Here's How to Make a Narrow Room Look Wider

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Updated on May 30, 2021

Long and narrow rooms can be a major challenge to decorate. If not placed properly, furniture can feel cramped, while other awkward corners are left empty and unused. Often, people instinctively work with the length of the room without considering other layout options or using visual tricks to make their room appear wider, but interior designers and decorators have a few tips. From drawing the eye up to visually blurring the lines of a room, there is a myriad of ideas you can use to make your narrow room look wider.

Draw the Eye Up

a living room with vaulted ceiling — Courtesy of Jessica Helgerson

Drawing the eye up will take the focus away from the width of the room and onto the height, giving it the appearance of spaciousness. If you have high ceilings or architectural features, emphasize them to make your room appear wider than it actually is.

Build in Furniture

a living room with a built-in sectional sofa — Courtesy of Jessica Helgerson

Are you working with limited width? Built-in furniture in a narrow room or hallway can save a few inches and make it feel like the furniture is part of the wall, opening up the space and making the room feel larger.

For max spaciousness, keep the furniture in the same hues as the walls to create a seamless effect. The busier the colors are, the smaller the space will feel.

Use Mirrors

a bathroom with multiple mirrors — Courtesy of Jessica Helgerson

It's the oldest design trick in the book for a reason. The more mirrors in your room, the wider and larger it will appear. Consider creating a wall of mirrors or installing mirrors on opposite sides of the room from each other to create an infinity effect.

Rejuvenation Rounded Rectangle Metal Frame Mirror $299.00

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Respect Furniture Clearances

a spacious-looking kitchen — Courtesy of Jessica Helgerson

The worst thing you can do in a narrow space is try to fit in more furniture or choose pieces that are too big for the space. When planning your furniture layout, make sure there are two to three feet of space to walk in thoroughfares. For instance, in this kitchen by interior designer Jessica Helgerson, the island is extra narrow to make space for circulation.

Create a Focal Point

a bedroom loft with teal walls — Courtesy of Studio DB

An easy way to make a room feel wider is to create a wide focal point at one narrow end of the room. In this teal bedroom, a wide, bright yellow cabinet draws the eye inward, focusing on the length of the piece and creating the illusion of width.

CB2 Trace Wire Mesh Cabinet Credenza $1,199.00

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Blur the Lines

a bathroom with wallpaper with curvy lines — Courtesy of Studio DB

Using a patterned wallpaper and continuing it on all walls can blur the illusion of where one wall stops and another one begins, thus making the room appear wider. In this petite powder room, a busy psychedelic wallpaper hides how narrow the vanity space actually is.

Create Multiple Seating Arrangements

an open loft space with leather sofa and yellow kitchen cabinets — Courtesy of Jessica Helgerson

In a long and narrow living room, instead of trying to cram furniture along the length of the room, create multiple smaller zones that work with the width of the space, like two seating arrangements or a living space and a workspace. Creating multiple zones will make your space more functional while also making it appear larger than it is.

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