The amount of natural light entering the room will also have an affect on how big or small the space will look. The idea solution is to choose window dressing that allow as much natural light in during the day and at night use floor and table lamps to light up dull corners.



Don't be tempted to try and drown the room with artificial light at night, this will not provide a warmth and cosiness to the room it will merely make it look clinical and uninviting!

There are some wonderful floor and table lamps available on the high street and online. With a wide range of designs in both traditional styles and fantastic contemporary design to suit modern homes.

Floor and table lamps should not be restricted for living rooms. Interesting light effects can be achieved in every room in the house, with perhaps the exception of the bathroom due to safety. Bathrooms can be transformed into wonderful relaxing spaces with clever use of candles, particularly scented ones to help de-stress and relieve tension.

Other ways to make rooms appear larger is to get rid of wall to wall carpeting. Not only are fitted carpets very outdated they can condense the size of the room. Stripped floor boards or laminate style flooring is popular in the UK, whereas warmer countries use ceramic and quarry tiles to help keep heat to a minimum.

Tiles are essential in bathrooms. Many people are realising just how unhygienic fitted carpets can be in a bathroom. If you want to step out of a bath or shower onto a warm surface the best option is to have a mat or rug which has a non-slip backing. People on the continent and other countries are quite amazed that the English actually use wall to wall carpets in a bathroom, even countries which are far colder than the UK do not entertain this idea!

One of the easiest ways to make rooms appear larger is to have minimal window dressings. Blinds are ideal, they can be fitted inside the recess of the window and be pulled right to the top of the window to leave a clear maximum expose to natural light.

Those who live in highly populated areas may prefer to use a Venetian blind which has the ability to be pulled right up as well as the added advantage of fully adjustable louvers which can be angled to allow light to flood into the room and yet stop passers by from looking inside. If you give a slight up-tilt to the louvers you will be able to bounce natural light off a ceiling. This lighting effect is best achieved with ceilings which are painted white.

Vertical blinds designed by Carrie Solomon have been created to provide ambient lighting effects when fully closed. The patterning was inspired by birch tree bark patterns and the small perforated holes allow shafts of light to enter the room.