By Jacqueline Bodnar

Relocation sometimes forces us to move from a spacious house in the suburbs to a townhome on a new base, or even a tiny apartment in Japan. Living in a small space doesn’t mean that you can’t give a different feel and appearance. Knowing some of the tricks of the trade makes it easy for you to create an illusion of a larger space. Read on to see some of the top secrets that you can do at home to make a small space feel roomy.

Clutter. Having extra clutter around the house can cause a small space to feel even smaller. Start before you even bring it in the house by sifting through the mail. Avoid clutter piles by disposing of junk mail, newspapers and magazines promptly when you are done with them. Go through your house and get together all the things that you really don’t have a use for and hold a yard sale or give the items away.

Color. “Paint the walls blue and it will expand the room,” suggests Daunine Vining, professor of interior design at the University of Nevada, Reno and owner of the Harbinger Design Group. She also advises that if you opt for painting the room a darker color it will make the walls appear to come toward you making it seem smaller. When choosing your colors go for cool soft colors and avoid dark or bold colors and particularly stay clear reds.

Furniture. When you buy furniture at any point in your military career, opt for pieces that have a dual purpose like fold out beds, futons and pieces that offer storage cabinets and drawers that will help to keep things like videos out of sight. For small bedrooms you can get bunk beds or loft beds that have desk space beneath them.

Lighting. Think beyond table lamps that often have large shades that can easily become the focus in the room. Vining suggests that you go for lighting layers where you have accent lights that add sparkle and dazzle to a room, task lights for working at a desk area and ambient lights that fill in light toward the ceiling. Having plenty of natural light also helps to open a room up.

Organize. A big part of making the most of your space means getting in the habit of organizing your belongings. Organizers are available for everything from closets and pantries to toys and garages. Organizing will not only make it easier to find something but it will create more room for you and give a cleaner look. You can always consider hiring a professional organizer to get you started.

Mirrors. Using mirrors to expand a room is a popular trick but it needs to be done correctly to work. “Place them in an area where they are reflecting something like the outdoors,” says Vining. Having the mirrors reflect the ceiling or another wall will work against your purpose. Make sure that the mirror reflects something with distance or something decorative.

Shelves. Adding shelves to your room is a great way to display some of your keepsakes and books. Instead of having a traditional bookshelf consider mounting shelves about two to three feet below the ceiling to save space and add decoration.

Dividing. The last thing you want to do is divide a small room and make it look even smaller. Another tip that Vining offers to leave the room open and make sure that you keep the same flooring throughout the area, don’t change the color or texture from one room to another.

Jacqueline Bodnar is a freelance writer that lives in Port Orange, Fla. with her husband and two children.