How To Make Small Rooms Look Larger . Make sure your chosen color complements your wall color. “yes, they’re the cheapest way to brighten up a dark room or give the sense of more square footage, but you really have to know how to use them if you’re trying to achieve these goals,”. How To Make a Small Living Room Look Bigger Living room from www.pinterest.com Getting a rug that's too small for the room is one of the most common decorating mistakes people make, and the reason it's bad is that it makes a room look choppy and disjointed. How do you make a small living room look spacious? This hue works best in a room with more natural light and is well complemented with light warm neutral tones like beige, sand, and ivory.