The living room is by far the most occupied room in our home. It’s connected with the kitchen and receives a lot of traffic. We get a lot of natural light – which I love – but the space itself is small.
Although I couldn’t change the footprint of our space, there are a few subtle changes that helped give the appearance of spaciousness in this room. A couple details I focused on to utilize the space and maximize the area were to…
Brighten Up the Space with Paint
Paint it white. By painting your room white, you automatically create the sense of space by the reflections of light it gives off. White paint opens up the feel of the room giving a ‘light + airy’ atmosphere.
Use Non-Bulky Furniture
Furniture is all about proportions. When your room is small you don’t want to use all the valuable space with an oversized piece of furniture. Try to avoid bulky, overstuffed furniture and opt for pieces with more narrow features. If you can, leave room in-between the wall and your furniture to create a sense of airiness to your space.
Hidden Storage / Multi-Functional Furniture
Make your furniture work for you and your space. Think of how you want your room to function and what pieces could pull double duty. For example, an ottoman that doubles as an extra seat or has built-in storage.
Add a Mirror
Adding a mirror helps your space in two ways. It reflects light around your room. A mirror also reflects the view of your room creating the feeling of ‘more space’, tricking the eye into seeing more space.
Simplify your wall decor
Simplify your wall decor and take into consideration scale of each item. Try using a few larger pieces vs a bunch of smaller knick knacks. When you have to much ‘stuff’ it can make your space feel cluttered and smaller than it really is.
Furniture with Exposed Legs
Furniture with exposed legs makes your room feel larger by creating the illusion of ‘more space’, drawing your eye past the piece of furniture.
Declutter!
It’s so important to declutter your space often! I know it’s not the most exciting bullet point on this list, but it ranks highest on the list of priorities if you want a space to feel larger. Clutter can quickly take over a space, even if you consider yourself a tidy/organized person. I recommend spending 5 minutes a day putting things away and every couple months taking a quick inventory to decide what stays and what goes.
A few simple changes with these tips and tricks will help transform any room into a light + airy space!
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