The Simple Detail That Can Make Your Home Feel Bigger, According To David Bromstad

Smaller homes can present unique design challenges. Not only is there less room to work with but finding the right balance of open space and necessary pieces is even more essential in a smaller footprint. A great way to make a house feel both cohesive and larger is to make the space feel as unified as possible, with each room transitioning smoothly into the next. According to HGTV's David Bromstad, the key is to draw certain features and finishes through many areas of your home. In a recent episode of "My Lottery Dream Home," Bromstad helped the homeowners create an inviting and stylish home by repeating things like finishes, flooring, color palettes, and cabinet styles throughout all rooms of the smaller house. 

According to Bromstad, a larger home will allow you to mix up designs, colors, and patterns more liberally since you have more spacious dimensions to work with. The necessary feeling of flow, however, in a small space, may benefit from using the same materials at multiple points. Not only does it visually unify the rooms, but it also keeps things from looking cluttered or overwhelmed with various finishes.

In a recent episode of his series, David Bromstad showed a home on the smaller side for some new lottery winners looking to put their funds to use. Bromstad's key element in the home was the beige and black granite countertops in the kitchen. That material was also carried through both the master bathroom and guest bathroom of the home, as well as a small hallway desk area. Basic white shaker-style cabinets with a couple of variations of black matte hardware were also used in these spaces.

The glossy white subway tile that appeared in the kitchen as a backsplash reappeared in the bathroom shower and tub. Warm medium-toned wood flooring in the kitchen appeared in the bathrooms, while each of the bedrooms sported the same dark gray carpeting. All the elements combined told a visual story and gave the space a sense of cohesion. The walls in the home were a serene creamy beige highlighted by bright white trim throughout. The effect remained neutral and minimal, both of which benefit smaller spaces. 

Creating a story of consistent finishes in your own home can be a great way to make the entire house flow from one room to the other in a cohesive way that makes it all feel pulled together and intentional. Flooring is a great trick for this, with hardwood or wood laminate making one of the best materials to carry throughout the home's various rooms. This sense of flow makes the whole home seem more spacious.

Another great place to repeat finishes, particularly in rooms like bathrooms, kitchens, or laundry rooms, is by using countertop materials in each area that match the others. Not only is this visually unifying, but if you are buying slabs of granite or marble, this can often be a more budget-friendly approach than buying different varieties of stone counters for each room. Elements like backsplash tiles, cabinet designs, and hardware are other ways to unite those spaces, particularly with something that goes well in various rooms like classic subway tile. If you are looking for small and inexpensive ways to unify your spaces, consider paint colors, patterns, textures, and materials that reappear in spots like bedrooms and living rooms. You can also create unity with the art you put on your walls through color and style.