The Clever Tile Trick Joanna Gaines Uses To Make A Room Feel Taller

In her new show, "Mini Reni," on Magnolia Network, Joanna Gaines explains how simple techniques can transform the feel of a room. Gaines, an HGTV star and interior designer, posted on Instagram showing how she added tile to upgrade a dining room wall. The vertical tiles were laid without spacers or grout, which keeps the room from looking like a kitchen or bathroom. The accent wall makes the ceiling seem higher, and the room feels bigger with just one simple change. "A tiled accent wall and a place to gather set this breakfast nook apart," Gaines wrote on Instagram.

Since tile can be expensive, it's important to find a color and design you love before committing to trying this trick. Naomi Astley Clarke, an interior designer, explained how to pull off this hack to Homes & Gardens. "...choose finishes that are [as] lasting and timeless as possible and suit the architecture of the building. That way they will always be suited to the home they belong in even if fashions come and go," Clarke said.

Gaines creates the illusion of space by laying the rectangular tile in a checkered pattern, which draws the eye upwards and makes the room feel taller. By choosing cream and yellow colored tiles, she also makes the room seem sunnier without having to install new windows. While Gaines decided to place this accent wall in a dining room, you could use this concept in a bedroom or living room that feels a bit too cramped.

Rather than doing complicated renovations that require a lot of time and money, implementing smaller changes can make the process less stressful and will still brighten your home. "I'm a firm believer that every home has that special something — and good design isn't necessarily a matter of starting over, but finding ways to tell more of that unique story," Gaines wrote about this "Mini Reni" on her blog, Magnolia.