3 Surprising Tricks Designers Use To Make Rooms Look Bigger
If you have a small space you want to feel bigger, you may think lighter colors and smaller furniture will help. But expert interior designers know what really works to…
If you have a small space you want to feel bigger, you may think lighter colors and smaller furniture will help. But expert interior designers know what really works to create the feel of a larger space and their hacks are pretty unexpected.
We did a ton of updates to our home before we moved in. I am a big fan of an open floor plan because I feel like it makes a home feel bigger. However, I'm no expert or designer so I sought to find out how designers do, what they do, and here's what I found.
Here are the top room-expanding tricks from designers according to Living Etc, you probably haven’t tried because they really sound counterintuitive.
- Choose bigger prints for wallpaper - While most of us probably never considered wallpaper’s ability to enhance the feeling of space, interior designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard knows all about it. He says he loves the comeback wallpaper is enjoying and that using big prints in little spaces can help it feel bigger. “In a small room, you can add a very large pattern and actually feel like you’re increasing the size of a room,” he explains. “Wallpaper can add architecture.”
- Use maximum-size furniture even in small spaces - Interior designer Justin Charette likes to use the biggest size furniture he can fit, no matter how small the room is. “In all spaces no matter the size I like to select furniture that’s the maximum size. Especially in regard to the length of the pieces,” he explains. Charette says that depth is what creates a bulkier look, which you want to avoid in a small room, but there’s no reason you shouldn’t use the full-length of the space.
- Use reflective surfaces beyond mirrors - Decorating with mirrors can create the illusion of space by reflecting the light, but Bullard stresses that it’s not just mirrors that do the trick. He suggests adding reflective items like a metallic side table, sculpture, frame or even wallpaper to add light and depth to a small, dark room. He explains, “A metallic wallpaper on the ceiling in a dark room will not only bring in light, it’ll raise the height of the ceiling.”
Some Of The Best Places To Buy A Vacation Home Are In North Carolina
What makes the perfect vacation home? That can be a personal decision. It's often a place you have a connection to. For most people, it needs to be close to home and easily accessible. It should be somewhere you can relax but also with plenty of fun activities. And of course, the price has to be practical for your lifestyle and income. Vacation rental management platform Vacasa, just released its fifth annual Top 25 Best Places to Buy a Vacation Home report this week. And this year, several North Carolina destinations ranked as one of the best places to buy a vacation home. Locations are ranked on capitalization (cap) rate, or rate of return on your investment.
Some notable findings from the report:
The Best Places To Buy A Vacation Home Including Three In North Carolina
25. Hilton Head Island, SC
Cap Rate: 6.3%
Median Home Sale Price: $688,000
24. Port St Joe, FL
Cap Rate: 6.4%
Median Home Sale Price: $500,000
23. Hatteras Island, NC
Cap Rate: 6.4%
Median Home Sale Price: $850,000
22. Dauphin Island, AL
Cap Rate: 6.4%
Median Home Sale Price: $775,000
21. Depoe Bay, OR
Cap Rate: 6.4%
Median Home Sale Price: $486,000
20. Bradenton, FL
Cap Rate: 6.5%
Median Home Sale Price: $436,450
19. Nashville, TN
Cap Rate: 6.6%
Median Home Sale Price: $470,000
18. Westport, WA
Cap Rate: 6.7%
Median Home Sale Price: $446,547
17. Nags Head, NC
Cap Rate: 6.7%
Median Home Sale Price: $887,000
16. Savannah, GA
Cap Rate: 6.8%
Median Home Sale Price: $300,000
15. Boothbay, ME
Cap Rate: 6.9%
Median Home Sale Price: $413,000
14. Daytona, FL
Cap Rate: 7.0%
Median Home Sale Price: $260,500
13. Tucson, AZ
Cap Rate: 7.1%
Median Home Sale Price: $340,000
12. Frankfort, MI
Cap Rate: 7.3%
Median Home Sale Price: $340,000
11. Cape Coral, FL
Cap Rate: 7.3%
Median Home Sale Price: $436,475
10. Gulf Shores, AL
Cap Rate: 7.5%
Median Home Sale Price: $437,250
9. Sylva, NC
Cap Rate: 7.7%
Median Home Sale Price: $333,000
8. Saugatuck, MI
Cap Rate: 7.8%
Median Home Sale Price: $510,000
7. Phoenix, AZ
Cap Rate: 7.8%
Median Home Sale Price: $470,000
6. Fort Lauderdale, FL
Cap Rate: 8.5%
Median Home Sale Price: $490,250
5. Okaloosa Island, FL
Cap Rate: 9.0%
Median Home Sale Price: $425,000
4. Corolla, NC
Cap Rate: 10.2%
Median Home Sale Price: $930,000
3. Palm Coast, FL
Cap Rate: 103.%
Median Home Sale Price: $354,000
2. Port Aransas, TX
Cap Rate: 10.7%
Median Home Sale Price: $295,000
1. Lake Anna, VA
Cap Rate: 12.2%
Median Home Sale Price: $435,000
Methodology
To determine its ranking of top vacation rental markets, Vacasa analyzed home sales and vacation rental performance data from the last 12 months for vacation destinations throughout the country where Vacasa and its licensed subsidiaries manage at least 50 units and there are 250+ non-Vacasa managed vacation rentals. To determine average gross rental revenue (homeowner revenue made from bookings, excluding any fees) for a market, we averaged actual performance data for Vacasa managed units in the past 12 months and adjusted that number to reflect assumed usage by the owner. To calculate average cap rate, we considered the averages of the following in each market: property taxes, utilities, insurance, and property management fees.
