Own a home, but are unsatisfied with the size? While you may not be able to make a physical difference to the dimensions of your home, there are a few interior designing tricks that you may use to give our homes the feel of a bigger space.Shubhada Ravindra, a city-based independent architect elaborates on 5 interior design features applicable to any type of home that needs to appear bigger.

1. Paints for your home

Always go in for a lighter palette of colours. Pastel shades help reflect sunlight or lighting in your home, making your space look brighter. This alone gives the illusion of your home being bigger than it is. Shades such as cream and white work really well on walls and ceilings.If you would like to use textured paints on your walls, it would be best to stick to a neutral approach. For example, if you have a light blue shade on your wall, a texture is best added in a shade that is perhaps just a tone or two darker. Never go in for contrasting colours as this shrinks your space visually.

2. Flooring

The same principle of lighter shades applies to your flooring as well. Marble and vitrified tiles, available in a range of colours, make a world of difference to how big your home looks. Their muted presence does not draw attention and this gives the space a bigger feel.

3. Natural Lighting

As far as possible opt for wall mounted lamps in all your rooms. If your home is still in the architectural stage, then it would be ideal to have taller windows installed. Do note that taller windows are better than wider ones. Alternately, you could consider installing skylights in your home that bring in daylight. This gives your home an expansive look.What is important is that you do not use heavy curtains on your windows. Sheer, lacy ones give you the privacy you need, while letting in all the light.For the nights, invest in spot lights that are upturned on the wall. This bounces light off your wall, onto your ceiling and down below in muted tones. Besides the ambient lighting, if enhances the look of a space.

4. Accessories

Mirrors are great accessories to use in a small home. In a living room, place this opposite a wide window and it will reflect the outdoors. This makes a brilliant way of expanding the look of your home. If the window looks out onto a garden, then you have an added aesthetic feature to your home. If you are in an apartment, you may consider creating a planter garden on your windowsill to get the same effect.Try to avoid covering your floor unless absolutely necessary. If you must, avoid carpets, instead use dhurries.

5. Furniture

Minimal furnishing is ideal for small space. Consider investing in nesting tables. You could also consider multi-purpose furniture, like a chest for your centre-table that also has storage space in it.As far as possible make sure that all your bulky furniture is the same shade as the walls that it is stacked up against. If you happen to have an armoire that you would like to put up against the wall but it is of a darker shade, do try and have it painted to blend with the wall. Restrict the size and number of furniture you have in your home. Avoid cluttering to ensure your home looks big. Reduce the number of knick-knacks you have on display.When you are looking at seating options, ensure that anything you choose has the arms and legs exposed. This makes the piece of furniture seem less bulky and it will take up less space in your home visually. If you must have a centre-table ensure it is in glass and one can see the floor through it.In your bedroom, let the bed continue to be the focal point. Instead of side table, opt for foldable shelves. If your bedroom also serves as a working space, have a foldable study that you may also double up as an ironing table.Giving your home an expansive look is easy enough if you follow a few of these simple tips. Go on and make your home the envy of all.