Today’s featured post from the Meet Your Sofa team has some great ideas on improving the look of your living room, and I particularly love their idea for decluttering! Enjoy!
Space is always welcome in any home – not only does it allow more room for guests and activities, it can improve our mood by leaps and bounds! At Meet Your Sofa we’re big on making the most of your existing space, so you don’t need to move to a bigger house. Here are 5 ways to make your living room look bigger…
Decluttering is Fun
Surprisingly, you can turn the act of decluttering into a pretty fun game! It’s easy to hold on to possessions and trinkets with an iron grip (otherwise known as “hoarding”) but if you use decluttering as an imaginative process then you’ll find it much easier to make more space in your home. We call this game “5-5-5-5” – where you donate 5 things to a charity shop, pass down 5 things to a friend, 5 things to recycle and 5 things to sell. Not only is this space-saving, it’s very environmentally-friendly too.
Choosing the Right Colour Palette
Colours can work miracles in making your living room look bigger. A monochrome palette is easy on the eyes as there’s only one colour to focus on. It’s a great idea to use the same colour for the ceiling as you would for the walls, as this can make your living room appear taller. If you want to use two colours then use them sparingly so the room doesn’t look too busy. Common sense plays a key role in choosing the right colour palette. Lighter, pastel shades open up the room and encourage the reflection of light, whereas darker colours (although cosy!) tend to drown the living room.
Using Light to Create Space
Mirror, mirror on the wall – who’s the most spacious room of them all? Mirrors are a fantastic way of reflecting light around the room and encouraging the flow of light. You can either opt for an an extra large mirror or a series of smaller mirrors – it’s better to choose one of the two extremes rather than meet in the middle. The living room will gain some extra sparkle as the natural light from outside and the artificial lighting inside will bounce around the room making your living room look bigger. But where should you place the mirrors? Reflect the parts of your room you think are the most beautiful or the sections that project your personality the best – that way you’ll effectively double the greatest parts of your living room.
For artificial lighting it’s best to go for lamps at floor or table level. This helps minimise shadows, which can make a living room appear smaller. Try and reduce overhead lighting as much as humanly possible. Think of the simple rule “light across not light down.”
Right Furniture, Righteous Space
Choosing the right furniture is a fantastic way of utilising your existing living space. Sometimes all is not what it seems with furniture. Seeing as Meet Your Sofa is a bespoke designer sofa retailer, a great example would be corner sofas. You’d think they take up tonnes of space, whereas they’re perfect for making the most of alcoves and awkward nooks. At Meet Your Sofa we’ve got a beautiful range of corner sofas – including left hand and right hand corner sofas. Sofas with bare feet also work wonders for making your living room look bigger. The Jasper 2 Seater Sofa is a prime example, with the compact design and the exposed feet allowing light to flood underneath and emphasising the illusion of more space.
Positioning the Furniture
We’ve all heard of “feng shui.” Even if you’re not a big fan, the position of the furniture can determine how much space you’ll have in your living room. If you want to combine chic style with the art of spaciousness then don’t be afraid to show off a few pieces of “floating furniture.” All you have to do is position your sofa in the middle of the room to open it up and increase your living space. This works just as well with console tables, lamps, coffee tables and more. Another nifty trick would be to place your furniture in front of a window. Sounds crazy, right? Not necessarily! A sofa, coffee table or TV unit would make a great statement in front of the window and creates an inviting, homely look. Besides, placing the TV in front of the window gives you a better view of the screen as you won’t have the daylight glaring on it.
Feeling creative? Design your own sofa at Meet Your Sofa today!
Images: Meet Your Sofa || Blue Living room via Shutterstock
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Jen is an interiors writer and blogger and has an insatiable love of home style and decor
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My advice… most people have too much clutter. Unless you have an army living with you downsize. Removing just an unused “love seat” can create massive space.
yes, agreed decluttering is great and the other suggestions too. Buying mini-furniture is an old trick for selling small flats. decluttering is all well and good BUT the clutter always finds its way out of the storage spaces and back into the room. Best strategy is to lose storage and then it necessarily follows that you have to declutter and THEN there is less rubbish to re-appear. easier said than done of course
In my opinion, dark interiors make a room crowded. Whereas, light-shaded fixtures create an illusion of a wider space. This applies to chairs and tables as well.
This post “5-ways-to-make-your-living-room-look-bigger” provides brilliant ideas about your living room decor. Most important thing is to choose right furniture and positioning which is described here perfectly. Space makes your living room look well.
Thank you very much for the ideas. We are planning renovation and this is helpful.
useful tips you share for living room look bigger.Its very important to know.
This is sensational, I have only discovered your site.. I love all your ideas
useful tips you share for living room look bigger.Its very important to know.