Ideabook 911: How Can I Make My Living Room Seem Bigger?

midmodfan Another advice is to avoid clutter. While that is ALWAYS a good thing, it is especially important in a small room.
Btw: the first room is to die for!

Becky Harris Good point! I've been trying to find that coffee table, I am in love with that room as well!

Erin Lang Norris Great advice! I love the tip about using a floor lamp in place of a table with a lamp on it.

jaqipousson consider keeping walls neutral

amielamm If you keep the walls, curtains, and sofa all in the same monochromatic family, it makes the room feel larger. Large blocks of color can cut up the room.

poisiraisk good one! a mirror can really fool you, particularly if put it in a space where it looks like an open door or walkway to the next room. countless times have I tried walking through cleverly place mirrors. otherwise, many good suggestions! tnx Becky!

Heather Lutz I have a very small living room as well and have two small children with quick hands :), so we put LOTS of shelves up all around our living. It makes it feel cozy and the higher you go with the shelves the taller the room feels. We put them at all different heights and lengths so it seems like the room can accommodate lots of space. Also, hang curtains practically by the ceiling (ours are about 3 or 4 inches from the seam of the wall and the ceiling) and it makes the room feel MUCH bigger. Also the curtains are very light and airy, so lots of light comes through during the day. We also have lots of pieces that double as storage. Both our coffee table (an old chest) and a side table can store things inside of them.

clcollie I have a very small home.....about 800 sq ft. It's hardwood throughout, even the kitchen. Can I still go with a dark stain color on the floors? In these pics, some of the rooms seem to pull it off just fine. Can anyone help.

Cozy Little House For the question about dark stained floors, yes, I personally think you can pull it off. It might even give the rooms you do have more definition. I wanted to say that I use floor lamps a lot because of lack of space. I also use multi-purpose furniture. If it's coming into my house, it can't just look pretty. It has to also serve a function.
Brenda @cozylittlehouse

bronwentm I would love to see pictures of your room Helutz!

UPSTAGING YOUR HOMES you did it again Becky. Great post!

Pangaea Interior Design, Portland, OR Getting a little air under the furniture is one thing that helps a lot! Pieces that are upholstered all the way down to an inch above the floor appear more massive and take up more visual space than pieces with about 7 or 8 inches of space under them. Notice how in the 4th photo the sectional and coffee table both allow you to see more of the floor.

Drought Smart Plants Also arranging everything on the diagonal will help with increasing the visual space, as the eye sees the diagonal measurement first.

Pegasus Lighting Great ideas! Also, I would add that lighting has a huge impact on the perception of space. Shadows are your enemy in a small room. If you don't want to clutter the floor with lamps, try adding recessed lights or wall sconces.

burlcouch i have a very small living room which is long and narrow with one full wall and 2 walls with windows and half a wall with a cut out for the kitchen view into the living room i have a large couch and a small love seat and a hutch and two coffee tables in it. I need to make this roomier and family friendlier, any ideas?

Becky Harris hmmm, burlcouch, are there any stools at the half wall so people can sit and visit with you when you're working in the kitchen? I'm wondering if perhaps you should replace the love seat with an occasional chair that does not take up so much room. Also, is the hutch a space-hog? perhaps you could rotate it into the dining room or kitchen and use a smaller console? And lose one of the coffee tables? For family-friendly, storage cubes can work triple duty as coffee tables, toy storage and ottomans.

burlcouch yes i can lose one coffee table but the other holds a big heavy tv, and my hutch is a space hog i would like to use it as a divider between the kitchen and living room which has half a wall{the one with the cut out} but i dont know how to put up a wall to secure the hutch to it. the hutch fits together in two pieces so it needs something steady to rest up against,and i might get rid of the love seat and put in a chair, but for now it is my sons bed. see we have 4 kids and 2 bedrooms. and not enough room,any more suggestions.thank you

betsym444 Where can I find very a very large mirror that won't cost an arm and a leg. I want to make my room look larger.

imak92 love these ideas ,
getting a 4.5x 4.5 meter room
thingking of diving it to bedroom and living room since i have friends , and would like to keep the family room to the family

hopefully i will show u guys how awesome it will be


any suggestions on like invisible chairs ,, to use when needed