Want to Make Your Small Space Seem Bigger? Try These Tricks
Decorating aย living roomย is a lot like putting on clothes, except you have to commit to one โlookโ for at least a seasonโmaybe even longer. Because, well, home furnishings can be really expensive! But if you think about this analogy, you can actually exploit it for the better. In the same way certain items of clothing can accentuate your best features, decorative accents and strategies can also play to a living roomโs advantage.
Maximize the Effect of Mirrors
Mirrorsย are not just for selfies! Strategically place a big one opposite your windows and watch your living room double in size. Okay, maybe not doubleโbut the optical illusion is real, as seen in thisย Brooklyn Heights studio. Mirrors throw light around a space, and thatโs always a good thing when it comes to opening up a room. Glass and lucite furniture can have similar effects, as well.
Undress Your Windows
Traditionalย curtainsย can feel dark and heavy. So let the sun shine in with lighter drapery fabrics. Try a set of sheers in lieu ofย blackoutsย in a living room (you donโt really need anything that opaque outside of your bedrooms anyway). Or forgoย window treatmentsย altogether, so natural light can really stream into your space. This will make your room appear brighter and bigger almost immediately.
Make the Perimeter of Your Room Pop
The easiest way to make your living room feel more spacious? Move all of your furniture thatโs leaning against the walls out a few inches, if possible, likeย this homeownerย did. Giving pieces likeย sofas, bookcases, and chairs that little bit of breathing room will help the whole room feel less cramped and more airy.
Work Your Walls
If you donโt haveย high ceilings, no worries. Fake it โtil you make it by mounting someย shelvesย or a piece of art in the top half section of a wall, as seenย in this home. This will draw guestsโ eyes upward, creating a sense of loftiness without any major construction. Mounting your curtain rods a little higher than your window frames can fool the eye this way as well.
Work Your Walls
If you donโt haveย high ceilings, no worries. Fake it โtil you make it by mounting someย shelvesย or a piece of art in the top half section of a wall, as seenย in this home. This will draw guestsโ eyes upward, creating a sense of loftiness without any major construction. Mounting your curtain rods a little higher than your window frames can fool the eye this way as well.
Add Stripes
Vertical lines can be slimming because they elongate the silhouette. That same logic can apply to a living room, when you roll out aย striped rugย or use striped curtains, as thisย Argentinian homeownerย did. Just make sure the lines are running vertically to maximize this effect with minimal effort.
So itโs not impossible to gain space in your currentย living room layoutย without renovatingโitโs just a challenge. But any of these tips should help you live a little larger in your small living room.