Shea McGee has revealed the surprising feature that will make a room feel bigger

Working with a small space can sometimes feel like playing an advanced-level game of Tetris. We've all been there - or are there - but interior designer Shea McGee has just shared an easy way to make a small room feel bigger.

The Studio McGee co-founder says that you can create the illusion of more space by adding large artwork to the walls - the bigger the better. So before you begin executing your living room gallery wall ideas, consider whether a single oversized print could be the way to go...

Writing on the Studio McGee blog, she explains how adding substantial pieces will help if you're short on square footage. 'Whether it’s replacing a gallery wall with one large-scale art piece or switching up your coffee table styling to incorporate two more significant sized pieces rather than five little things, this trick can elevate nearly any room,' she writes. 

Shea expands by saying that large artwork or decor pieces provide a space with a focal point. It's worth looking at your own living space and considering what your focal point is, and whether you can make the space feel less 'busy.' 

Traditionally it's the fireplace, but yours might be the sofa, a built-in bookcase, a picture window, or, indeed, a print. Large framed prints are a way of 'giving the eye a place to rest,' says Shea, 'which is especially important if you want to make a room feel bigger.'

Playing with scale and opting for the biggest print you can fit tricks the eye by creating a sense of grandeur. We tend to think of small spaces as being crowded with lots of small items, and the fact you can actually fit a big print on the wall makes us view the space as being bigger.

Of course, you can apply this oversized logic elsewhere, with an enormous Bird of Paradise houseplant, a huge circular mirror or a big vintage kitchen clock. If working out how to make a small living room look bigger is a priority, stick to a streamlined collection of decor pieces. Cluttercore is not welcome. 

Shea admits that it might feel counterintuitive to fill your small space with massive art or to go super-sized with coffee table decor, but we kind of love the 'go big or go home' approach. 

'This one might sound strange, but there’s something about large, substantial pieces in a small space that bring it to life and make it feel larger,' she says. 

What do you think?