furniture. Consider using glass tabletops and lucite chairs to trick the eye. The more floor space you can see, the bigger the room will appear.

Examples Of Timeless Wood Floor Colors

Cherry – Boasts a beautiful auburn color that darkens with time. Hickory – Offers a wide range of hues depending on the species. Birch – Appreciated for its blonde edges and amber portions. Brow Maple – Well-known for its rich gold, amber, and brown hues.

There is absolutely no need to change flooring from room to room. We often work with homeowners who feel the urge to pick a different flooring for every room of their home, but there is absolutely no need to do this. Your home will look best if you create one consistent look that travels from room to room.

Luxury vinyl plank is the hottest floor trend this year. LVP is a relatively new type of vinyl flooring, which is affordable at around $8 per square foot and mimics the appearance and texture of wood.

Use colour. Colour can work magic and trick the eye. If you paint the wall at the far end of a narrow room in a stronger colour than the walls either side, it will look closer than it is and make the space feel more square.

Use Mirrors

It's the oldest design trick in the book for a reason. The more mirrors in your room, the wider and larger it will appear. Consider creating a wall of mirrors or installing mirrors on opposite sides of the room from each other to create an infinity effect.

Empty rooms almost always appear smaller than they really are because without furniture … it has no frame of reference. This empty room had doorways everywhere and a small fireplace that would make buyers feel like their furniture would absolutely not fit.

Go for pale shades of grey and blue for maximum lightening effect. If it's warmth you're after, don't be afraid to use light terracotta or yellow paint colours – a sunny hue can brighten and warm a dark, dingy space.

What can I add to my room to make it look less empty? ›

Vertical decor can draw the eye upward, effectively tricking guests into thinking your place is fully furnished. Think tall plants, bookcases, wall shelves, floor lamps, room dividers, tall cabinets—basically anything that soars toward the ceiling.

While light-colored floors are beloved for their ability to make a space feel bigger and more open, darker brown hues have become more popular ever since the pandemic hit. “We're seeing a steady trend toward cozier, more nostalgic spaces,” Bacher reveals.

So, what flooring looks cleanest? Typically, lighter color woods show less dirt and dust. Dark floors can easily show dust, while lighter floors mask it.

If you'd like a relaxing, peaceful environment, try light gray or light-toned wood. To emulate class and elegance, black or red are great options. These colors can also give the room a powerful or dramatic edge. An interior using brown colors can give the room a cozy, natural and rustic feel.

Contrary to what you might think - wide plank flooring does NOT make your space look smaller. In fact, in many small spaces, it adds unique visual interest. The wide planks play tricks on your eyes and enhance your space rather than taking away from your design.

Think cream carpets, natural and neutral toned tiles and whitewashed wood flooring. These attractive, light and neutral colours give a room an open and airy feel, making it appear larger, whilst also drawing in the natural sunlight from outside.

Wide plank floors go well in just about any space but they can definitely transform any small room in your home. Contrary to what you might think they can small spaces look larger and add unique visual interest.

Wide Plank Flooring Pros

Wider planks will naturally make a room look bigger. Not only are wide planks wider, they're normally longer than the more common sized flooring planks. The combination of width and length tricks the eye into believing the area looks larger than it actually is.

You may have already guessed it, but the floor with the highest resale value is hardwood. Since hardwood is always in demand, it is an easy choice to up level your home.

Use contrasts and light colors

Light and bright walls are more reflective, making a space feel open and airy, which helps maximize natural light's effect. Dark shades tend to absorb light, making rooms feel smaller. Accenting walls to make a room look bigger is another way to go.

Should all rooms in a house have the same flooring? ›

There is absolutely no need to change flooring from room to room. We often work with homeowners who feel the urge to pick a different flooring for every room of their home, but there is absolutely no need to do this. Your home will look best if you create one consistent look that travels from room to room.

Lighter shades of colors, such as blue, teal, and earth tones are possibilities as well, giving a more open, airy, and uplifting vibe than darker shades. Blonde, light brown, or even whitewashed hardwood flooring can also make the most of this technique.

Flooring is typically installed in the same direction of your leading source of natural light, and the same goes for luxury vinyl. If you have large windows in a living room or an entryway that allows a flood of natural light, then run your planks in the same direction.

As a general rule, make sure to lay your floor in the same direction as the main light source in a room and in the same line as the most frequently used entrance. If there are several doors and windows, then opt for the direction that's the easiest to install.

You should also keep in mind that vinyl plank and tile flooring might not increase the value of your home as much as laminate flooring. However, vinyl flooring can still make all the difference in how long your floors will last, which could be vital as we head into a more competitive real estate market.