Do you live in a bustling city like Sydney? If yes, then living in a compact apartment must not be a new concept for you. Though owning an apartment in urban areas, itself is a great achievement at present times, we all want our small living spaces to appear bigger than their actual size. As a suggestion to this issue, most people will tell you to have minimal furniture, or light up the space and whatnot. All these are true, but a major game-changer element is still missing.

So, how will you make your small apartment look spacious?

The answer in a simple word is through paint. Yes, you read that right.

How can a paint can maximise the size of a tiny space?

The simplest way to make a small room look bigger is to paint it in the appropriate colours and style. Reflective qualities are the science behind a paint’s ability to expand space. By bouncing both artificial and natural light around the room, this reflection effect effortlessly removes shadows that can give spaces a confined feeling.

There are certain tints that have unique spatial effects. This receding quality deceives the eye into seeing more depth while simulating the openness of the sky or the outside world. Moreover, to make an apartment or house look bigger, paint colours need a big support of correct lighting. The whole scenario depends on how colour and light interact in your particular space.

Questions to ask before finding the perfect palette for visually doubling your apartment

Start by asking yourself these basic questions to determine the ideal colour scheme for your house’s needs:

What is the size of your apartment?

Now, take out that measuring tape and get the exact idea of how big or small the space actually is. It will help you to get ideas regarding every corner of your apartment and help you find out areas that need a makeover.

How much light does it get from the sun?

That’s a crucial point to consider in this space maximising journey. Observe your house multiple times a day, as sunlight can keep changing its appearance at different periods in a single day.

In which direction is the room directed?

The question is important as differently directed apartments can get different sunlight facilities. For instance, A north-facing home in Sydney, Australia, gets the most natural light and warmth throughout the day, especially on winter days. So, based on your area and house, determine that first.

What colour to paint a small apartment?

As a Sydney resident, if you are looking for actual colour suggestions to find the right tone in general for your compact home, then these are the colours most experts or professional residential painters in Sydney will suggest-

  • Crisp White and Soft Cremes: The best paint colours for small spaces are soft creams and crisp whites because they give the impression of more space and airiness. Creams provide warmth without overpowering the room, while white reflects light and makes a space naturally brighter.
  • Soft Pastels: If you like a hint of your favourite colour in your tiny apartment, choose its lightest shade. Pale blue, gentle green or subtle pink can make the space feel fresh, soothing and reflect light as well.
  • Grey Tones: Light grey maintains its ability to reflect some light while producing a delightfully warming effect. Grey is a great colour to use in smaller interiors because it can also add a little depth and calm.

How to choose the right colour to enhance every corner of your little residence?

If you want the whole apartment to look spacious, you need to focus on every area and make some significant considerations.

Focus on Each Room

Each room has a different purpose to serve, so while choosing colour to maximise your space, you should understand each room. For bedrooms, you can concentrate on setting a peaceful environment, along with making it spacious. So, choose calming colours like sky blue or muted greens. As living rooms should be cosy and welcoming, choose warm undertones like soft yellow or light beige.

Bathrooms can be painted with fresh colours like mint green, or for a classic look, you can choose light grey. Lastly, the heart of your house, your kitchen, can be painted with bright colours like soft crème to appear clean and large.

Utilise Accent Colours

Supplementary colours, known as accent colours, are usually used to contrast or enhance the primary colours in a space. As you are using light and pale shades to elongate the whole apartment, accent colours are a brilliant way to add some pop of colour or add some depth. In this case, you can follow a 60-30-10 rule.

According to this design principle, a room should have 60% of its area dedicated to a dominant colour (furniture or walls), 30% to a secondary colour (curtains or upholstery), and 10% to an accent colour (accessories or a specific wall). It provides visual interest while preserving harmony.

For apartments painted with cool undertone colours, you can go for turquoise, teal or charcoal grey accents. Bold yellow, burnt orange or coral can work great in small apartments painted with warm undertone hues. Paint a single wall with a vibrant hue and make your space look well-designed.

Consider Natural Light

Lights can actually make any colour work well and also create blunders for some specific ones. So, as we already mentioned earlier, you must know your house’s facing direction and the effect of sunlight in the rooms.  Since south-facing rooms typically receive more indirect sunlight, you can add warmth by experimenting with warmer hues like soft coral, yellow, or beige. Rooms that face north get steady sunlight all day long. Use cooler hues, such as gentle sky blues and greys, to counterbalance the warmth of the light.

Soft morning light enters rooms that face east. Dark colours may feel too intense in the morning light, but light colours like pastels (light pink, lavender, mint green) and whites will work well. Finally, rooms that face west get a lot of afternoon sunlight. You can experiment with darker hues like burgundy, deep plum or navy to counterbalance the brightness.

Common myths related to painting small apartments

There are some widespread myths regarding this specific issue, and you must know them before painting your home-

Myth 1: You Should Only Stick to Whites to Make Your Home Spacious.

Truth: White can be one of the options from thousands of other colours. Experts suggest lighter tones for their light-reflective quality, but that doesn’t mean only white can do that. You have multiple pastel shades from both warm and cool undertone groups to play with.

Myth 2: Dark Colours Should be Avoided in Small Houses

Truth: The myth got so popular because dark colours are typically related to making a room feel smaller. However, according to modern experts, using darker hues correctly can actually enlarge a small area. A wash of a dark colour obscures edges, blurs lines, and makes it difficult for your eye to distinguish the beginning and end of the walls. So, through understanding the lighting of the room, you can now also use your favourite navy blue or forest green in your tiny room.

Quick Tips for Maximising Small Spaces with Colour

  1. Choose a glossy finish like eggshell and satin for small rooms to add a subtle glow that reflects light around the room.
  2. Utilise contrasting colours, such as painting the moulding or trimming a different shade than the walls, to give the impression of depth and dimension in a small space.
  3. Try using similar shades or tones throughout your space to create a visual flow and make the apartment look spacious.
  4. Think about painting your ceiling a lighter shade than your walls, or even the same colour in a flat finish to reduce sharp edges and give the space a less boxy appearance.
  5. Test the colour you are selecting in a small section of your space and observe how it looks in different lighting before finalising.

Does your little apartment need a maximising makeover?

We know you are here because your apartment looks compact to you, and you are always wondering how to make small apartments look bigger. Well, no matter how many suggestions you read online, expert help can make this a lot easier. So, if you are looking for a reliable and affordable residential painting in Sydney, hire Priority One Coatings and get your home the makeover it deserves.