Tricks to Alter the Size or Mood of a Room

If your home is small there are some simple tricks that will give your cabin of a home the feel of a castle. Such things as color, geometric shapes, different styles or textures of wallpaper, and mirrors can give much needed added dimensions to any room.

If your decorating budget is small, a fresh coat of paint may be the best way to achieve a dramatic new look, and you may not even need to paint the whole room. Sometimes just giving one wall a new color will make the whole space look more alive.

To make your ceiling appear to be higher, try adding some stripes. Replace your current wallpaper with striped wallpaper to make your ceiling seem higher. Another way to make a low ceiling seem higher is to use tall lamps that have the shade below the light bulb, sending the light upward. Since the eye is going to follow the light and stripes up, be sure that your ceiling is in good repair.

You can also color your way to a more spacious home by using the power of color to transform a small room into a big one. Using colors such as mint green or pale blue paint or wallpaper "enlarges" your room to more comfortable levels. Shades of white and beige also work well, but don't really carry the warmth that come with others, so be sure that you add that with other touches of color. Metallic wallpaper can give your room added texture and pizzazz, though it might also give you quite a shock. Because metallic wallpaper conducts electricity; you should not use it around sockets and switches.

Perking up dark paneling is another way to add much needed dimension to any room. Contrary to popular belief, your dark wooden paneling doesn't come with a life sentence. You can brighten your gloomy room with a simple paint job. Lightly sand the paneling and coat it with a primer before you paint the final layer. Choose soft colors, like beige or sand tones, and you'll be surprised how much different, and how much friendlier, your room looks. In order to stretch a room's length hang a large mirror on a prominent wall. This is going to make a small room look bigger by giving the appearance of added depth.

Liven up a dull room with shoe boxes. Add pizzazz to your room decor by creating customized storage boxes. It's easy; use coordinating or contrasting fabric to cover shoe boxes left over from your last shopping trip or from friends. By doing this you now not only have new room accents, you have more closet or storage space.

Keep in mind that temperature also impacts how close a room might appear to you and others. If you are reluctant to give up winter fires when spring temperatures begin to rise, then use candles to get the same effect without the heat. Stand a brass platter on its edge in the fireplace and group candles of different heights in front of it. The warm golden glow will recreate the romantic mood that you miss.