Whatever the purpose of the room, there are certain factors that need to be considered in designing the interiors. If you want the room to have an open and airy feel, here are things you can do to make it more spacious.

1. Lighting. A naturally lit room gives the occupants a more open and airy feel about the room. Although it is not necessary to have the windows face the direction where the sun rises, it is important that the windows are positioned in a way that it receives enough light from the sun to brighten the room. You can make your room appear larger by eliminating shadows. You can do this by using soft and even light. Ceiling lights will make your ceiling feel lower while diffused, ambient lighting will tend to enlarge the room.
2. Colors. Dark colors such as blue and red tends to close a room. If you want your room to appear bigger you can use monochromatic colors or pastels in your walls and floors to make them recede.
3. Textures. Smooth surfaces reflect more light and will help in making your room appear larger. Avoid patterned or textured carpets. Instead, opt to use tiles that have less or do not have any pattern on them.  Big mirrors can also help you achieve this.
4. Patterns. Patterns are good and they keep the room from looking flat and boring. However, having too much pattern in a room can be very overwhelming and it is painful to look at. Making your room appear larger can also be achieved by limiting the patterns to accent pieces such as pillows and accessories. The idea is not to stop the eye as it travels across the room.
5. Furniture. Limiting the number of furnishings inside the room will help in giving it more space and making it feel and look bigger. Another way to go about this is the proper selection and placement of furniture and appliances as it defines the space in the room. As much as possible, keep the largest pieces against the wall. It would also help if you choose furniture that are not necessarily of the same colors to your walls and floors but are at least similar. Choose pieces that stand off the floor on legs are made of materials that reflect light or let light through. An example is a glass center table for the living room or a glass dining table for the kitchen.