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HOW TO MAKE A SMALL ROOM FEEL BIGGER
Oct 15, 2025
If your home feels a little cramped or cluttered, this video is for you! Today I’m sharing my best tips on how to make a small space feel bigger—without knocking down a single wall. From smart furniture choices to clever styling tricks, these ideas will help you open up your space, add light, and create that airy, spacious feel you’ve been craving. Blog Post: "How to Make a Small Room Feel Bigger" - https://diannedecor.com/blog/how-to/how-to-make-a-small-room-feel-bigger/ | CHAPTERS | 00:00 Intro 00:32 Increase Negative Space 01:15 Open Leg Furniture 01:45 Slimmed Down Silhouettes 02:32 Tone on Tone Color Palette 03:32 Space Saving Furniture 05:42 Remove Encroaching Decor 07:00 Emphasize Height 07:34 Outro | LINKS |* BLOG POST: "13 Genius Space Saving Furniture Ideas for Small Spaces" - https://diannedecor.com/blog/advice-tips/decorating-inspiration/furniture-for-small-spaces/
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0:03
Hi, it's Lindsay Diane from
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dianecor.com.
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In this video, let's talk about how to
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make a small space feel bigger. With a
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few smart design choices, you can make
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even the tiniest space feel open, airy,
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and comfortable. The key lies in how you
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arrange your furniture, use color, and
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manage visual weight. So, let's jump
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into seven practical tips that will make
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your small room feel instantly larger
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and more inviting. Number one is to
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increase negative space. One of the
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fastest ways to make a small space feel
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larger is by increasing the negative
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space in a room. Now, the negative space
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are the open areas between and under
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furniture and decorative accents. Avoid
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filling every corner or surface with
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decor. Instead, leave breathing room
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between pieces. This will stop your
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small space from feeling too busy or
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cluttered. The more uninterrupted space
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you see, the larger your room will
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appear. This applies to floors, walls,
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and other horizontal spaces like
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tabletops and desktops. Number two is to
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opt for openlike furniture. Bulky,
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skirted, or boxy furniture tends to
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block light in lines of sight, making a
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small room feel cramped. Instead, choose
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open leg pieces that lift your furniture
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off the ground. Items like mid-century
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modern chairs, open frame tables, or
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acrylic tables allow you to see more of
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the floor, which creates the illusion of
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depth and spaciousness. Number three is
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to slim down your silhouettes. Oversized
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furniture can quickly overwhelm a small
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space. So instead, opt for a slimmer
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silhouette. To do this, swap out things
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like instead of using a full-size sofa,
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go for a love seat or a sete. Instead of
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using a bulky armchair, go for an
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armless Parson's chair or a bench
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instead. Floating shelves rather than
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full bookcases are another option for
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slimming down silhouettes in a small
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room. These scaled down alternatives
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maintain function while freeing up
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visual space, and this will help your
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small room feel balanced and open.
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Number four is to opt for tone on tone
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versus high contrast color schemes.
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Color plays a huge role in how spacious
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a small room feels. High contrast color
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schemes visually cut up the space while
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tone on tone palettes help everything
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blend together. Try painting your walls,
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your trim, and your ceiling varying
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shades of the same hue. This tone on
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tone approach minimizes visual
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boundaries, making your small room
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appear larger and more harmonious. This
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can be done with decorative accents and
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furniture as well. For instance, a cream
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sofa can be adormed with a cream
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textured throw blanket and decorative
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pillows, or your white shelves could
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feature a series of white decorative
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accents. This will help some of your
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decorative accents to recede into the
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background visually and help you create
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a more open feeling in your room. Number
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five is to opt for space saving
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furniture solutions. Multifunctional and
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space-saving furniture is essential when
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working with a small room. Think of
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nesting tables, fold down desks, storage
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ottomans, and expandable bookcases as
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options to get the most out of your
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space, not lose any of your
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functionality, but still maintain sort
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of more compact furniture solutions so
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that they have a smaller footprint in
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your room. There are a ton of new
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innovative space-saving furniture
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solutions available for small rooms in
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apartments. They run the gamut from
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things like uh collapsible and folding
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dining tables to wall-mounted writing
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desks that kind of fold down out of the
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wall and double as bookcases. We also
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have things like nesting stools and
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ottomans that double as side tables and
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um pull out to seat four people at a
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dining room table. There are just very
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very cool innovations out right now.
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Again, we have gone through some of the
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beds, the loft beds, um all of the
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convertible kids beds that are space
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saving solutions. We also have things
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like kitchen islands that expand out to
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be able to seat four people with stools
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at a kitchen island and can compact back
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in when not necessary. So, there are a
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ton of new innovative solutions. If you
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haven't looked for space-saving
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furniture in a while, you may be
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surprised at how many there are. I do
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have a video coming up that's going to
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be all about this subject. So, stay
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tuned for that. I will link it in the
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description box below when it comes out.
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But these clever designs allow you to
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maximize usability without cluttering
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your space. So every piece should earn
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its keep when you have a small room.
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They should serve more than one purpose
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and help maintain the flow and the
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flexibility in your small room. So opt
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for space saving furniture solutions
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when you can. Number six is to remove
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decor that encroaches on your space.
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Sometimes it's not what you add, but
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what you remove that makes all the
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difference. Large floor vases,
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artificial trees, oversized baskets,
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leaning mirrors, and even floor lamps
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can eat up valuable square footage. So,
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try removing or replacing these items
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with wall-mounted versions or smaller
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scale alternatives. You'll be surprised
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how much more open and functional your
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small space becomes when you start to
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remove decor that may be encroaching on
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your space. So, swapping out things like
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artificial plants that may fan out too
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much, like a palm or a monstera, for
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something that's a little bit more
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streamlined and vertical, like bamboo,
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is a good option in a small space.
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Another good swap is to forgo leaning
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that oversized mirror in your room and
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instead getting it mounted on the wall.
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Skip out on things like the leaning
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blanket ladders and instead find a
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different solution like a storage
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ottoman to store your blankets and
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throws so that you still have access to
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them in the room but they aren't taking
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up too much of your valuable walking
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around space. And number seven is to use
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wall and window decor to help emphasize
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height in your small room. When you
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can't expand outward, draw the eye
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upward. So, use tall mirrors mounted on
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the wall or oversized vertical artwork
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or hanging your curtains really high up
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above the window frame to emphasize the
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room's height. These design tricks help
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elongate the visual lines and create a
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sense of grandeur, making even the
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smallest spaces feel tall and airy.
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That's it for this video. I hope you
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found it helpful. If you liked it,
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please give it a like and consider
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subscribing to my channel. And don't
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forget to visit me at diancor.com. I
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post all about home decorating ideas
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over there. I thank you so much for
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watching and I'll see you in the next
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one. Bye.
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[Music]
#Home & Interior Decor
#Home Furnishings
#Home Improvement