The way you install flooring materials can make a big difference in the apparent size of a room. Clever color and installation choices can trick the eye into seeing more space than exists. While these materials cost no more than other choices, they create a very different effect. Does this Spark an idea?
Set tile or floorboards diagonally across a room. Because the diagonal is the longest dimension across any floor, emphasizing it makes a room seem larger. Diagonal lines appear to push the walls outward, giving an illusion of greater space. You could also paint diagonal motifs on the floor or use rugs, carpet or laminate flooring with diagonal designs.
Use small tiles or floorboards rather than large ones. The smaller size requires more tiles or boards, which gives the illusion of more space in a tiny room. By contrast, large tiles or wide planks make it easier to see a room's true dimensions.
Match flooring materials to the walls, or use materials the same color as the walls. Blanketing an entire room in a single color (walls, floors, ceiling, furniture) disguises the dimensions of the room, because it becomes difficult to see where the wall ends and the floor begins. You can immerse the room in either a light or a dark color with equal success. However, cool colors such as lavender, blue or green seem to recede from view and make floors and walls feel farther away than warm colors such as orange, red and yellow.
Run flooring materials over the baseboard in the room, or use the same material for the floor and the baseboards. For example, if you are using tile, add a row of tile along the wall where it meets the floor. The eye will perceive the baseboard or tile as part of the floor and assume the room is larger than it is.
