5 Decorating Mistakes Which Make a Home Appear Smaller

The present trend toward smaller homes is an excellent development—it is good for the planet, thrifty, and practical. However, outfitting a scaled-down house, one must do carefully--a couple of wrong decorating moves, and your walls might feel like they are closing in. For a home which feels as large as it is stylish, here are 5 decorating mistakes which make a home appear smaller.Too Much FurnitureA built-in is the way to go inside a small house – imagine storage seats that are built to serve as dining benches, custom storage wall inside a living room, or shelving at the end of a hallway. The less furniture pieces there is cluttering the rooms, the more spacious the home is going to feel.Too Much ColorForget those rules which state that you only should use neutrals inside a small area. The key to utilizing vibrant colors is sticking with just a single one per room, and utilizing them in smaller amounts. Bright bedding or an accent wall may add a fantastic pop of energy without having to overwhelm a small area.Too Much ClutterAs you are living small, you must be ruthless about keeping the place simple. To keep a house from feeling claustrophobic, you should pare your collections down to a couple of pieces you love, invest in appealing storage pieces to conceal all unsightly items (think: toiletries and kitchen tools), and then train yourself and your loved ones to pick up and put books, toys, and other doodads away after using.Heavy CurtainsAllow the sun to shine in! If your house is short on square footage, invite the outdoors in by utilizing the most transparent---and light-giving—window coverings you can, while still permitting for privacy. Or, if the neighbors are not too close, don’t use any coverings, whatsoever.Dim LightingIn tight spaces, lighting is your friend. You can augment overhead lighting using sconces hung at eye-level or a few slender, simple table or floor lamps. Creating soft light pools helps to make walls recede.