How to make a room look bigger with wall decorations?

There are several tried-and-tested tricks that will easily and quickly make a room appear optically larger. Below are five expert tips to help you with this task.

• Choose a 3D wall mural to enlarge the space if you want a small living room to feel more open. Which wall mural works best for a living room? Motifs featuring a road, a forest, stairs or a distant view draw the eye into the depth, and the room visually gains extra square metres.

• A space-enhancing wallpaper is a good choice when you want to change the perception of an entire wall through colour and pattern. A light background, vertical stripes or a fine print can make a small living room appear taller or wider, and the right motif helps match the wall to the overall interior style.

• A single large canvas print in a small room creates a better effect than several small decorations. Horizontal canvas prints for a small living room look great above a sofa, as they match the furniture's width and help visually widen the wall.

• Posters for a living room suit small spaces when they have a simple composition and are hung in an even arrangement. Light-toned graphics, architectural scenes, line art and landscapes with plenty of light work best. Slim aluminium frames add elegance to the décor without taking up valuable space.

• An upholstered wall panel works in a small living room if it has a light colour, a simple form and does not cover too much of the wall. Such a panel warms the interior, introduces a soft texture and can improve wall proportions, especially when arranged vertically or in a narrow strip.

Bimago experts recommend: how to visually enlarge a living room with a wall mural?

If you are wondering which wall mural is best for a small room with insufficient natural light, a 3D wall mural for the living room that imitates an open window or terrace is the ideal choice. Such a motif creates the illusion of additional space and is indispensable in dark rooms where glazing is limited.

For those wondering what to put on a living room wall without further shrinking an already limited space, we recommend a wall mural with a vanishing-point perspective – for example, a tunnel, a bridge or a forest path – which visually pushes the wall away from the viewer.

Subtle patterns that extend the line of sight are also a good idea for visually enlarging a living room – for example, vertical stripes, narrow arches, light lines and compositions that open up the space. In a living room with limited natural light, it is important to illuminate the wall mural with spotlights or LED strips, which bring the perspective out of the print and compensate for the lack of light coming from outside.

Upholstered wall panel or decorative room divider – which to choose for a small living room?

A decorative wall panel works well behind a sofa or in a relaxation zone, as it introduces a soft texture and warms the arrangement. In a small living room, light-coloured decorative wall panels look best, especially when arranged vertically in a single row behind the sofa or on just a section of the wall, as they do not weigh it down and can optically emphasise the room's height.

A decorative room divider suits a studio flat, a living room with a kitchenette or an interior where the relaxation area needs to be separated from the dining area or workspace. At Bimago, room dividers are available in a variety of patterns and colours – floral designs, bookshelf imitations, forest, city and abstract motifs. Such an accessory not only organises the space but also decorates the living room and underlines its design style.

An upholstered wall panel is the right choice when the decoration should enhance the look of the wall, while a decorative room divider is best when the space needs to be divided without putting up partition walls.

The most common mistakes when choosing wall decorations for a small living room

The most common mistake is placing too many decorations on a single wall. When small canvas prints, posters at varying heights and extra ornaments all hang side by side, the wall starts to look overwhelming. In a small living room, it is better to limit the number of elements and commit to one clear design direction.

Dark, heavy patterns are also problematic, particularly when they cover a large section of wall. In a small living room, such a motif can dominate the space and make the wall appear closer than it actually is. A light pattern with depth is a better choice than a dark background.

In a small room, randomly chosen canvas prints that are poorly matched to the sofa, sideboard or the wall as a whole also look unflattering. Such a decoration appears as though it was hung without a plan. Ideally, it should cover about 60–75% of the width of the piece of furniture above which it hangs.

A lack of stylistic consistency is another common mistake – for instance, combining loft-style posters, a classical canvas print and decorative wall panels without a shared colour or motif. Each decoration may look fine on its own, but together they give the impression that nothing goes together. It is worth choosing one style for the wall.

Poorly chosen decoration size also deserves attention. Even a space-enhancing wall mural will not achieve the desired effect if it takes up too little or too much room. The same applies to an upholstered wall panel – one that is too large will visually shrink the wall.

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

How can you make a small living room look bigger without renovating?

A small living room can be made to look bigger without renovating by using a bright wall mural, a wallpaper with a subtle pattern or a large canvas print. The best results come from decorations featuring perspective, light and a calm colour palette. It is also worth limiting the number of ornaments on a single wall.

Which wallpaper makes a room look bigger?

Wallpapers with a light background, vertical stripes and delicate patterns make a room appear larger. Architectural motifs, arches, fine lines and patterns that lead the eye upwards or into the distance produce the same visual effect. The right pattern can improve the proportions of the wall and the appearance of the entire interior.

Is it better to choose one large canvas print or several smaller ones for a small living room?

In a small living room, a single large XXL canvas print is the better choice, as it organises the space and creates a cohesive focal point on the wall. Several smaller decorations can look chaotic, especially when they are not well arranged.

Do upholstered wall panels make a space feel smaller?

Upholstered wall panels will not make a space feel smaller if they have a light colour and a simple layout. In a small living room, narrow vertical shapes or small squares that do not overwhelm the entire wall work well. A well-chosen wall panel can also warm the interior and make the living room feel cosier.

How do you use a decorative room divider in a small living room?

A decorative room divider in a small living room is best used to separate a relaxation zone or a workspace. This kind of accessory helps to organise the interior without dividing it in the way a partition wall would. The advantage of a room divider is that it can easily be moved, folded and repositioned elsewhere.

How do you furnish a living room in a flat so it looks bigger?

A living room in a flat will appear visually larger when a bright decoration with perspective appears on the wall and the number of ornaments is kept to a minimum. Good choices include wall murals with a depth-enhancing view, horizontal modern canvas prints and light posters hung in an even arrangement.

Is a poster gallery a good idea in a small room?

A poster gallery can be a good idea in a small room if it is well organised. Two or three posters in a similar colour scheme, hung evenly and without excessive gaps, look best. It is worth choosing slim frames and grouping them in one area rather than spreading them across the entire wall.

Links to collections

Wall Murals
Wallpapers
Upholstered Wall Panels
Living Room Divider