Your living room is meant to be, well, lived in. And to that end, it’s important that you design your living room décor in a way that gives you the space you need to live comfortably. But what’s to be done when you’re an apartment-dweller with a small living room? With just a few décor hacks, you can open up your living room and make it look and feel much larger than it is. Here’s how you can make your small living room look much bigger than it is.
Mirror, Mirror, on the Wall…
Who’s the smartest DIY-er of them all? A small living space can feel cramped and dark, which is a problem if you plan on entertaining. Obviously, you can’t change the size of your living room to accommodate more guests, but you can use mirrors to create the illusion of a larger room – and add some extra light at the same time. If you have a tall, thin mirror, you can turn it on its side and hang it on your wall to instantly create a sense of a larger space.
Low Ceiling? No Problem – Low Furniture Works Wonders
Whether you live in a basement suite, a cramped bachelor apartment, or a small house, a low ceiling can create a claustrophobic atmosphere and cause you to feel trapped. One easy solution is to simply replace your current living room furniture with furniture that sits lower. Low-seating furniture is on trend right now, and it will create the illusion of more vertical space.
Sometimes All It Needs is a Coat of Paint…
A small living room looks even smaller when the walls and ceiling are painted in dark colours. As darker colours absorb light, they make rooms look smaller – so if your cramped living room features navy blue walls, it’s going to feel tiny. Cream-based paint colours are ideal for making a living room look larger, especially when they’re paired with icy blues and soft greens. Even if you don’t want to re-paint your whole living room, a quick paint job on the trim and mouldings will work wonders. Just remember that your trim should always be a lighter colour than your walls. Light-coloured trim and mouldings make the walls appear as if they’re farther apart.
The Right Styles to Create Space
Furniture can take up a lot of space, and if you don’t have much space to begin with, you may find your leather sectional not only looks overpowering, but makes the whole room feel cramped. That’s why you’ll want to stock your living room with furniture pieces that look appropriate for the size of the room and offer you storage space. A multi-function piece like a coffee table that doubles as a chest can give you the storage space you need without taking up too much room. Try to position large pieces of furniture up against the walls in order to maintain a sense of openness in the middle of the room. Opt for a glass coffee table instead of a wooden one – the light filtering through the glass will make the table appear smaller, creating the illusion of more space.
A small living room doesn’t have to feel suffocating. Whether you’re entertaining guests or just enjoying quiet solitude, it should be a place where you feel at ease – and that starts by making your small living room feel larger. Try using these strategies and see how different your living room looks when you design it with space in mind.