These days it seems like everybody wants a tiny house. But what if your home isn\u2019t adorably tiny? What if it\u2019s just sadly small?<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t worry\u2014it\u2019s not your square footage that matters most; it’s how you present it. Even if you’re tight on space, you can fool buyers into thinking things are bigger than they appear\u2014you just have to have some smart tricks up your sleeve. Keep reading for our experts\u2019 savviest and sneakiest tips for seeing big returns on the petite place you currently call home.<\/p>\n
1. Throw a reverse housewarming party<\/strong><\/p>\n The less clutter, the bigger your home will look and feel to potential buyers. To get rid of your unwanted items, throw a party before your first open house, suggests Laura McHolm, co-founder of NorthStar Moving.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of having your friends bring a gift, have them pick one of your items and take it home with them.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. Go down to the bare minimum<\/strong><\/p>\n Still feel like your home is full of stuff?<\/p>\n \u201cBox up everything you don\u2019t need on a daily basis and anything that’s smaller than a football,\u201d suggests home staging expert Lori Matzke.<\/p>\n Sift through your glass cupboards and built-ins, and clean off your countertops.<\/p>\n \u201cLeaving just the bare minimum will create the feeling of more space,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n That goes for your beloved tchotchkes, too.<\/p>\n \u201cA smaller space tends to favor a more minimalist design, so having all of your collectible figurines on display on the shelves, side and console tables will bring the room in rather than opening it up,\u201d says Bee Heinemann, marketing director and interior decorating expert at V\u00e4nt Wall Panels.<\/p>\n 3. Take your doors off their hinges<\/strong><\/p>\n Remove all your interior doors, besides those that lead to bedrooms, bathrooms, and closets, suggests G. Brian Davis, director of education for SparkRental. \u201cThe farther the eye can see, the better.\u201d<\/p>\n 4. Ditch the heavy drapes<\/strong><\/p>\n If your windows are hiding behind cumbersome drapes and other coverings, now’s the time to take them down. Leave your windows bare, or hang sheer linen curtains.<\/p>\n Not only will your house instantly feel brighter and more cheery, Matzke says, \u201cbut you\u2019ll extend the view to the outdoors, which will automatically make your space feel larger.\u201d<\/p>\n 5. Use only one color<\/strong><\/p>\n Painting every single room the same color isn’t an artistic cop-out\u2014in a small home, it actually serves an important purpose.<\/p>\n “It prevents your space from feeling choppy, and gives it more of a continuous feel,\u201d Matzke explains.<\/p>\n The same idea goes for your furniture and accessories. Try to reduce contrasting colors wherever possible, suggests Justin M. Riordan, founder of home staging company Spade and Archer Design Agency.<\/p>\n Contrasting hues create definition, and definition will make it that much more obvious that your space is small. Instead, opt for similar tones.<\/p>\n “If you have a room with taupe walls, walnut floors, a brown sofa, and milk-chocolate pillows\u2014all various names for medium brown\u2014the edges of each item will be less defined and, in turn, be perceived as taking up less space,” Riordan explains.<\/p>\n 6. Put away your prints<\/strong><\/p>\n Similarly, if you’ve got an affinity for wild and colorful designs, it’s time to rein it in. To avoid making buyers feel claustrophobic, \u201ckeep prints to a minimum and offset them with solids drawn from the same palette,\u201d Heinemann says.<\/p>\n 7. Take down your artwork<\/strong><\/p>\n Don’t be afraid of blank space! Resist the temptation to cover your walls with artwork or other hangings.<\/p>\n Blank space “gives a room a chance to breathe,” Matzke says. (It will also stave off any twinges of claustrophobia in potential buyers.)<\/p>\n 8. Let there be light<\/strong><\/p>\n As in, lots of light.<\/p>\n \u201cAdd the highest possible wattage bulbs to all the lights in your home,\u201d suggests Nancy Haworth, a professional organizer in Raleigh, NC. Daylight-toned bulbs, in particular, “provide a natural-looking light that can help make a small space seem larger,” she adds.<\/p>\n 9. Cut out the rugs<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe more you break up the flow of your flooring, the smaller your space will feel,\u201d Matzke cautions.<\/p>\n To prevent that from happening, limit rugs to only one or two main areas such as under your dining table. Just make sure the rugs aren’t too tiny\u2014small rugs can actually dwarf a space.<\/p>\n 10. Max out your use of mirrors<\/strong><\/p>\n Mirrors can be a magical design tool. They can brighten a dark room and make a small space look much bigger by reflecting natural light, Heinemann explains.<\/p>\n Before you go wild with mirrors, make sure you know where and how to hang them (there are some things you shouldn’t do.) But generally, if you place a mirror next to\u2014or directly across from\u2014a window, it’ll trick visitors into thinking there\u2019s more depth to your house than there actually is.<\/p>\n 11. Watch your corners<\/strong><\/p>\n Baby didn\u2019t like them, so don\u2019t put your couch, bookshelf, or nightstand in the corner, either.<\/p>\n \u201cLeaving the corners of a room open extends the buyer\u2019s view into a space,\u201d Matzke says. \u201cThe more open space you can see, the larger the rooms will feel.\u201d<\/p>\n 12. Display glass and metal furnishings<\/strong><\/p>\n This means you might have to send Aunt Esther’s dark walnut hutch to storage. Not forever, mind you, but until your home sells.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to furnishings, materials like glass and metal\u2014which reflect light and feel more airy\u2014give more sense of space than dark, heavy wood pieces,\u201d Heinemann explains.<\/p>\n 13. Streamline your linens<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t want a red bedspread with orange pillows and faux fur throws, all mixed together, in a tiny space,\u201d Heinemann advises. \u201cIt\u2019s just too much for the eye to take in.\u201d<\/p>\n Keep colors and textures on your bed uniform\u2014and lighter weight is better.<\/p>\n 14. Go high<\/strong><\/p>\n Wherever you can, you want to raise the bar\u2014of your shower curtains and window treatments, that is.<\/p>\n “Hang it as high as you can,\u201d Heinemann says. \u201cDoing so gives the illusion of higher ceilings and greater space.\u201d<\/p>\n