Do Dark Floors Make a Room Look Bigger?

ProSource | 7/30/2024

Tricks Of The Trade: Do dark floors make a room look bigger?

 

Tricks of the Trade is an article series dedicated to providing answers to commonly asked questions. The interviews are conducted with ProSource Wholesale^® trade professional members, looking to offer their insights and experience to these thoughts that arise during the building or remodeling process.

 

Jennifer Crome is the owner of Jennifer Crome Design and an interior design member at ProSource of Davenport [IA].

 

Dark floors absolutely can make a room look bigger, and it has a lot to do with the choice in flooring.

 

While light floors are on trend and make rooms feel brighter, dark floors are still timeless and traditional, whether it’s wood, tile, or other flooring options.

 

From there, it’s about counterbalancing the light of the space.

 

 

The Timelessness of Dark Floors

 

If a floor that’s chosen is on the darker side, you’ll need to add a lighter element through the walls, furnishings, and even through the ceiling.

 

Recently, I completed a multi-room project with traditional, beautiful walnut wood floors, paired with both darker gray tile, and luxury vinyl tile with rich earthy tones that I don’t think will ever go away in popularity.

 

The dark flooring that the homeowner chose added warmth and an inviting tone to the space, while making cleaning easier through its ability to show less dirt than lighter flooring options.

 

In line with other dark flooring choices, the walnut wood floors from this project created a shift in perspective, making the room look far more spacious than it actually is.

 

Flooring like this can affect the perception of room size on a few different levels.

 

Making a Room Look Longer

 

Many homeowners make rooms appear bigger by focusing on longer flooring shapes. When pairing the concept with dark flooring, it can be effective in making the room seem longer than it is.

 

For example, I worked on a bathroom with a small double vanity and a tub against a wall. The bathroom was on the smaller side, so I wasn’t going to put in 12”x24” tile or luxury vinyl planks. We needed a larger size of dark planks and tiling for the space, which would contrast with the light colors that the ceramic tub and the bathroom lighting would emanate. This choice in larger physical pieces creates an elongated perspective in the room no matter where you stand, tricking the eye.

 

From there, I worked with the homeowner and the contractor to make the room look longer by focusing on the direction how the dark tile or planks are being laid. By doing so, we brought lighter essence back into the room through paint, wall décor, ceiling color, furnishings, and draperies.

 

This strategy also works to make larger spaces within the home appear bigger or longer. For great rooms or entry foyers, perception is everything. From where you stand, your dark planks need to be perpendicular, because it’s going to make a room look bigger.

 

Conversely, if the homeowner makes a selection of light planks, a change from darker ones, it may make the space look choppy and reinforce the reality of the room being on the smaller side.

 

Affecting the Perception of Room Size

 

There are times that select elements of a space can remain dark. For example, you can go with darker cabinetry in a kitchen, but you still need to swing back to lightening other elements up with additional light cabinetry, flooring, or ceiling treatments. I think that that’s a kind of trick of the trade that draws your eye upward.

 

We did this during a recent project, and absolutely made my client’s small kitchen look larger. It’s all about perception and what your goal is. If you have a smaller bedroom or a smaller space, patterned carpet is beautiful, but it could make the room look smaller, depending on its color and given pattern.

 

Balancing Design With Goals

 

If the goal of the homeowner is to make the rooms look bigger, then I’m going to aim for that, but I’m also a designer. I work with clients, regarding their needs, come up with a couple of design concepts, and show them some inspirational pictures after my initial conversations with them.

 

From there, I’ll go to meet with the team at ProSource for products that fit my design concepts. I’ll check out samples that fit my design concepts and present them to the client.

 

While some of it is presented digitally with furnishings, it really helps having a cabinet sample, a countertop sample, and a flooring sample ready for the homeowners to see and feel with their own hands.

 

Many of the homeowners want to go into the ProSource showroom, which also is beneficial. They have the ability to see ‘Oh, that’s what a 12”x24 plank” is,’ or ‘Oh, that’s how that particular tile creates that picture.’ They have such a wide variety and availability of quality products at a low cost.

 

This level of selection at ProSource allows me to pursue those design concepts and work integrating their goals with ease.

Tagged: Hardwood Laminate Vinyl Tile Carpet Products Flooring