The living room is a place where the family can gather together and catch up on daily events. It has to be designed with comfort in mind but at the same time it needs to be practical and functional. It may well be the focal point for entertaining visitors so it also needs to be decorated and furnished with style. This is especially important when space is at a premium and you need to think carefully about the sort of items with which you will furnish your living room. With a little care it is quite straightforward to inject a feeling of more space - here are ten suggestions for you to try.
1. One or two large pieces of furniture can actually look less cluttered than many smaller items. Think of investing in a large corner sofa if your room allows.
2. An L-shaped sofa is also ideal for families as it provides as much seating as two separate sofas but also looks more compact and streamlined.
3. Keep your upholstery fairly plain. Choose pale, neutral furniture to avoid things looking too busy.
4. Think of using a textured fabric - this helps the scheme from looking bland.
5. A general rule of thumb is that dark colours on walls will make a room feel smaller and effectively close it in. Whilst this is true, you could still use some deep hues as long as you keep them to small areas. Just try to avoid it taking over the room.
6. Accessorise the furniture with some brightly coloured cushions in a similar hue to the walls to lift the neutral furniture. This helps to give a pleasant coordinated look to the room.
7. Any clutter is bound to make the room feel smaller. Think about wall storage units or sideboards and cupboards to help keep the clutter away.
8. Go for a mix of open shelves and drawers or cupboards. You can still put things away but you can also leave some attractive items out on show.
9. Have a rethink of your overall layout. Draw out a plan of the empty room and try to choose your furniture so that the view into the room is not blocked. Allow as much floor space as you can with clear open access from other rooms.
10. When choosing your furniture, stick to pale woods in an open structure. This really does help to make the space feel larger as it helps more natural light to permeate the room.
Modern contemporary wooden furniture is ideal for small living room designs. Pine living room furniture is a great choice as its naturally light colour gives a fresh lift to any design.
