In the age of the McMansion, homes that were once considered sizable are starting to look pitifully small. Of course, most of us don’t need 6,000 square feet of living space, a two-story foyer, a dedicated mudroom, five en suite bedrooms, multiple balconies, a three-car garage… the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, the standard of living has been raised and people in average-sized homes often feel deprived.

Here’s the good news: even small rooms and homes can be made to feel and look infinitely bigger with the right furnishings. Though it may seem counterintuitive, one of the most effective design strategies for enlarging tiny rooms is the use of extra-large materials!

While your home may not be able to handle all of these fixes, incorporating a few will open up your cramped quarters.

Disclaimer: most of the images you are about to see depict large homes and rooms. But when you use them right, they look equally incredible in scaled-back spaces.

In the bathroom

An oversized vanity, if you have the wall and floor space, will lend an illusion of space to a smaller bathroom. Plus, it gives you extra storage space, a hot commodity in a home of any size.

If you’d rather keep your space free for a bathtub, make a statement – and make yourself comfortable – with an extra-long soaker or jetted tub.

Really short on space? Make the most of it with an oversized rain shower head:

(A less expensive option:)

Or magnify it with an enormous mirror.

In the kitchen

When you have a large family, a love for entertaining, or a passion for cooking combined with a tiny kitchen, your first reaction may be despair. Don’t succumb! Pick the kitchen fixture that is most important to you (easier said than done) and super size it. Refrigerator, range, island, sink… figure out which one you use the most and give it a place of honor in your kitchen.

An easier way to create a more open feel: use large-format tiles on the floor and/or backsplash. This works well in bathrooms, too.

Around the house

Plush, overstuffed sofas and chairs can enlarge a room, but they can just as easily overwhelm it. As with any giant furnishing, one piece per small (and even large) room is enough; filling a room with gargantuan pieces, even if the room itself is gargantuan, is overkill and takes the focus off of each individual piece. Try jumbo pillows as a comfortable and homey alternative:

Point the focus upwards with a statement light fixture:

Or flood the home with natural light from oversized windows and doors for instant spaciousness:

(That last one may look unattainable, but try to drag your eyes away from the magnificent water feature entrance and focus on the door. You’re likely to have some dead space around your front door – why not super size it?)

How big is your home? How do you make it feel bigger?