How to Make a Room Look Bigger or Smaller With Paint Color

How to change the visual size of your room!

Do you have a living room that’s so big it feels impersonal? Or maybe you have a bathroom that’s so small your knees touch the vanity when you’re sittin’ on the loo. Whatever size room you have, there are ways you can change the visual perception of it without demolishing or building walls (which means I’m taking ALL the fun out of things…)

However, there’s some serious explaining to do as we’re talking about two different groups with two different elements.

But first, it’s important to note that this is all open to perception. 

How a color’s temperature or depth makes YOU feel can be different from the next person. This guidance below applies to the average person. Who knows, maybe you’re anything BUT average and choose to reverse these ideas – you do you, boo.

 

HOW TO MAKE A SMALL ROOM LOOK BIGGER

There’s rarely just one piece of the puzzle to fit in; combining a few key pieces often creates the whole picture. Let’s start with depth.

LIGHT COLORS

Light colors can help small spaces feel more alive, bright, and airy. They visually ‘open up’ spaces that might otherwise feel cramped or too cozy.

How do they do this?

Via their LRV. Every paint color has an LRV number which lets you know how dark or light it is on a scale of 0-100. The higher a color’s LRV is, the more light it reflects.

The exact LRV range depends significantly on your room and how much light it gets. For a ballpark range, I’d look between 65 and 94. The darker your room is, the higher the LRV you might consider.

This large, open-concept home looks even bigger and spacious, painted in a light, cool paint color…

Sherwin Williams Ice Cube – not to be confused with rap legend – Ice Cube.

But it’s not just about a color being light. Sure, that’s half of the equation, but there’s also TEMPERATURE to consider when you want a room to look bigger.

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Paint Colour With LRV

 

COOL PAINT COLORS

Cool colors are receding colors and help a space look larger by visually pushing your walls farther away (it’s a psychological thing).

So, when you combine LIGHT and COOL, you’re getting the best of both worlds, as both can help a small room look bigger.

Benjamin Moore Gray Owl

But (and it’s Kardashian-sized, so it ain’t messin’ around), the more genuine or saturated a color is (colorful), the less it will recede. Adding a bit of gray and dulling it will get it back to where you want it – receding.

Now, to sum all of that mumbo-jumbo up…

To make a small room look bigger, paint it a LIGHT, COOL-toned paint color. 

Sherwin Williams Fleur de Sel

The 19 Best Paint Colors to Make a Small Room Look Bigger!

 

HOW TO MAKE A BIG ROOM LOOK SMALLER

Bigger isn’t always better, especially in rooms that call for a cozier, more intimate mood.

MEDIUM-DEPTH & DARK COLORS

Generally speaking (as there are ALWAYS exceptions), dark colors make a room look smaller.

Why? 

The 9 Best Purple Paint Colors

Dark colors advance, making the walls seem closer than they actually are.

In the dining room below, tons of natural light floods in. Adding a medium-toned feature wall (or two) helps make the space feel more intimate without closing it in.

Benjamin Moore Steel Wool

The Best Darker Gray-Blue Paint Colors

However, sometimes, it’s all in the viewer’s eye. Dark colors don’t always make a room look smaller, as they are also known to ‘blur corners,’ making it hard to see where the room starts and ends. This can make a room feel deeper and larger depending on your perception.

Dark colors also have low LRVs, which means they will not reflect as much natural light as lighter colors. (Colors that reflect a lot of light can make rooms look bigger and brighter.)

Choose The Best Paint Colours Using LRV

But you know we’re not done yet, we need to partner up DEPTH and TEMPERATURE…

 

WARM COLORS

Warm colors are advancing colors, and like dark colors, they make walls seem closer than they are – making your room feel cozier and smaller.

So, when you combine DARK and WARM, you give your room a double-whammy of coziness! While this next dining room isn’t a warm PAINT color, it looks inviting with beautiful dark red wallpaper and non-white trim (Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan)…

And the summary…

To make a big room appear smaller, paint it a DARK, WARM paint color.

This next room was big and bright. Painting the end wall a beautiful rusty shade creates intimacy and added visual warmth.

Shown here: Benjamin Moore Tawny Rose and Gentle Cream

This primary bedroom was a bit big and uninviting. It looks much cozier and more inviting in a rich shade of brown…

Benjamin Moore Brown Horse

Now, if you want to expand yer noggin’, then read on…(I will give you brownie points, AND you will win the booby prize as well).

The Best Dark Greige & Taupe Paint Colors

The Best Medium to Dark Green Paint Colors

 

YOU VS. YOUR ROOM – THE BATTLE RAGES ON!

As with everything in decorating and design, there is a method to the madness, and once you know the method, you can join in the madness! Dark, light, warm, cool—it’s not always about what YOU want; it’s about what your room wants, so what you need to do is…

IGNORE YOURSELF FOR A MINUTE

Forget about the color you think you want to paint your room. Clear your mind, pour a glass (or three), step back a moment, look at your room, and ask yourself these questions (and it’s okay to talk out loud—I talk to myself all the time).

1. Do I want the room to feel larger and brighter?

2. Do I want the room to feel cozy and comfy?

In this next image, the foyer looks cozier and less expansive in this dark charcoal gray (again, that’s open to perception, but that’s the goal)…

On the other hand, the light depth of the living room walls makes them recede a bit. The paint color is Benjamin Moore Dove Wing, which has a super muted warmth, whereas a stronger yellow hue could diminish some of the expansive feel.

Figure out what your room needs and then see how it coincides with your personal tastes.

Do your tastes clash with the needs of your room? Check out these next creative combos! 

 

DARK & COOL PAINT COLOR COMBO

Whereas dark and warm can make a room feel cozier, dark and cool can be an interesting blend. The dark makes it feel more intimate, but the cool tone can help push things out a bit. However, remember that the dark will override the cool to a degree (pun intended).

Benjamin Moore Dior Gray

And again, a lot of it comes down to perception. I LOVE cool, dark colors, and they make a space feel intimate (to me.) Sure, a dark, warm color would feel that much cozier, but that’s not my jam.

Many people also think that cool colors might make a space look cold, which can be true in the lighter shades. However, once a cool color gets darker (i.e., medium-toned and darker), it can have a perceived warmth and coziness through its depth.

The Best DARK Blue Paint Colors

Although Hale Navy, shown in the dining room above, is a dark and cold color, it looks pretty darn inviting and full of personality to me!

This next dining room looks cozy and inviting in Sherwin Williams Retreat…

Would a warm, dark color be even COZIER? Possibly, but if you don’t like warm colors or they don’t suit your room and its exposure, this could be a great alternative.

The Best Medium to Dark Green Paint Colors

 

LIGHT & WARM COLOR COMBO

Whereas light and cool can make a room look bigger, a lighter, warmer color (with a strong neutral base) can do a reasonable job, too! Will it be as enhancing and enlarging as a COOL, light shade? Maybe not, but it can be a good happy medium if cool colors aren’t up your alley or they don’t suit your room and its exposure.

This next modern farmhouse-style dining room is painted Benjamin Moore White Dove. While the DEPTH of White Dove pushes the walls out, the passive warmth keeps things looking a bit inviting (compared to a cooler tone).

 

COLOR DRENCHING

Another great way to make a room look bigger is to color-drench it. Color drenching is when you paint the walls, trim, and ceilings (and cabinets if you have them) the same color in different finishes (sheens).

This next transitional living room has Sherwin Williams Alabaster on the walls, trims, and ceiling…

My Color Consulting client is the amazingly talented Jenna Christian

Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Alabaster

Again, the DEPTH of Alabaster pushes the walls out, but the subtle warmth keeps a more balanced, inviting look.

To sum it up, whereas LIGHT and COOL can make a space feel bigger, LIGHT and WARM can work if you want it to feel bright and big but still warm and inviting!

Sherwin Williams Creamy is another light, bright, and warm paint color (that isn’t obnoxiously yellow).

 

CONSIDER CONTRAST

Lastly, the degree of contrast (and clutter, btw) in your space plays a big part in how big or small it looks. For example, if you have a small bedroom with a lot of white trim, white ceiling, slightly darker walls, and dark furniture, that’s a lot of CONTRAST. The constant break between contrasting depths makes a space look smaller.

In this next bedroom (painted Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White), if the bed didn’t have the dark metal frame, the overall palette would be lower contrast, making the room look bigger…

Paint Color Review of Sherwin Williams Aesthetic White

This is another small bedroom with a pretty low contrast palette (Sherwin Williams Egret White)…

Sherwin Williams Egret White Paint Color Review

On the other hand, similar to color-drenching, the less contrast your space has, the larger it can look. This means you’ll want to note the difference in depth between your trims, walls, furnishings, etc. Keep the contrast lower to make your space look larger (whether you choose light or dark colors).

READ MORE

The 19 Best Paint Colors to Make a Small Room Look Bigger!

How to Make a Small Room Look Bigger With SHEEN! 

How to Decorate & Design Small Spaces & Rooms

6 Ideas to Make a Dark Room Look Bigger & Brighter

 The 8 Best White & Light Paint Colors for a Dark Room

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ORIGINALLY WRITTEN IN  UPDATED IN 2024