Small Room Decorating Tips

Is your room cramped? If you feel claustrophobic, or if it is basically too small for your liking, the first thing you might want to look at are your living habits ?

Are papers lying around? Are the table tops piled high with miscellaneous clutter?

The first thing you should do in a cramped space is to declutter.

Get rid of all the things you don't need. As for what you really need, plan out where you can keep them so that you have as many clear surfaces as possible

in the room. The less clutter there is, the more spacious, or at least, the less cramped and stressful the room would feel.

Keep all the papers out of sight. Organize them in files, or boxes and hide these boxes in odd corners in the room, out of sight.

Get a magazine rack to keep your newspapers and latest magazines in. Then keep that magazine rack near the wall. Actually, keeping the furniture against the wall leaves you more space in the center of the room for you to move around.

Take a leaf out of the Shaker's book. You know the Shakers style of home decorating. Where simplicity counted, neatness and practicality was everything. They had pegs on racks to organize all their things and racks are great space savers, highly practical and get you organized.

Once you have your home organized, make it a point to always put things back in their original place. On the peg. In the box. In the rack. And train the entire family to do likewise. Keep the clutter out and the room would feel more spacious.

Now treat yourself and your companions to a luxurious room. Go for rich fabrics that lend the room texture and an air of luxury. Cover the floor in the center of the room with a large rug to give the room that luxe finish. Large furniture but luxurious that fill up the room give the impression of an alcove.

Fake a ceiling to floor, wall to wall window by draping curtains against an entire wall, to give the illusion that there is a window and therefore, more

space behind that curtain.

Line one wall of the room with mirrors to visually double the size of the room. The reflection of the room through the mirrors makes it look as if the room extends past those mirrors, doubling the apparent size of your room. Mirrors reflect light, thereby making the place feel more spacious.

There is no need to feel claustrophobic in your room. With a few carefully planned touches, your tiny room can look more spacious and feel cosier.