Last week we hosted a competition on the Crown Paints Facebook page asking our fans to submit their design dilemmas to me. I answered Patricia’s decorating dilemma at a very special readers evening with Image Interiors at The Cliff Town House in Dublin but as I often get asked how to introduce the illusion of space to a room I thought I would share my answer to Patricia’s question here on my blog.

 

With smaller rooms like Patricia’s kitchen it’s important to keep the colour scheme on the paler side of the spectrum to avoid overcomplicating the design. To get the most from confined spaces look to colours such as beiges, creams and blush pinks for a wider feel to the room.

 

There are a few visual tricks that help make a room appear larger. The obvious one is to use vertical stripes in contrasting tones on your walls. Another trick is to lay chequered floor tiles diagonally within a space which works well in a kitchen. Never combine the two however, as clashing patterns will reduce the size of your room. Another handy trick is to always ensure that ceilings, from the picture rail upwards are painted in a lighter shade than the walls.

 

For Patricia’s room I would recommend Marscarpone and Mink vertical stripes on the walls to elongate as well as widen the room. The stripes should only be painted on a third of the wall about a foot up from the floor. As a base colour I would recommend Beige White to provide an additional contrast in the room which helps give the illusion of space.

 

Tiles are always a good option in a kitchen as they are easy to clean and their reflective nature will make the most of the small room. I would choose simple sand coloured floor tiles but look to introduce a small pop of colour with splashback tiles anywhere else in the room. These should not feature a pattern but simple tricks like adding a bold painted tile every 20 tiles can really lift a design.

 

Light is obviously important in smaller rooms as they tend to be dark by nature. If your room is lacking in natural light be sure to have a large light fixture in the centre of the ceiling, separate down lighters are a good way to ensure each corner of the space gets lots of light. You can illuminate presses or counter services with spot lights or battery powered bulbs for an even brighter room.

 

With limited space it’s important to keep furniture to a minimum. Ensure that your furniture fits into the space perfectly and avoid oversized fixtures which can put off the scale in a small room. If possible you can have pieces custom made to get the most out of the space.

 

Kitchens are notorious for harbouring clutter so try to have enough storage in the kitchen so your design won’t be overpowered by accessories or kitchen utensils. IKEA have lots of economical ideas that hide away these items so they out of sight but still very accessible.

 

Happy Decorating,

 

Neville