The optical illusion is a very intriguing technique used by magicians to fool the eye of the audiences, it is also a practice that we can incorporate into interior designing to create an illusionary artistic design or even a spacious feeling inside our home.

Optical illusion and interior design is a great combination that will allow us to create a much more exciting appearance inside our home. Like for example, we can add illusory decors and unique accessory and furniture inside our home to add artistic value. We can also create a gravity defying layout and designs that will surely stand out of ordinary expectations.

Making the room spacious with optical illusion

There are so many techniques circling around the internet on how we can make a room feel and look bigger so I’ve tried and tested most of them, and here are four practices that I found very rewarding yet easy to do.

• Manipulating color and painting techniques

It’s a well-known fact that neutral and light colors can create a spacious feeling in a room due to its capability to reflect light, setting off an open and airy ambiance. To add an optical illusion, all we need to do is to paint the moldings, wall trims and edge in a lighter color. By doing so, we are creating an impression that the wall is a little further giving off a spacious feeling.

We also need to familiarize ourselves with cool and warm colors. Cool colors like blue and green sets off a distant feeling while warm colors like yellow, orange and red will appear to be closer. Knowing this, we can manipulate the length, width, and height of painted interiors as we can improve the visual size and proportions of the rooms.

• Illusional space with stripes

It is well known that wearing striped clothing can make a person look thinner or wider, same goes with interior design. By simply placing a rug with stripes can make a room look longer in the direction where the stripes are pointing out. Stripe wall paints and vinyl is also an option if you want to go the extra mile.

• The magic effect of lighting in opening up space

Lighting seems to be a small addition to these ideas however it is best not to under estimate its effects. By simply allowing natural inside a room can make it look more spacious as it allows us to feel like the room is connected to the outdoors. If natural light is not available in the room, an alternative will be using lighting fixtures to make creative effects.

• Added depth with mirrors

As discussed earlier, lighting is one of the key elements that make a room look bigger and to boost its effect we can use mirrors. Mirrors can reflect the natural light that is present during the day and artificial light that we use during the night. The light that bounces into the room sets of an illusion of added depth and spacious feeling. We can also connect the outdoors through the reflection of a large mirror by placing it near a window, we can also use other furniture with mirror finishes like glass tabletops, and cabinets for added effect.