Interior designer shares a clever flooring layout trick to make any room look bigger

Dare to go diagonal? Your room will thank you for it

Interior designer’ diagonal flooring hack, diagonal wood panelling, living room wooden floor
(Image credit: DelightFULL)
Megan Slack
By Megan Slack
published

When looking for ways to improve the size of a room, we wouldn't normally look to the floor- but according to an interior designer, we should be. 

Yes, the position of your tiles or floorboards has a lot to answer for when it comes to the overall appearance of a room. As an interior designer reveals, it's important to give careful thought to your floor when considering your next home decor project. 

'Choosing the right type of flooring in terms of the pattern it creates can go a long way to making a space appear larger. I like to use wood on a diagonal- the room will seem bigger than it is,' shared Irene Gunter, interior designer and founder of Gunter&Co Interiors.

Read more: Striking hallway floor ideas

flooring tip

(Image credit: Matthew Williams)

She continued, emphasizing the power of tiles in improving the appearance and size in a room:

'When it comes to tiling, I always prefer tiles where you don't obviously see where one starts or stops, making the floor appear seamless. Mosaics, large marble slabs, or quirky geometric shapes can all be used to achieve this- especially when using bright colors like a powder blue.'

'Whatever you do, try to avoid standard 60x60cm tiles as they usually divide the room into squares, accentuating that not too many of them fit,' Irene added. 

Interior designer’ diagonal flooring hack, diagonal wood panelling, kitchen wooden floor

(Image credit: The Hairpin Leg Company)

If you've already found yourself thinking about flooring this week, it may be because it was also discussed by renowned interior designer Kelly Hoppen on ITV's This Morning.

In response to a caller on This Morning, Kelly emphasized the flooring's ability to make a room feel instantly larger. She began by urging the caller to 'use a beautiful wood' in her hallway before telling her to lay the wood lengthwise to make the room feel bigger.

hallway flooring

(Image credit: Paul Raeside)

'It is going to make it look a lot longer and wider if you put the planks lengthwise,' she shared.

In a conversation with another caller, Kelly further highlighted her layout tip, suggesting this versatile hack will work in all rooms of your house, and is especially important as a kitchen flooring idea.

.'Have them going the same way as your kitchen is running,' Kelly instructed before reminding the viewers that the layout is 'really important.' 

For more advice on how to transform a space Little Greene's creative director shares her clever painting trick to make narrow hallways feel lighter. 

Megan Slack
Megan Slack

Megan is the Head of Celebrity Style News at Homes & Gardens. She first joined Future Plc as a News Writer across their interiors titles, including Livingetc and Real Homes, before becoming H&G's News Editor in April 2022. She now leads the Celebrity/ News team.


Before joining Future, Megan worked as a News Explainer at The Telegraph, following her MA in International Journalism at the University of Leeds. During her BA in English Literature and Creative Writing, she gained writing experience in the US whilst studying in New York. Megan also focused on travel writing during her time living in Paris, where she produced content for a French travel site.


Megan currently lives in London, where she relocated from her hometown in Yorkshire. In her home, she experiments with interior design trends and draws inspiration from the home decor ideas she observes in her everyday work life. Her favorite pieces include her antique typewriter and her expansive collection of houseplants. When she isn’t writing, she is browsing London’s coffee shops and bookstores to add to her ever-growing library, taking over the open shelving in her apartment. 

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