No need to break down walls to make your cozy little room look larger. Strategic furniture placement, the right lighting, a touch of color in the right places and a blend of furnishings is just what you need to give you the space you crave for.

So you've moved from your rambling country cottage to an apartment in the big city. No matter how big your apartment may be, it is still an apartment. You are always going to be reminiscing about large rooms, high ceilings and windows that offer you spectacular views of the mountains in the background. While there's nothing you can do about the mountain-views, there's plenty of ways of making your rooms appear larger and your ceilings higher than they really are.

Don't go in for too much of anything. Think minimalism; whether it is furniture, curios, area rugs or wall hangings. No matter how tempted you are to buy that stunningly carved sofa set complete with coffee table, if it is too large don't even think about it. If you are going to have to skirt around it the rest of your days it will be more of a nuisance value.

Instead, a sleek sofa set with a beautiful, but much smaller centre table sitting on a contemporary area rug can look smart and inviting and yet not take up so much floor space. If you are short on space try to select furniture that can also double up as storage space. Buy sofas and beds with pull-out drawers; use a camphor chest as a coffee table and a chest-of-drawers as a side table.

Put all your money down on one extravagant artifact instead of several little bits and pieces. No matter how unique or charming, numerous knick-knacks can close up the space and can tend to look cluttered whereas one gorgeous object d'art can add character to your room and make it look stunning without taking up too much space.

Paint your walls with light-colored pastel shades. Light colors open up a room and make it appear much more spacious. Use solid colors or small prints rather than large plaids, bold stripes or busy prints. Stick to your chosen color scheme and chose fabrics and accessories that go with it. Painting all the rooms in your house in the same color scheme gives you more versatility when you want to re-arrange your furniture.

Add a punch of color to your room by placing a colorful of bouquet of flowers on one of your side tables or gathering together a bunch of colorful throw pillows and placing them in a corner of the room. 

Heavy drapes cut out the light and can make the room smaller and darker. On the other hand, sheer fabrics allow maximum natural light to come in and brighten up your room. Keep the fabric light whether it is for your curtains or for your table covers as well as your furniture slipcovers. Small flowery prints or soft floral vines can look dainty and make your room look charming and cozy.

Keep your drapes open during the day and let the room be awash with natural light. You'll be amazed at how bright, cheerful and spacious your room can look by this simple act. At night, bright floor lamps in corners or install track lighting that can be moved to highlight different areas of the room.

Your fabulous collection of assorted bric-a-brac can clutter up the place more than you can imagine. Work out ways to display your collections. You could group them in themes or color schemes and display one theme at a time, which is also a great way to redecorate your room whenever the mood strikes you.