Does Wallpaper Make A Room Look Bigger or Smaller?

Using wallpaper in a bedroom or living room can be a great addition to your home decor. However, choosing a particular wallpaper will impact the decor in terms of making it look bigger or smaller.

Since there are many wallpapers with intricate designs and colors, this can play a huge role. But the last thing we want is for a room to appear smaller than it really is.

So, the question remains, does wallpaper make a room look bigger or smaller?

Certain wallpapers can make a room look either bigger or smaller but it depends on a few factors: how the wallpaper is used and the color, texture, and pattern of the wallpaper. Light-colored wallpapers in simple or busy patterns such as floral, stripes, or geometric shapes can make a room look bigger and brighter, distracting from the actual size of the room but busy patterns can also grab too much attention making it appear smaller.

For smaller rooms, using dark wallpapers or placing a wallpaper on one wall can make a room feel and look smaller in some cases.

If you’d like to take a closer look at how to make the room look either bigger or smaller with wallpapers, here’s everything you need to know:

Table of Contents

How To Make A Room Look Smaller With Wallpaper

First, let’s take a quick look at how wallpaper can make a room look smaller. Here are a few things you can consider that will achieve your desired outcome:

Samples

One of the best things you can do to ensure a wallpaper will either make a room look bigger or smaller is to get a sample before purchasing the actual wallpaper.

This way, you’ll have a good idea of whether your chosen pattern or design will be the right choice for that particular room.

Wall

The trick with wallpaper to downsize the look of a room is to place a busy pattern on one wall rather than all the walls.

However, you may also use the wallpaper on all walls if the patterns are in a small repetitive series as this can make a room look smaller.

Dark colors

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Another idea you could try is using really dark colors. Since this may not give you that bright and airy feel as light colors would, it will make the room feel cozier and give the illusion of a smaller, intimate space.

Patterns

Using specific patterns can make a room look smaller, especially ones with a more detailed design or pattern.

This will give the room a busy feel that will decrease its appearance in size and you won’t really feel that sense of space as usual.

How To Make A Room Look Bigger With Wallpaper

The tips mentioned above can also be used as a guide to avoiding making a room look smaller.

But here are a few more ways you can use to make a room appear larger with wallpaper:

Patterns

Since patterns are the main feature of wallpaper, this will be the direct focus of the room. To ensure the room appears larger, you’ll want to create a depth of space by using big floral patterns.

Other patterns you can use are vertical stripes on one wall which can give the illusion of space between the ceiling and floor.

Another great pattern you could use is geometric patterns.

These can easily make a room look bigger with its intricate design that is interesting to look at and will almost always make your decor have a modern and trendy appeal.

Alternatively, you don’t necessarily have to use bold patterned wallpapers like this.

Using a simple and subtle, light-textured wallpaper can instantly open up space and make your room appear to be bigger, creating an overall cohesive design and space.

Colors

As you probably know, certain colors have a big effect on mood and feelings. Some colors can help brighten the room and your mood while also creating an illusion of space in a room.

Soft tone colors like yellow, grey, and white are best to make a room feel bigger whereas dark earthy colors like green or browns can make a room look smaller.

When choosing a wallpaper, try to stick with light shade colors that will help open up the space.

Other Tips That May Help Make A Wallpaper Room Look Bigger

Mirror

Hanging a mirror on a wall opposite a framed artwork or painting will reflect the artwork back, which breaks up the continuity of the wallpaper. This is a neat trick if all the walls have wallpaper on them.

Clutter

Reducing clutter in your room is vital if you have a busy patterned wallpaper.

If you have too many accessories and objects around the room, this will make the space feel cramped.

Having a minimum amount of accessories will make the room look better and it won’t draw attention away from the interior design.

Conclusion

As you can see, you don’t have to really worry if a wallpaper will make a room look bigger or smaller if you take into account the pattern, texture, and color and how it will be in relation to the rest of the decor.

If you do end up having to use a wallpaper that makes your room look smaller, you can always implement the mirror tip and reduce clutter if there is any in the room.

Alternatively, you could try removing most of the wallpaper and leaving it only one wall.

This will create a beautiful feature wall that will enhance the decor and the room won’t feel like it’s swallowed by wallpaper.

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Does Wallpaper Make A Room Look Bigger or Smaller?