Whether it’s a dark hallway or a dingy box room, we all have those dark, small spaces in our home that we don’t know what to do with. When you’re decorating small spaces with a lack of natural light, it’s easy to feel like creating a bright, open space is an impossible task. Luckily, that’s not the case.
With Dulux Light + Space paint, and a bit of inspiration from Homebase, all it takes is a couple of coats to completely transform your small, dark rooms. Keep reading to find out more about how Dulux Light + Space works, and our favourite painting ideas for making your space look bigger and lighter.
How to make a small space look bigger with paint
Who knew that a fresh lick of paint is all you need to make a room look bigger? When it comes to finding the best paint for the job, Homebase have you covered.
Dulux Light + Space is specialised paint, designed specifically to make rooms feel airier and more spacious. It uses a special LumiTec formulation that works with light-reflective particles to cast up to twice as much light back into your room, compared to regular emulsion paints.
Available in a range of colours, you can find the perfect Dulux Light + Space paint shade for you at your local Homebase or online. So, whether you need to bring some brilliance to a dark hallway, or fancy brightening up a dingy office space, learn more about how you can use Dulux Light + Space paint to get the most out of your home.
1. Elongate your hallway
Hallways are the first impression of your home, but they’re also often the smallest and gloomiest areas of the house. This can make tackling a dark hallway seem a bit of a challenge, but making it a radiant and welcoming entrance is simpler than you think.
Knowing how to brighten a dark hallway starts with choosing the right paint and colour scheme. If you’re lucky enough to have some natural light, you can emphasise this using Dulux Light + Space white paint for your walls and ceilings. Alternatively, if you’re working with a darker space, or just fancy something more colourful, you can opt for a fresh, soft colours, like a rosy pink or calming pale blue.
If you’re feeling extra creative, you may even want to mix these colour palettes and try out some paint patterns. Geometric designs work well for elongating the space and, by stretching these across multiple walls, you can combat the feeling of the walls closing in on you.
For more advice on painting your hallway, check out our blog on finding the perfect paint colours to make your hallway look bigger.
2. Use your ceiling
When it comes to decorating a room, the ceiling often gets overlooked. However, the colour of a ceiling can have a huge impact on how spacious and bright a room feels.
Ceilings can reflect just as much light, if not more, than your four walls, so if you have some natural light, painting the ceiling white is a good move. With its space and light enhancing formula, a couple of coats of Dulux Light + Space in a shade of white will lift the ceiling and make the most of your natural light.
If you’ve opted for colour on your walls, it might be a good idea to continue this onto your ceiling. This removes the stopping point and creates a seamless, borderless canvas of colour across your room.
3. Don’t be scared of colour
Contrary to popular belief, white is not the only colour paint that can be used to make your room feel bigger. Other bright and breezy colours can be equally effective in opening up your space. In fact, when you’re working in a space that has little access to natural light, keeping all your walls and ceiling white can emphasise the lack of light and make the room feel flat.
So, if you want to rejuvenate a dull office or make a boxy bedroom feel slightly less boxy, try experimenting with some different shades. Cool, fresh tones are great paint colours to make a room look bigger and feel airier and more spacious. At Homebase, the Dulux Light + Space range includes some shades that are perfect for low-light areas, like the calming Lagoon Falls or the crisp Cotton Breeze.
4. Create contrast through zoning
Another great tip for making your dark hallways and small box rooms feel larger is to play around with different paint colours and palettes. Fun, creative techniques like contrasting colours and zoning provide a simple way to add some dimension to your walls and open up your space.
Start by choosing a base colour for your room (white is usually good for this), and then zone certain areas by painting them in a contrasting colour. Even one strip of colour among white walls will do wonders for creating extra depth and making your walls feel like they’re receding.
If you have built-in features like radiators, panelling or other kinds of woodwork, don’t ignore them or try to hide them away. These features can provide the perfect canvas for introducing some contrast to your colour scheme.
There’s a lot you can do to open up a room, just with a lick of paint. Explore our Dulux Light + Space range online and in-store, or check out our blog for even more decorating ideas.
