HAVING been an interior designer and stylist for the last five years, there's one question Kate Campbell has heard more times than any other.

'How do I make my home look bigger?'

We’ve spent the winter holed up inside, so it’s no surprise some of us might be feeling a little claustrophobic. 

Luckily, Kate, the founder of Be Brave Interiors, knows it’s about feeling like you’ve got more space – rather than forking out on an expensive extension to get it. 

The interior designer from Leeds, Yorkshire, said: "If you haven’t got enough space in your house, doing one or two little things can make a big difference to how you feel. 

“And it is to do with a feeling. 

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“There’s a kids’ book called A Squash and A Squeeze. It’s about a woman who thinks her house is really small.

"And this person comes along and gives her more stuff to put in it – animals actually. So she takes them in and she’s just so overcrowded.

“Then he takes them all out again and suddenly she thinks she lives in a bigger house.

"It’s actually the same house that she started with, but she’s just had that experience of it being more cluttered.”

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Now, speaking exclusively to Fabulous, the interior designer reveals six easy ways to make your home feel more spacious… 

THE ANSWER ISN’T TO DECLUTTER

Kate admits that it’s common for interior designers and professional organisers to start by encouraging you to declutter. 

Their logic is that clearing out and cutting down will instantly make you feel like you have more space. 

But she doesn’t agree – and would rather you use what you have to your advantage.

“I think that one of the things that a lot of people say is to declutter, and maybe if you’ve got a hell of a lot of stuff, that is a good thing. 

“But I’ve tried to stay away from that because I think a home is a home because of what you have in it and what you love. 

“And sometimes it’s better to focus on other ways to make your room feel bigger than actually getting rid of stuff.”

So what does the design pro recommend? 

One of the things a lot of people say is to declutter…but a home is a home because of what you have in it.

Well, one of her first tips is to consider where you’ve put your curtain poles. 

She suggests that moving them nearer to the ceiling can make a big difference, and helps give the illusion of a larger space. 

She said: “Making the room feel bigger doesn’t have to be about the width of the room, it can also be the height of the room.

“So when you move your curtain poles nearer to the ceiling, that can also elongate the height of the room, therefore making it feel bigger.

“I’d go slightly wider as well because that will mean that when you open them fully, you know you’re letting in as much light as possible. 

“If you’re able to have them wider so that when they are open, they’re actually covering the side of the walls, not the light.”

KEEP IT TOGETHER

Her next tip: “Group your ornaments or your clusters. This makes it look more like a collection, rather than a number of individual items. 

“So the clutter might look too much, but the minute you group things together and put a little bit of space in between, that space helps to create an airy feeling and makes your room feel bigger. 

“The same can be said for artwork as well, actually. You might want to group your artwork into more of a gallery wall, rather than having it evenly spaced out on the wall. 

“Because don’t forget about the spaces in between. Your eye needs somewhere to rest when it goes into a room. 

“If you’ve got too much stuff in a room, it can be a bit overwhelming. 

“But by grouping items and creating the space between them, it means they’ve got somewhere to rest and it feels better. 

“I always make the analogy of music. When I was younger, my music teacher told me that the rests are as important as the notes. 

“That’s very true in a room and in interior design. Those spaces in between are as important as the spaces that are filled.” 

If you’re struggling to find a way to group things that feels natural, Kate suggests popping the items on a decorative tray which helps gives the collection a sense of purpose and place. 

REDUCE AND REUSE

Her next tip is to find and use dual-purpose items, as these will help limit the amount of furniture you’ll need and ultimately free up space.  

Kate added: “So you might have a coffee table and you might have a poof, but actually that could be the same thing. 

“Again, this is where a decorative tray can come in handy – that’s really easy to move if you do want to put your feet on it. 

By grouping items and creating space between them, it means your eyes have somewhere to rest and it feels better.

“Or an ottoman, even better maybe if you’ve got storage in it, that you can have as a coffee table.

“Another example would be having a set of drawers as a bedside table.

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL

Kate’s next tip is to add mirrors around your home as this will help bounce the light around, and ultimately, make your space feel larger than it is. 

To do this, hang them on opposite doors and windows. 

She recommends a collection of smaller mirrors, which also tend to be cheaper, however, a larger one would have the same impact too. 

“I do love a collection of mirrors, like a collection of vintage mirrors. You can find them quite cheaply, generally from secondhand shops or house clearance places, things like that. 

“You can group them together on a wall so you’ve got a feature and you’ve got the mirror as well.”

KEEP THE PAINT GOING

“Paint your skirting boards the same colour as your walls. 

“If the eye doesn’t have that line between what’s normally the white skirting board and the wall, it’s not drawn to it. 

“It won’t look and focus on it, giving the illusion of a much bigger floor area. 

“And then the same goes for the opposite side. Paint your ceiling the same colour as your walls to trick the eye into thinking that there are no lines.”

GO BIG OR GO BOLD

The interior design also recommends swapping to a large, ‘wow-factor’ light fighting. 

She continued: “The larger the better. 

“You might think that adding a large light is going to make it feel smaller, but actually it draws your attention up, which then makes the room feel bigger. 

“But also I think we all associate a big, grand sitting with a big, grand, palacious space.”

When asked if you could go too large, Kate was quick to add: “Obviously you have to factor in the ceiling heights and the depth of the light fitting – whether you’re going to bash your head on it or not. 

“But in terms of the diameter, it depends on the room. 

“I just think go bigger. 

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“And the paper lampshades, you can get them so cheap and really big as well, so it’s not like you need to have an expensive fitting.” 

To sign up for Kate's weekly newsletter full of interior gems or to take part in her FREE challenge 'Boost Your Bookings (on a Budget)', visit bebraveinteriors.com/newsletter.

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