5 Unexpected Kinds of Art That Make a Room Feel Bigger, According to Home Stagers
You may already know that home stagers have plenty of tricks up their sleeves when it comes to making spaces look more appealing to prospective buyers, but did you also know they have some pretty ingenious tricks for making small spaces look larger? According to Kelly Marie of Kelly Marie Interior Design based in South Florida, proportions are key. “Scale is so important when selecting art. One of the most common interior design mistakes is placing art that is too small for the wall area where it lives,” she says. “Just because a room is smaller, doesn’t mean your art has to be.”
Read on to see what other tricks she and the rest of the pros say you can do with your art to make your home seem bigger.
Use Mirrors
Some folks say staging is all smoke and mirrors, and according to Adam Schroeder, Executive Designer Schross Haus, LLC they’re not wrong. He says one of the biggest tricks to making a room feel bigger involves mirrors.
Schroeder likes to use mirrors of varying shapes, sizes, finishes, and textures to make a smaller space feel more expansive. “Particularly powerful is the use of a full-body, standing mirror opposite an entryway to immediately add a sense of spaciousness upon entering a space, or on opposite ends of a hallway,” he says. “Moreover, we love to place a tall mirror — at times nearly touching the room’s ceiling — atop a credenza or buffet in a dining room or bar area.
Display Multiples of the Same Art
When utilizing artwork to increase the sense of spaciousness, Schroeder says repetition is key. “Specifically, employing triptychs or other pieces in-series will make a room feel large,” he explains. He adds that using multiple pieces that draw on repeating colors or textures from furniture or finishes in the room also help contribute to a feeling of spaciousness.
Use Your Windows
If you have tall ceilings, or even high framed windows, level the art with those marks and it will give an illusion of the space seeming larger than reality, according to Chantelle Hartman Malarkey, interior designer, travel and lifestyle expert, and mom of three. As an added bonus, your pieces will benefit from the close access to all that sunlight.
Opt for Lighter Borders
Melony Huber is a global fashion, textile, and exclusive interior design stylist and co-founder of ethical lifestyle collection La Peony. She says that wall art with lighter edges will continue to add depth to a room, so she suggests choosing pieces with lots of white space or strong contrasts that will bring depth and brightness to the space.
Upscale to a Larger Piece
“When it comes to art, bigger is always better,” according to Alice T. Chan, stager, designer and project director at Freemodel, a pre-sale home renovation company. “One large statement piece trumps a wall of little pieces every time. It’s also a lot less stressful on the installation side.” That means once you’ve found “the one” you should make sure you’re purchasing it in the largest size available.
This piece is part of Art Month, where we’re sharing how to find, buy, and display art in your home, and so much more. Head on over here to see it all!