Almost every design project has its problems. There is either too much space or adversely not enough, or the overall proportions are entirely wrong. Here are a few helpful tips which help overcome the shortcomings when dealing with space.
The first step is to take a long, hard look at the area in question and make a few notes. Analyse exactly what it is you dislike about the room and decide what it is you would like to accentuate.
Some people feel that the ceiling, particularly in an older house, is too high. They find this to be too cold and a somewhat unfriendly feature. The answer to this problem of space is to shade down the tone of the ceiling either by using a darker colour than the walls, or to paint the ceiling in an advancing, warm shade. Another option is to introduce a pattern of some kind on the ceiling as this will create an advancing quality.
On the contrary, on a modern house the ceiling may seem too low for comfort. To overcome this problem you could use a light shade of paint. You can create a recessive or retreating effect with a cool hue such as a pale blue or green.
When dealing with a large space it can create a cold or intimidating feeling. The trick here is to create islands within the room and avoid spreading the furniture around the walls. Rugs are a good idea to break up an expanse area of carpet and provide added warmth. Large scale furniture will also help to tone down the scale of the room.
The most common complaint is that of too little space, when a room is too small. Large items of furniture should be replaced with smaller items. Low seating such as chesterfields will allow the eye to wonder. Creating a horizontal stress and light colours on both the ceiling and walls will help work towards a feeling of more space.