It's easy to get lost in an optical illusion. These tricks of the eye are both fun and visually interesting. If you are looking to create a certain kind of visual effect in your home, tiles may be the best way to achieve this and make the most of your space.

Visually Expanding or Shrinking a Room

For a practical visual effect, optical illusions can be used to manipulate the perception of space. Any room can appear smaller or larger depending on tile placement, size and color.

Light colors are commonly used to make a room appear larger than it really is. While dark colors convey confinement; light colors give the impression of more open space. Lightly colored ceilings and floors will give the home a more spacious feeling, while darker colors will have the opposite effect. These can be experimented with depending on what you are trying to achieve; for example, a dark floor and a light ceiling will bring focus to the floor.

It is often recommended that people dieting use smaller plates; this is because portions appear more substantial on a smaller plate than they would on a larger one. This concept can apply to tiling your floor as well. Larger tiles will make everything else in the room look smaller, creating the illusion of more space, while smaller tiles will have the opposite effect, making the room appear tighter. Intricate patterns also create the same effect as small tiles; the busier the pattern, the more attention is drawn to them and the more noticeable the parameter.

3D Effect And Movement

If you are looking to add some character to your room, you may want to add a 3D effect or try different patterns.

The marble floor at the Venetian Hotel in Vegas is a perfect example on how to achieve a 3D effect using tiles. Geometric shapes with the illusion of shadows can give off the appearance of depth, so using slightly angled darker tiles next to lighter ones will help visual of the cube to jump out. A simpler pattern with a similar effect can be created using checkerboard design alternating darker and lighter colors.

Using four small squares to create a larger square is another fun technique. If angled correctly, diamonds will seem to appear on the small squares. By using the small squares in alternating colors, shadow effects can be created, making it seem like the large square is almost floating. Another trick is to create the idea of movement using lined and wave designs that the eye can follow. This technique is great way to lead the eye to a focal point.

All of these ideas and pattern can work in both indoor and outdoor spaces. Whether trying to create something unique or simply trying to make a room seem bigger, playing around with optical effects can be fun and will add a unique sense of character to your property or home.