Today, small or even tiny houses have become a common sight, especially in dense, high-population urban areas, due to soaring land prices. This challenge has spurred the creativity of many interior designers, who find and apply various tricks to make small spaces feel more spacious.
Some popular strategies include choosing the right wall color, using a lot of mirrors, and adding extra natural or artificial lighting.
However, there is one important trick that is often overlooked but can have a significant impact on any small room: choosing the right flooring colors. Yes, by selecting the appropriate flooring color, you can easily make your entire space feel much larger and more spacious.
So, what color flooring works best to make a small room look bigger?
Drawing from our experience, some of the best flooring colors to make room look bigger include white marble tile, plain white tile, cream tile, light gray tile, green tile, and light natural wood. These options reflect plenty of lights, creating an illusion of openness and airiness, which is especially beneficial in compact spaces. Additionally, these options serve as a timeless foundation, providing a classic and enduring backdrop that can stand the test of time.
Read on as we explore further into all the great flooring options for small spaces.
8 Best Flooring for Small Spaces
White Marble Tile Flooring
When it comes to designing a small room, white marble tile flooring is our number one choice. The clean and sleek white hue effortlessly makes any small room feel larger, while the marble veining adds a touch of natural elegance.
This dynamic combination not only enhances the perceived spaciousness of a room but also introduces a luxurious element that can elevate the overall aesthetic.
Moreover, this tile choice delivers a clean and crisp look and also reflects a lot of light, which is crucial for tight spaces. The reflective properties of white marble can effectively double the amount of natural light in a room, making it appear brighter and more inviting.
This is particularly beneficial in areas that receive limited sunlight, as it can help to minimize the need for artificial lighting during the day, creating a more energy-efficient and pleasant environment.
Plain White Tile
Alternatively, you can opt for the simpler version: plain white tile. The clean and sleek look of this flooring helps make any space feel larger, even for rooms that don’t have plenty of natural lighting.
This effect is very beneficial in smaller apartments or homes where maximizing the sense of space is crucial. The reflective surface of white tiles can bounce light around a room, enhancing brightness and creating a more airy and open atmosphere.
The simplicity of this flooring also allows you to add whatever kinds of furnishings or decorative items you prefer. Whether you lean towards bold, vibrant colors that stand out against the white backdrop or prefer a more monochromatic scheme for a minimalist aesthetic, plain white tile provides a versatile foundation that accommodates various design styles.
Cream Tile Flooring
A cream tile will yield similar results to the previous ones but with a softer and warmer look. Thus, it’s the perfect flooring for anyone who wants to transform their small bedroom or living room into a cozy retreat.
In addition to its aesthetic appeal, cream tile is highly practical and functional. Its neutral hue makes it easy to coordinate with other colors, allowing you to experiment with different design elements without worrying about clashing tones.
Overall, choosing cream tile flooring offers a harmonious balance of style, comfort, and practicality. Its soft and warm aesthetic creates a serene environment that promotes relaxation and well-being, while its neutral versatility allows for endless design possibilities.
Light Gray Tile
This is another great choice for those who prefer not to opt for simple white tiles. The light gray tile adds a hint of elegance while still maintaining a bright and airy appearance, thereby creating the illusion of a larger space.
Their muted hue reflects natural and artificial light sources effectively, helping to illuminate the space and create an inviting atmosphere.
As a result, even in rooms with limited access to natural light, such as basement areas or interiors with small windows, light gray tiles can work wonders in making the space feel more open and expansive.
Vibrant Green Tile
If you’re seeking an option that not only helps make your space feel larger but also adds rich color to it, consider trying vibrant green tiles. These tiles have a lively and invigorating hue that instantly injects energy into any room, transforming it into a dynamic and visually stimulating environment.
In addition to their vibrant appearance, green tiles also offer a sense of freshness and vitality, creating a rejuvenating atmosphere that uplifts the mood of the space.
Furthermore, the boldness of green tiles allows them to serve as a focal point in the room, drawing attention and adding a sense of drama to the space. By pairing these vibrant tiles with darker green furnishings, you can create a stunning monochromatic look that exudes sophistication and elegance.
Black Marble Tile Flooring
Usually, light or bright colors tend to work best for any small room. But actually, you can also use any darker color, and if you want a dark flooring color, then black marble tile is the perfect option for you.
A black marble tile flooring usually comes with a very high glossiness and reflections that make it look almost like a mirror. This reflection effect is the most important and crucial factor when it comes to selecting a floor for a small room.
Therefore, you should avoid using a black marble tile with matte finishes and only use the one with high glossy and reflections.
Another important thing to consider before choosing this flooring is to make sure your room has plenty of lighting, both natural and artificial. Avoid using any dark tile – even when it looks very reflective and glossy – if there isn’t enough lighting inside the room.
Light Natural Wood Flooring
If you prefer wood flooring over tiles, opting for light cream wood offers a timeless and elegant choice that can enhance the beauty of any space. These kinds of hardwood flooring exude warmth and sophistication, adding a touch of natural charm to your home.
Moreover, light cream wood flooring offers practical benefits beyond its aesthetic appeal. Its smooth surface is easy to clean and maintain, making it an ideal choice for busy households. Additionally, wood flooring adds insulation and warmth to your home, creating a comfortable and inviting environment all year round.
Among the most popular options in these light wood tones are bamboo, maple, pine, and oak, each with its own unique characteristics and benefits. Alternatively, you can try using engineered options, like wooden vinyl or laminate flooring.
Dark Brown Wood Flooring
Although it’s not the ideal option, utilizing brown-colored wood for your small room flooring can still yield satisfactory results. However, it’s crucial to be selective in your choice, prioritizing options with high gloss and reflective effects. In many instances, luxury vinyl or glossy engineered wood proves to be superior to real hardwood in achieving these desired characteristics while also offering durability and versatility.
Furthermore, when opting for brown wood flooring, paying attention to the grain pattern can significantly impact the overall aesthetic. Selecting options with minimal grain ensures a smoother and more cohesive appearance, enhancing the sense of spaciousness in the room.
While brown wood may not be the first choice for small spaces, with careful consideration and attention to detail, it can still contribute to a visually appealing and functional design scheme.
Flooring Tips to Help Make a Room Feel More Spacious
Put Board Parallel to the Longest Wall
If your small room has a perfect square layout, then you may skip this tip. However, for those dealing with long or narrow room dimensions, implementing this simple adjustment can yield a surprisingly significant difference.
By arranging wood boards parallel to the longest wall, you can create the illusion of more space within the room. This strategic layout choice plays a clever trick on our visual perceptions.
Even though the room maintains its original size, our brains interpret the parallel arrangement as expansive, thus making the room feel slightly larger and more open. It’s a subtle yet effective technique that can transform the feel and functionality of your living space, maximizing its potential and enhancing overall comfort.
Choose a Wide Plank Instead of a Narrow One
The narrower the wood plank, the more visible grout and joints, which can make the floor space feel cramped and crowded. Therefore, opting for wider wood planks tends to work best for small spaces.
These broader planks minimize the number of grout lines and joints, resulting in a more seamless and spacious appearance.
By reducing the visual interruptions across the floor surface, wider planks contribute to a sense of continuity and openness, enhancing the overall flow and comfort of the room.
Choose a Long Board Instead of a Short One
With the same principle as the previous ones, a long wood board works better for any small space rather than a short one. Even better if you could use full-length wood boards so there are no visible joints in the middle of the rooms.
Without these interruptions, the floor surface presents a smooth and uniform appearance, enhancing the overall aesthetic appeal of the space.
Additionally, the absence of visible joints reduces visual clutter, creating a cleaner and more streamlined look that enhances the perceived size of the room.
Choose Bigger Tile
For tile flooring, the larger the tile, the better. It will minimize the amount of grout, which can make the space look cramped. Additionally, excessive grout can diminish the reflection effects necessary to create a sense of spaciousness in any room.
Moreover, using larger tiles can also streamline the installation process, as fewer tiles are required to cover the same area compared to smaller tiles. This can result in faster installation times and potentially lower installation costs.
Overall, when it comes to tile flooring, choosing larger tiles offers numerous advantages in terms of aesthetics, functionality, and practicality. By minimizing grout lines and maximizing reflection effects, larger tiles can help create a small room bigger, spacious, and visually appealing.
Keep Your Floor Shiny
As we’ve mentioned numerous times in this article, the reflections and glossiness of the floor can significantly impact a small room. The reflective properties of a shiny floor can help amplify the natural light within the space, making it appear brighter and more spacious.
Therefore, maintaining the shine of your floor is just as crucial as selecting the floor colors.
Regular cleaning and maintenance are essential to preserve the shine of your floor. While routine sweeping and mopping can remove surface dirt and grime, a professional floor cleaner can provide a deeper clean, ensuring that any stubborn stains or buildup are effectively removed.
