Have you ever felt that your living room looks a little small or feels a little cramped? This is a common occurrence and many homeowners have to deal with limited floor space in their rooms. You can fit this though and give yourself more space, but also make your living room look bigger.
In the below guide, I give 8 simple tips on how to make a living room look bigger including furniture placement, colours, and de-cluttering. After reading this article, you should be able to transform your living room and maximize its potential.
1. Get Rid of the Clutter!
The first thing to do when looking at how to make a living room bigger is to declutter! Over time we collect objects and ornaments and our houses can become overcrowded with junk. Take an inventory of your living room and see what items you can move elsewhere or get rid of. A solid decluttering session can work wonders and give you a strong foundation to work from.
2. Utilize Smart Storage Solutions
If you can use integrated storage solutions such as in your furniture or your walls this gives you much more space to work with. You take items away from the floor or walls and instead hide them which makes your living room look cleaner and spacious.
3. Use the Same Colour for the Walls and Ceiling
If you use a different colour for your walls and ceiling you are creating an immediate barrier and line and this makes corners and space more noticeable. Instead, using the same colour for your walls, ceiling, and carpet makes the space seem less defined and blurred and those harsh edges disappear. You can take a look at our living room carpet selection for inspiration in terms of colours.
4. Make Use of Reflective Surfaces and Objects
This is an especially old trick but it works! Reflective surfaces such as mirrors create the impression of more space. I’ve got a large mirror above my fireplace in my living room for example and it works wonders.
Aside from mirrors, reflective surfaces in general can help make your living room look bigger so don’t simply go for matte finishes that absorb light.
5. Place Furniture Strategically
I can guarantee that most people with smaller living rooms will simply try and cram their furniture against the walls to give them more floor space. While this works in theory, it also shows clearly that you have a small room!
Instead, place your furniture strategically and don’t be afraid to bring it out from the walls and place it centrally. When looking at how to make a living room bigger, the key is to live in denial and pretend you have a larger room to work with!
6. Try to Avoid Blocking Views
The last thing you want to do in a living room with limited space is to segment it and block areas off from view. This could be via tall furniture such as shelving that is protruding out from walls for example.
By blocking lines and minimizing views you are playing into the small floor space and making your living room feel even smaller. Try to remove objects that reduce light and block views so that your living room appears open and larger.
7. Don’t Overlook Shelving
If you do want to make use of ornaments, instead of using side cabinets or big storage units, why not erect shelves on your walls?
Shelving takes items away from the floor and moves them to the walls. This not only gives you more floor space to work with, but it also makes the room feel bigger. Consider using an array of vertical shelves on your walls too as verticality helps create the illusion of height and space.
8. Choose Your Colours Carefully
It’s a fact that some colours give the illusion of depth and greater space, while others make a room feel claustrophobic. Yellow, green, white, and grey are fantastic colours for adding depth to your living room but which one you choose depends on the natural light and theme you want to achieve.
White or off-white works in any situation and helps make your living room feel light, airy, and spacious. Yellow tones can also add depth and make your living room feel inviting and cosy.
Make a Small Space Feel Immense With These Tips
As you can see, even a small living room can feel huge, comfortable, and inviting and a limited floor space poses no barrier! It’s a simple case of thinking logically about things like furniture placement, colours, and lines and enhancing what you already have.
While it’s not possible to physically increase the space, the trick for how to make a living room look bigger is to create the illusion of space!
