What color should I paint a small room to make it look bigger?

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Accepted Answer

Either go very light (a soft white or pale neutral that reflects light) or counterintuitively very dark (a saturated color that blurs the walls and adds depth). Mid-tones make small rooms feel boxed in. Light strategy: Pick a warm white or barely-there neutral (Cloud White OC-130, Pale Oak OC-20) and paint walls, trim and ceiling the same color. The lack of contrast removes visual borders and the room reads as one open volume. Dark strategy: Pick a deep, moody color (Hale Navy, Cheating Heart, Black Forest Green) and again wrap walls, trim and ceiling. The walls visually recede into shadow and you stop perceiving the boundaries. What doesn't work in small Ottawa condos and powder rooms: a medium beige with bright white trim. The contrast emphasizes how small the room actually is.

What color should I paint a small room to make it look bigger?

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