Make Your Lounge Look More Spacious
Unfortunately, all houses are not blessed with spacious living rooms with large windows. If your lounge is rather small you may not be able to make it physically bigger, but you can use interior design concepts to create an illusion of spaciousness. Below are some useful tips that will help you to achieve this.
Wall décor
Painting the walls of your lounge in a neutral colour will help to make it appear more spacious. Stick to just one colour family and create interest by using matte and gloss paints of the same colour; paint your walls in matte and use gloss finish for your window and door trims. White and cream shades will successfully create the illusion of a larger space.
A contrasting colour, such as ice blue or mint green, will add some colour to a pale looking room if used on one wall, or perhaps in alcoves. Always paint the ceiling of your living room in a colour that is lighter than the walls. Avoid using really dark shades and never apply heavily patterned wallpapers. Dark colours will absorb any natural or electric light, making your room appear even smaller.
Furniture
All furniture should be scaled to the size of your living room. Overstuffed sofas and large cabinets will look out of place in a small room; where possible such items should be avoided. When accessorising a small living room, choose items of furniture that seek to draw the eyes upward rather than along. You will find that slim and vertical cabinets are best suited to the smaller living room.
Consider choosing a corner sofa for your living room; corner sofas help you to make the most of your available floor space. As with your wall décor, your furniture should be light coloured to help the room to look more open and airy. Heavily patterned fabrics are best avoided. If you already have dark coloured sofas they can be changed with the aid of some light coloured throws.
Windows
Consider removing any window dressings completely to open up your room. Heavy curtains will close up your living room and make it look and feel dark. If you need window coverings for privacy, use light coloured blinds. Sheer window coverings work well in small rooms.
When installing them, position the rods on the outside of the window frame to ensure that your chosen window coverings do not cover the glass itself when they are not in use. This will ensure that your windows appear larger and will allow more natural light into the room.
Floor
Ensure that your floors are kept uncluttered. This is an important way in which to maintain a sense of spaciousness. Remove any large heavily patterned rugs to help create the illusion of a greater floor area.
Accessories
You should keep your walls virtually free of any hanging décor, such as pictures. If you do not wish to remove some important pictures, opt for lightweight, light coloured picture frames. Dark coloured, heavyweight picture frames will appear to pull in the walls, making your living room seem smaller. Any paintings or pictures should be in portrait shaped frames rather than landscape. Mirrors can also be used to add interest to the room and again will make the space appear larger than it really is.