Space is of great concern to every homeowner in Singapore. There is never enough space for everything that you want to have in the house. You wish that there is more space in the house for playing, dancing and other fun indoor activities., or at least an impression that there is enough space for all the activities. Sometimes, the house just looks overcrowded and stuffy because of poor arrangement of lack of space enhancing decorations such as wall papers. Though having more space in the house entails real expansion of the house, you can make your house appear more spacious even if it is not. Here is a sneak peak of how do that.
· Choose your wallpaper color wisely.
If you know the psychology of color, then you agree with me that the color of your wallpaper will make the house appear either crowded or spacious. Wall papers of lighter colors are the most effective in making a house appear more spacious. Though dark colors make the house feel comfortable, they give an impression of lack of space because they absorb light rather than reflecting it. Lighter colors on the other hand reflect more light, making the house feel airy.
· Use wallpapers of the same color but different color shades.
Using wallpapers of the same color throughout the house is not attractive, though it may still make the house appear spacious. It is better to vary the shades from one room to the other. Use monochrome color pellets for the master bedroom, for example, and use different shades of that same color for the other bedrooms. This creates coherence that gives the house a more open appearance.
· Go for stripped wall papers.
Stripes are known to elongate space. They will thus make your house appear longer if the stripes are vertical and wider if the stripes are horizontal. Stripped wallpapers are most effective in enhancing the space of a house when they are placed against the tallest or the longest walls.
· Break all the rules
Making you house appear larger will require you to follow a free-spirited approach in the furnishing and arrangement of all rooms. For instance, you must not have sofas in the living room. You can use a beanbag of the same color as the wallpaper instead. Beds in the bedroom must not be arranged in a certain order. They must not touch the walls. You can place them at the centre of the room and hang wallpapers that are of the same height as the interior wall. This will create an illusion of a lot of space that is actually not being used.
· Choose wallpapers with dramatic art.
Even as you think of the best wallpaper color to choose, you should also consider having dramatic art pieces on the wallpaper. These art pieces will make the house appear more expansive, especially if they appear large and bold. The imagination that these large art pieces are still contained in a room that has so many other more important items makes the house feel more spacious.
· Place the wallpapers at strategic points in the room
Don’t place wallpapers haphazardly. Instead, come up with a strategic plan of placing the wallpapers in areas that will make them more effective as space inducing agents. For instance, you may just use a wallpaper on one wall and place a large mirror on the other to give the kaleidoscope effect that will make the hose appear larger. If you have a shelving unit in the living room, use a wallpaper behind it. You can also place your wallpaper at the back of a storage unit. The idea is not to cover the wallpaper but to use it without interfering with the walls too much. Cover a chimney breast with a vibrant wallpaper. In short, don’t insist on the tried and tested methods of positioning of wallpapers. Come up with new positions and try them.
· Wallpaper the ceiling.
As part of breaking all the rules, you can also wallpaper the ceiling. Most people do not know that this is a trick that makes a house appear more spacious than it really is. It is simple logic: a wallpaper placed in the ceiling will draw the eyes upwards. This way, the ceiling will actually become the focal point of the room. Drawing eyes upwards makes the room appear taller.
The living room is one of the rooms of a house where space is everything. This means that the wallpaper of the living room should be selected with utmost care to ensure that the space increasing effect is achieved. Here are some factors to consider.
· Use stripped wallpapers with shimmering textures, neutral colors and an ultra-stylish finish.
· You can also use woodland wallpapers that works with the scheme of the room.
· Try contrasting patterns of wallpapers. Totally contrasting wall papers will make the living room appear classy and spacious.
· Don’t confine your wallpapering ideas to the design of the living room. For instance, use bold wallpapers even if the style doesn’t suggest so.
· Monochrome wallpapers are also good for the living room, just as they are for the bedroom. These wallpapers add dimension to the room.
· Be creative. Let a wallpaper define a working space in the living room. When a certain task is associated with a specific wallpaper, there are all indications that there is more than enough space in the room.
· Choose a stripped wallpaper or a neutral wallpaper if you love the natural scheme and if you want to go a bit traditional. On the other hand, black and gold wallpapers will give your living room a more contemporary look.
· Floral and botanical living room wallpapers go perfectly well with a light and spacious living room especially of the open-plan design. On top of making the room appear larger, they will elicit a feeling of connection with nature. If you can’t get any of these wallpapers, try the subtle leaf-print wallpaper or the exposed stone wallpaper.
· If you house is located in the coastal area, you may find the coastal living room wood-effect wallpaper attractive and more appealing.
· Other wallpaper styles that can make the living room appear spacious are tartan living room wallpaper, bookcase wallpaper, vintage-style and oriental-style wall paper. In most cases, you may have to go for a tailor-made wallpaper to achieve the spacious effect.
In summary, wallpapers make houses appear larges, and perhaps that is why they are used in almost every corner of Singapore. They enhance the feeling of relaxation in the house that makes it warm and welcoming.