According to interior design expert Rossella Marzocchella, who works with Decor and Decor, one decorating habit in particular is a frequent offender.
“You often don’t need a bigger room,” she explains. “You just need to stop doing the things that are shrinking your spaces without you realising.” One of the worst culprits? Blocking natural light with heavy curtains, which can instantly make a room feel boxed in and gloomy.
“Many people choose thick, dark curtains thinking they’ll add warmth or elegance, but in small rooms, they do the opposite,” warns Marzocchella.
Instead, she suggests swapping out bulky drapes for pale linen panels or clean-lined roller blinds that let light flow freely.
“Letting natural light through is the simplest way to make a room feel more open and larger than it is,” she adds.
That one shift alone can turn a dingy corner into a brighter, more inviting space. It’s a small detail that delivers big results without knocking down a single wall.
Oversized furniture is another space-stealing mistake that many homeowners make without realising.
“People often buy what they like in isolation, without thinking about how it works in the room,” says Marzocchella.
A bulky sofa might look great in a showroom, but it swallows precious floor space at home, especially if the arms are wide or the legs are hidden.
She recommends furniture with slim silhouettes, raised legs, and low arms to create a feeling of openness. “When furniture lifts off the floor, it tricks the eye and helps the whole room feel more open,” she explains.
From neglecting vertical space to crowding walls with too much art, Marzocchella has plenty of advice for avoiding the trap of “visual clutter”.
She advises using walls for storage and height, with floating shelves, tall mirrors, or higher-hung artwork to draw the eye upward.
And as for overly decorated gallery walls, she’s not a fan. “They just create noise and pull focus in too many directions,” she said.
Instead, choose one large-scale piece to anchor the room. “In small spaces, every piece should earn its place,” she says. “If it’s not useful, beautiful, or doing a job, it’s probably just in the way.”
