The best paint colours to make a small space feel bigger

If you’re renovating, thinking about mixing up the colour scheme in your home or simply want a quick refresh, it’s likely that you’ve been pondering what colour palette you should go for. Something timeless. Something bright. Something that will make your home feel bigger. The first two are moderately easy, the latter not so much. Despite popular opinion, white paint isn’t the only option if you want to make your house feel bigger. The right colour palette can make even the smallest space seem large, airy, and inviting. The trick? Teaming enhancing hues with contrasting colours or accent walls.

All white now

If your aim is to make a small room feel bigger, you have to consider white. Not only versatile in terms of decorating, white rooms do always feel the largest. The other thing that’s great about white walls is that they lend themselves to bold accents. Whether you want a wall of stripes in the mix or a colour-block feature wall, as long as three walls are white, you are going to create the illusion of a large, wide-open room.

Citrus dreams

While you don’t want to go too bright or too dark, yellow is a paint colour that is often overlooked when it comes to painting a home. If you opt for a subtle shade (think lemon, soft banana and so on), then you can add accents in other citrus colours such as orange or even pale lime to really make things pop.

Ocean calling

From glass-bottle to emerald green and from ocean to duck egg blue, the endless shades of greens and blues provide beautiful options. The best bit? These colours work so well with many others. The trick here is to team your blue or green of choice with a white trim to expands the space. Handy hint: Keep your windows white for an added spaciousness feel.

Sorbet shades

While colours or soft pink, mauve, peach and lilac might be a little OTT on their own, spinning the pastel colour wheel is sure to make a space look bigger. Pair things back by teaming this colour palette with trims in cream, tan or beige. To create a cohesive feel throughout your space, without opting for a pastel playground, is to paint window frames and doors in light neutral hues. Soft furnishings – such as throws, cushions, lamp shades and curtains – are a great way to tie everything together.