To Make a small Room Look Larger

Ladies' Mirror, Volume 5, Issue 4, 1 October 1926, Page 64

To Make a small Room Look Larger

Tt is something of an art into which -*■ camouflage may be said to enter, that of creating the sense of space in a small room. We learnt at school that the light rays of certain colours travel more quickly than others. Red paper, for instance, is a quickly-moving colour, and a room with red paper or furnishings appears smaller than one with blue. Strong colours leap at once to the eye, and that is why papers or distemper or paint, as well as carpets of neutral shades, such as pale grey, taupe, or fawn, are the best choice for small rooms. Soft greens and blues again are very good, and as for a pale mild yellow for the walls, why, it makes a room appear positively to open out!

Line, as well as colour, counts. The old rule that upright lines suggest height, and horizontal lines diminish it, always holds good. Valances across the top of the windows tend to lower the look of the room, and so do lambrequins. The old-fashioned chandelier is another culprit. Pictures should be chosen with a view to creating vertical lines. Brilliantly coloured ones, hung on opposite sides of the room, have a way of making the walls seem drawn together. A charming carpet is of the old “moss” pattern carried out in beige colour. It is a carpet that “becomes” any draperies or pieces of furniture in the room, and docs not detract from the size.