For a public, high-traffic area of your house such as the living room, space is going to be paramount. It’s often used to make guests feel welcome and is for many households the main point of congregation. However, if your living room isn’t particularly blessed with space, things can get a bit cramped. With this in mind, here are a few ideas on how to maximise space.
Choose the right furniture
Being able to move around a space freely and without hindrance helps to keep stress levels low and leg bruises at a minimum. So choosing the right kind of furniture can prove very important, especially in spatially-challenged living rooms. Try to find furniture pieces that offer added storage room without taking up extra space. Things like drop-leaf tables can be useful although they’re not entirely suited for living room. Instead seek out nested tables; they offer plenty of surface space and can be stowed away easily. Tiered tables are also ideal for living rooms and provide extra space to store things like magazines.
Paint for space
Colour can have a huge impact on a room and is particularly effective at providing the illusion of extra space. Light and cool colours work very well in this regard. For optimum effect, try to keep the flooring as dark as possible and then include brighter tones as you travel up to the skirting boards, walls, ceiling trimmings and then finally the ceiling itself.
Include Mirrors
Once you’ve given your living room a fresh lick of paint, install wall decorations such as mirrors that will further enhance the spatial illusion you have created. They should be strategically placed to receive maximum effect, so for instance, try fixing a floor-length mirror to the wall behind a piece of furniture. Mirrors which are the same width as the furniture help make the piece look more prominent instead of looking crammed in. A mirror behind the main light source is also worth trying because it maximises the light’s reach throughout the room.
Storage
Bric-a-brac like toys and gadgets tend to accumulate in living rooms as well as magazines and books. Storage is therefore going to be an especially important factor in freeing up space. High bookcases and cabinets (the higher the better) are useful in this regard and can really helpful at de-cluttering your living room area. For the best solution though, consider installing wall-mounted shelves. Because they don’t take up much floor space and can be extended all the way to the ceiling they are by far the most effective storage method available.
Large seating for small spaces
Believe it or not, the clever use of large furniture in small living rooms can actually help you to save on space. For example, a large multiple-seat sofa can enable you to remove extra chairs which might get in the way. Perhaps the best way of achieving this is to install a corner sofa or something similar which provides ample seating without taking up as much floor space.