Most of us will have at least one room in the house that we wish looked larger. You may have tried various decorating tricks to maximize the given space, from painting the walls a light colour, to carefully chosen sheer curtains and purposely placed lamp, but making the most of out your flooring is the number one trick, in our opinion, to make your room look and feel bigger.

What types of flooring make a room look bigger?

The right type of flooring can help shift the focus of a room’s size towards its appeal and function too. Here are five flooring tips to help give the illusion of a larger space in your home:

1) Light and dark flooring

Choosing lighter coloured flooring to compliment your furniture can expand the perceived size of any room and can open the space right up. Think cream carpets, natural and neutral toned tiles and whitewashed wood flooring. These attractive, light and neutral colours give a room an open and airy feel, making it appear larger, whilst also drawing in the natural sunlight from outside.

Do dark floors make a room look smaller or bigger?

You may be surprised to learn that dark wood flooring can help to make your room look bigger too. Darker flooring offers an inviting feel and opens up a space.

Whether you choose rich colours or softer dark colours, they both have their advantages when it comes to expanding the appearance of a room. Dark wood is not to be afraid of, and once paired with the right cooling shade for wall colour, a space really can appear much bigger than it is.

2) One flooring for all rooms

Using the same flooring in several rooms in your home is proven to create a seamless effect that helps each room flow which makes smaller spaces in the home appear larger and part of something bigger.

Bathroom flooring on the other hand is something to be thought of separately due to the function of the room and the humidity and wetness of the room. Your bathroom needs flooring which is able to withstand these factors.

3) Parallel or diagonal flooring

Believe it or not, the way flooring is installed can help make a room look bigger than it is. As a general trick of the trade, installing flooring such as boards running parallel to the longest wall in the room instantly makes a room appear more spacious. Working in a similar way, if you opt for carpet for your small room, avoid busy floral and too-intricate patterns, and opt for something like vertical stripes instead to help elongate the space.

Another flooring installation trick that assists in opening up a petite room is to install boards and tiles diagonally. Although not the standard and typical thing to do, the eyes will be deceived into believing the space is larger and vaster.

4) Planks over strips

As far as space-enhancing tricks go, this is probably one of the easiest to execute. Simply choose wider planks over strips, which are at least 3 inches in size. Planks will make the room feel less busy and more open due to the fact there are less seams in the floor, as less boards are needed. It’s as simple as that!

5) Large tiles

As with larger planks, making a room appear bigger works exactly the same with tiles. Choose tiles which are at least 12 inch squares to help open up the space. Carpet floor tiles and luxury vinyl tiles are typically available in different sizes also, which is ideal.