5 Ways to Make Your Small Living Room Feel Bigger

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Making Most of The Space You have…

Though I love my home, it’s on the tiny side. I’m constantly trying to work out how to make my small living room feel bigger. Figuring out which tips and tricks are going to make the room feel much larger than it is. I’m lucky that as it is an older home, the walls are tall, which adds height and makes the room feel larger than it is.

However, once you add furniture, you start to lose real estate. When we first moved in, the living room felt so much smaller than it actually was. I put this down to two things. The walls were too dark making it feel cramp and the furniture wasn’t in the right place.

It’s taken time but I think I’ve successfully achieved this, even with adding in an ‘entryway’ into the room. I absolutely love my small living room and you guys seem to love it too on Instagram. Here are my top tips for making a small living room feel bigger…

PULL FURNITURE OFF THE WALLS.

Our natural instinct is to maximise the floor space and push everything back against the wall. However, it’s in fact the opposite. By pulling your furniture back of the wall, even by a couple of inches gives the illusion of the room feeling bigger, airiness to the room. You’ll see that our sofa sits in the middle of the room and the gap behind it is just big enough for a person to pass. However, that gap makes it feel a lot bigger and that space is much larger than it is. Furniture should also be close together. It’s no good having your coffee table so far away you have to get up to put your cup of tea down. Keeping chairs and sofas closer to create intimacy and will allow for private conversations. Much cosier than everything so sparse and a massive void in the middle of the room.

USE COLOUR WISELY.

Now whilst I love a white wall and would always recommend it to help create the illusion of a larger space, it’s not your only option. Any lighter neutral that feels bright will have the same effect and will give your room the feeling of freshness. Something like a taupe or a sage green. Pops of colour will also emphasise the size of your furniture that it sits on, such as throw cushions, throws or decorative objects. However, limit the colour palette you use, too much colour will clutter the room and make it feel much smaller than it is.

LET THERE BE LIGHT.

It’s no secret that I love a light and airy space. But I am a huge fan of creating light and having the right light in your home. In my humble opinion, it can make or break the space. Firstly, making the room feel brighter by painting the walls. When we did our living room makeover, the first thing I did was paint the walls white and it instantly brightens the space. The next was to bounce the light across the room. I’ve managed to achieve this with my large brass mirror. The light just comes through the window and it just bounces the light across the room. If you’re looking to make your small living room feel bigger, I would highly recommend investing in a mirror. At least one, ideally three to really maximise the light across your home.

Finally lighting. You want enough lighting in the room to make it feel cosy, but to also ensure the room is well lit to help with the illusion of a bigger room. Your main ceiling light is important, but so is your wall lighting or table lights. I would also say the bulbs you use are just as important. Yellow lighting will make a room feel darker. Smart light bulbs have a cool option that will help with making the room feel brighter and bigger.

USE YOUR WALLS.

If your square footage is an issue, ensuring your walls are use correctly is key. Take advantage of your real estate with shelving units and shelves. I love our open shelving unit for our books and a few plants. It helps to draw the eye upwards helping to make your ceilings feel taller. Large artwork can also help with this. One large print will make your walls look huge and help with creating the illusion that your room is much bigger. Again, a mirror will also help with this.

INVEST IN THE CORRECT FURNITURE.

You may thank that to make a small living room feel bigger then you need to go for smaller furniture. However, investing in too many small pieces can make the room feel cluttered and cramped. Using big pieces will help with the illusion of how big the room actually is. We have a large chest of drawers that our TV sits on that takes up one alcove. By filling this space it helps with the illusion of how large that coving is and how much real estate the room has. However, be aware of ‘too big’ furniture. If you physically cannot get around the room because your furniture is too large, then no matter how big the room looks, you will not be able to enjoy the room.