The Popular Design Trend That Is Making Your Room Look Even Smaller Than It Is

There's nothing like decorating a home to make it feel like it's truly your own. From arranging your belongings for that perfect feng shui to bringing in bespoke pieces that show off your personality, your home speaks volumes about who you are, what you value, and what your unique style is. Many of us take cues from design trends to add character and personality to our homes, but it can often feel like, in our era of on-demand purchasing and unpredictable consumer behavior, the life cycle of home design trends is getting shorter and shorter. Case in point: If you're wondering whether the viral boucle trend is going out of style already, the experts say yes. 

Despite its popularity and longevity, there's another trend that you should be rethinking too — not necessarily because it's going out of style, but because it may be making your space look smaller than it is. Sadly, it's time to say goodbye to the gallery wall design trend. For years, design aficionados have debated whether gallery walls are trendy or going out of style. While folks are torn on the verdict and the trend is still enjoying its heyday in certain circles, you should avoid it if you don't want to instantly shrink your space, visually speaking. Happily, there's plenty you can do instead to open up your space while still showing off all your favorite photos and artwork with timeless appeal. 

Gallery walls are beloved because they're a creative and fun way to show off your favorite paintings, prints, and photos and you can choose to go small, big, neutral, eclectic, or mix and match your sizes and frames. Gallery walls are also super easy from a DIY perspective. But, according to HomeGoods featured finder Ursala Camona, if you're living in a small space, you should consider ditching the gallery wall in favor of a singular statement piece of framed art. This is because, "Unlike a gallery wall, a single large piece avoids visual clutter and gives the illusion of a roomier space" as Camona explained to Real Simple.

Unless clutter-core is your thing, you likely don't want to make your small space feel even more confined than it is. Unfortunately, walls filled to the brim with frames, images, patterns, and colors can visually overwhelm a room. In smaller spaces, less is more when it comes to walls. Clean walls and a singular focal point help to create a sense of spaciousness, airiness, and openness, all of which can help to make a room feel larger than it actually is. 

Camona definitely isn't alone in her assessment either. Many designers agree. For example, although he finds it charming, celebrity designer and HGTV star Nate Berkus won't use this design trend in his home. Instead, the "Nate and Jeremiah Home Project" co-host typically opts for one of many great alternatives that can open up a room including utilizing minimalist large-scale artwork for walls instead.

If you're wondering how to switch things up, but you love displaying photos and art on your walls, there are tons of great alternatives to the gallery wall design trend that you can try. First and foremost, consider seeking ways to incorporate abstract art into your home such as opting for one or two large statement pieces instead of several smaller items in a gallery. Other wall art types that tend to make rooms feel more spacious include geometric prints, black and white photography, minimalist typography prints, or simple line drawings. This allows for more creative personal expression and frees up some blank wall space to avoid visual clutter at the same time.

The key with art is to remember that less is more and to keep things simple. Another way to create the illusion of more space is to use a singular large-scale mirror to decorate walls instead of art or photos. Because mirrors reflect and bounce light, they are great for making a small room feel bigger. For photos, follow HGTV star Nate Berkus' lead and display your pics on tabletops, desks, and side tables in unique, curated, or vintage frames. But, if you're a photo lover and have lots of memories to display, a good option for freeing up space is investing in a digital picture frame that displays a rotation of your selected photos or artwork on demand.