My Living room is 15'x15' and I need advise on how to make it appear bigger. I started having it very stark, but now that I am adding to it, it's starting to look cluttered. It has hardwood floors and Fawn Beige walls. I have a huge cream couch and chair and a coffee table. Your suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you!!!!
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let's all find a sledgehammer, pick it up and swing it ... and a one ....and a two . . . . lol
I know how you all feel - funny how living areas are never big enough, but often other places like bedrooms are too big - what do you in a bedroom but slep, dress, and whatever . . . must be men that design houses (imagine smiley with devil horns here)
my room is 13' wide X 21' long...and i swear some days it's not big enough...if i had my way would make it bigger...but i don't see that happening...in the room i have couch..loveseat...coffee/end tables...a floor to ceiling fireplace dead center in the middle of the wall...that makes placing other furniture around it a pain in the a$$...and garden doors onto the back deck...on one side of the fireplace is the tv cabinet and on the other side is my chaise...and NO TOYS...strictly forbidden...and as long as they follow that rule...it's not that bad...but somedays like i said i wish it were bigger...if i didn't like this house and area so much i would move to a bigger house in a heartbeat
gigantic living rooms ! mine is 8 x 14 - no joke -, has three windows and two doors !!!!!!!!! We also have a 3-seater couch, a love seat and a TV to fit in there.
When we bought the house, it was a sun room at the back, we decided we could make it work; it was wood panelled at the time, but we are currently fixing it up. Walls are papered in anaglypta (white textured paintable wallpaper) and painted originally Stow White by CIL; it was too pale, so I got them to re-mix it with 4 times the colour, and it looks fabulous now. Simple drapes that just clear the bottom of the windows (they are hinged to open in) and clear the window, no fixed ends, laminate floor (like the rest of the house) and 50% Stowe White for the trim; it has made a HUGE differencein the feel, I am currenttly working on re-purposing a plant rack as a bookcase and am looking form a small chest of drawers for storage, too. Oh, did I mention the ugly fuse box in the corner??
Before and after pics, soon, I promise !
when the girls are at school it feels plenty big enough....so i know when they grow up and move on with their lives, it will be just fine, if hubby doesnt decide to sell,, he really wants a garage and no where to build one here....cant blame the poor man living with 4 moody females with raging hormones.....not pretty lol
smiles
janetc
for what it is worth....when my kids were home, I did find my house too small, now that they are not, I love my cosy spaces. My living room is smaller than yours too! And, I like it that way.
that is okay....im hearing more and more that small is in with homes....i gripe at times that i would like bigger but i dont know what i would do with all that space...likely fill it with things i dont need lol...
smiles
janetc
your place is awesome, there is no way those blinds would look dated in there and besides, designers say that about cieling fans too, but like fans they have improved the blinds too. I have side panels in a sheer fabric wine color, never close them and the accent of color is nice, however i likely will go back to my off white as i found it opens the room more and i do spend alot of time in there and can become claustraphobic (sp?) For some the kitchen is the heart of the home but ours is too small, so the living room is where its all happening lol
smiles
janetc
is huge! Compared to mine that is.
Larger pieces help. As well drapes/panels hung as high as possible and extended from the window frame contribute to the concept of space. Even better, no panels but shades, blinds or shutters. I like the colours you are using - lighter colours 'read' more space.
about drapes. My LR is a little larger than hers, but not greatly so. And I found that even panels started to make the place feel closed in. So I put up a set of vertical Venetian blinds, despite the fact that they're being maligned as out of fashion by a number of designers/publications. And I've decided that I quite like them; their simplicity, the ability to control the light, and their straight lines (guess it helps if you like a modern aesthetic) all help to counter a cluttered, closed-in feel.
my living room is only 11ft 3inches by 17 feet....thought it was 12x17 but guess not, however, i found it doesnt take much for my room to feel cluttered...but everyone else doesnt feel that when they are visiting but i do when im in it all the time. I do find keeping little things off the floor opens it up, keeping my walls simple helps, if i hang to many things it starts to close in, less smaller items and just a few bigger items.... i too hung a mirror and like bjdec said angle furniture, my two chairs are away from the wall and on a angle and i find heavy window treatments can close me in too...so i try and keep them simple...........good luck and are you able to post a pic?
smiles
janetc
a chair and a coffee table all you've got in the room? Even a 15 x 15 room shouldn't feel too cluttered with just 3 items in it. Just how big is that sofa? Is it possible to post a floor plan. A mirror, by the way, is a good way to make a room seem more spacious. Get a big one.
the walls out....just kidding. :D
Pull the furniture away from the walls to create space behind it. Your seating area should be close enough to visit without leaning in or shouting. anchor your coversation area with a rug large enough to fit under the feet of the seating. Too small and it will emphasize the smallness of the room. The coffee/end tables should be close enough to reach your wine. Use larger and fewer items for impact. large artwork hung lower on the walls will make the walls appear higher. Drapery hung as high and as wide as you can will elongate the walls and make any window seem taller and wider.
Can you hang a mirror anywhere? Placed (perhaps) opposite a window, so it would reflect back the light and the outdoors, rather than the "clutter" of your room?