Make a small room look bigger with our interior designer-approved paint tricks – you don’t have to stick to light colors

LEARNING how to properly paint a room can add the illusion of instant square footage to any space.

Just a few easy techniques can lengthen or widen any area – or at least look like it has.

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Interior decorating professionals share their top tips for making any room seem more spacious with their easy paint techniques[/caption]

In order to give the perception of a larger size room, it’s crucial to create contrast by using light and dark colors, according to interior design firm HK Interiors.

This trick will help give a room “depth,” instantly making any space seem bigger.

Sticking to dark and bright white colors will also instantly open up any room.

Meanwhile, make sure to stay away from medium shades as those tones will have the opposite effect.

It is also important to remember that not all spaces are created equal.

Long and narrow rooms can also be made to look wider with pro-tip painting techniques, but they require their own set of rules.

Light and cool colors recede, making them seem farther away.

Warm and dark colors, on the other hand, advance towards us.

To make the most of these types of spaces, paint the opposing shorter walls one or two shades darker than the two longer walls.

As they begin to feel closer, the room will then take on more of a spacious-looking square shape.

Those looking to highlight a room’s length can use a darker shade on the longer walls.

Some other universal laws for expanding the appearance of space include sticking with one color.

This will make the room appear to be continuous.

Alternatively, when multiple colors are involved, our eyes automatically stop at the line where one color ends and another begins.

This creates boundaries in a room, cutting the size.

White is always an “optimum” choice as well as its reflective qualities give any room, whether it’s short or narrow, a light and airy feel.

And lastly, no matter what else you do, stick with stripes.

Horizontal stripes will give the appearance of a longer wall, while vertical stripes will make your wall seem taller.

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Whether you’re looking to lengthen a wall or make a room appear more square-shaped, there’s a trick for that[/caption]