The living room should be the activity hub of your home; but what if this important space is seriously lacking square footage? Try these five tips for making the most of a small living room.
Create a focal point. This can be done a few ways: paper an accent wall, hang a mirror or add a dynamic piece of artwork. Place your couch in the centre of your accent area to further reinforce your focal area, and if you’re pressed for space, go with a love seat or ottoman.
Draw attention vertically. When it comes to room decor, we tend to think about the horizontal aspects more than the vertical. In a small room where you’re lacking width, you want to draw attention upwards, especially if your living room has a high ceiling. A good way to do this is with your window treatments: try floor to ceiling drapes.
Skip the sofa. You don’t necessarily need a couch, so if you can’t find a small and sleek number, consider chairs or a love seat instead. When picking out chairs, consider armless ones because they will take up less space than a model with arms. Also, chairs with thinner legs as opposed to solid bottoms will allow light to flow through them, which is important when you don’t have much space to work with.
Choose furniture wisely. Choose multipurpose furniture if you can; ottomans, coffee tables and chairs with built-in storage, for example. For all pieces, don’t forget to consider visual weight. Pale colours over dark ones, and avoid boxy shapes.
Choose accessories wisely. Use the cantaloupe rule. Accents and accessories smaller than the aforementioned piece of fruit run the risk of making your space look crowded. Instead, be more selective and choose fewer, bigger decor items.
Maximize light using glass. We’ve all heard of the mirror trick – placing a mirror in a room to lend the illusion of more space – but did you know you can achieve a similar visual manipulation with glass? Opt for a coffee table with a glass top.