9 Simple Techniques to Make a Small Living Room Look Bigger

Not everyone is lucky enough to live in a spacious apartment. If your guest room is not impressively sized or is cluttered, you are unlikely to want to spend time there, meet friends, or communicate with loved ones. This is not a reason to despair. You can change the situation.

A miracle won't happen by waving a magic wand; you just need to take advantage of the advice of experienced designers.

Pay attention to the lighting

For a small room, a ceiling chandelier is clearly not enough, says Yulia Tychino, an expert on design and architecture at the MOS SMI portal. You will need lamps that can be mounted on the walls or hung on long cords in the recreation area, for example.

This will save floor space. A good solution could be a sconce with a swivel handle, which adds volume to the walls, which is ideal for small rooms.

Make a glass sliding door

In typical city apartments in multi-apartment buildings, rooms are separated from the rest of the premises by standard-sized doors.

To visually expand the room, you can enlarge the opening and install a glass sliding door. Your living room will seem larger and brighter.

Place a large rug on the floor.

Designers claim that a large oval or square carpet can expand a room, even if it has a bright pattern.

Unlike several small rugs or runners, it does not visually break up the floor, creating a continuous space.

This technique will unite the space and create a basis for its further design. The same effect is achieved by armchairs placed in the corners of the living room.

Use shelving

Regardless of whether you are settling into a new apartment or renovating an old one, do not refuse to install built-in shelving: it will become a decoration of the room, a convenient storage area.

If for some reason this option does not suit you, pay attention to the "floating" shelves. They look spectacular in interiors of different styles.

You can make the lower shelf so that there is a place to sit on it: this option is relevant for a small living room. To prevent such structures from “eating up” space, make them in the same color as the walls.

Don't avoid dark tones

Most homeowners are convinced that dark colors make a room look smaller. Designers believe that this is a common misconception.

Glossy dark walls create a sophisticated backdrop for furniture, accessories with clear lines and bold and bright interior elements.

The small space needs to be used to its advantage to make it look like a jewelry box.

Painting the ceiling in this color can enhance the feeling of sophistication. Once the walls and ceiling are decorated, you will have a unique opportunity to show your imagination and place bright and light furniture in the room.

Make the walls white

Just like dark tones, homeowners try to avoid white walls in the living room. They think that in this case the room will resemble a hospital ward.

This is another common misconception. White walls and ceilings make the space look bigger, and adding black and white artwork, a few colorful accessories that draw attention but don't add a sense of clutter, makes a small living room feel bigger and brighter.

Move furniture away from the walls

Don't give in to the temptation to place all the furniture around the perimeter, along the walls, so that it looks "like everyone else's."

Leaving space behind furniture will make the room look bigger and more spacious. Opt for furniture with high legs, which will make the space look lighter.

Get rid of the bulky sofa

Quite often, owners of small living rooms try to buy large corner sofas that take up almost the entire room.

They think that all their guests will be comfortable with such furniture. This is a wrong decision: it is more appropriate to install a compact sofa and several additional places to sit in a small room - armchairs, ottomans.

Natural light should not be obstructed.

If your small living room has a lot of natural light, don't cover the windows with heavy, dark curtains.

Allowing light to come in will make your room look airy and spacious. If you don't like windows without curtains, use light, translucent fabrics to get the maximum amount of light.

Earlier we wrote about what the ideal bedroom should be like.