10 ways to make a small living room look bigger

Many of us are more than familiar with the struggle – trying to cram all your worldly possessions into a tiny living room can result in it feeling cramped, claustrophobic and anything but elegant and inviting. 

However, the good news is that successfully transforming a small space into an appealing, multi-functional and utterly chic room is not too difficult. 

This is according to Claire Gibson, from La-Z-Boy, who says it all boils down to tricking the eye into believing that there is more space than there actually is by employing three simple decorating concepts: scale, light and movement. 

Claire shares 10 ways you can achieve this...

1. Keep it compact 

Avoid heavy, weighty styles of furniture in lieu of sleek and elegant compact pieces. 

For small spaces, always opt for pieces that don’t ‘eat up’ too much usable space. 

A sleek sofa, for example, will offer you as much sitting room as its overstuffed cousin, but will take up much less room. 

2. All in proportion 

For any small space, including the living room, it is all about considering scale and proportion. 

The general rule of thumb is that if a piece touches the boundaries of the room, then it is too large for the space. 

In order to create the illusion of spaciousness, it is advisable to always leave a little ‘air’ between the sides of the furniture and the walls. 

3. Show a little leg 

Creating a sense of openness and movement will lead to optimising the illusion of extra space. 

Streamlined furniture allows for a visual flow over, around and under it. For this, it is best to opt for low-slung furniture that is on raised legs, which will create a sense of light and space. 

4. Keeping a low profile 

Furniture that is lower to the ground will create the illusion of more space due to the fact that there is more space above it. For this reason, choose furniture that boasts low profiles like mid-century pieces or sleek and contemporary styles. 

5. On reflection 

When it comes to compact spaces, there is arguably no better remedy than the inclusion of mirrors. 

Mirrors are a quick, affordable and attractive way to create a greater sense of openness and light. Not only do they reflect light, but they also reflect the view, which tricks the eye into thinking that there is more space than there actually is. 

6. Curtain call 

If possible, ditch the drapes so that your eye can travel through the room to the windows and to the outdoors beyond. 

Drapes and curtains stop the eye from doing this, and they can also clutter up an already small space. 

If privacy is an issue and some form of window dressing is a necessity, then consider blinds, shutters or pale lightweight curtaining instead. 

7. Find your path 

To maximise the space at hand, many homeowners are tempted to push all the various pieces of furniture to the edge of the room. However, this often makes it difficult to manoeuvre within the space, causing you to bump into things and making the room feel claustrophobic. 

Find out where the natural flow of traffic will be, and then rather group the furniture on one side of the room, so that people can walk through unhindered. 

8. A lighter shade of pale 

White and other light tones reflect light and help make a room feel airy, serene and most importantly, bigger. As such, smaller living rooms should be painted in white or exceptionally light neutrals. 

Painting the walls and the ceiling the same shade of white helps to blur the boundaries between the walls and ceiling, causing your eye to travel upwards, thereby creating the illusion of added height. 

The same applies to furniture. Selecting pieces that are upholstered in light tones or those that are made of transparent materials such as Ghost chairs or glass coffee tables will also help blur the lines and make the space seem larger. 

9. Magically multifunctional 

Any living room has to be just what its name implies – a room that can be lived in. As such, functionality should reign supreme here. 

Investing in furniture that serves more than one function is a practical way of keeping the space equally attractive and functional. 

Items like an ottoman that doubles as storage, where you can tuck away blankets and books, for example, can serve as an extra seat, a foot rest, a side table, as well as added storage to help keep clutter at bay. 

10. Keep it simple 

Above all, successfully designed small living rooms are all about editing.

The more pieces, patterns, textures and items you have in a room, the more cluttered it will feel. 

Clutter is the enemy, so try and avoid including too many knick-knacks, artworks, busy patterns or overwhelming colours.

Article courtesy of Property 24
Image courtesy of www.thespruce.com