Colours : Manipulating proportions

Rooms can be heightened or widened visually without the use of a sledgehammer – it's true! There are many visual tricks that interior designers employ to manipulate the eye around a room in the way they desire.

Stripes are an obvious solution to a room whose proportions you want to manipulate. Horizontal stripes will always widen the look of a wall (note to self – throw away that horizontally striped t-shirt), so by the use of wallpaper or some well painted stripes you can open up a narrow wall.

By the same token introducing vertical stripes will heighten a space. This can be done in many ways. By cladding a wall vertically (for example with tongue and groove) you can subtly but beautifully achieve height. Also vertical features such as a suitably elongated piece of art or a set of long narrow windows will help achieve this effect.

The use of a feature wall is a great manipulator and will pull your eye in that direction, perhaps away from something you don't want to focus on. The best way to deal with this so you don't tire of the feature is to ensure the wall you choose isn't one you look at all the time (so one behind a sofa or bed would work well for example). The feature wall can be 'featured' in many ways - by paint, timber cladding, wallpaper, fabric etc.

Mirrors are also a great manipulator of environment. If placed correctly they can add immense amounts of light, width and depth to a space. Place on a wall opposite a window to draw natural light across the room and to reflect an attractive outside view.

Another visual tool that designers will often use is the watermark. It can be used because you want to lower the visual height of a room or you want to draw the eye to a feature low down. It can be used to create a more intimate feeling to a room that has high ceilings and is an effective tool for highlighting paintings. It tends to be a painted feature at around the traditional picture rail height and is often used to create interest in a room that may be bland or devoid of any architectural interest.