Having a small living room doesn’t mean you have to feel crowded or cramped. While you can’t usually add square footage, there are a number of things you can do to make your living room look bigger.
Mirrors
A tip we have seen recently in a few Whistler homes for sale is to add mirrors, which can make your room look larger. Use a focal point and angle your mirrors toward it to give the illusion of depth. Mirrors also reflect both natural and artificial light to make a room brighter during the day and night. They bounce light deep into the room, making it appear larger. Placing a mirror near a window to reflect the outdoors is especially effective. Mirrors on the walls and glass tabletops will give your room a more open feel. You can also use mirrored cabinet doors to make spaces feel larger.
Furniture Placement
While it may seem counterintuitive, moving furniture away from the walls and corners of your rooms can actually make space look larger. Your stuff needs space! Float furniture, even a few inches from the wall; keep corners clear and open; avoid the dreaded ‘catty-corner placement’ of furniture.
Light Colors
Dark colors are a big no in small rooms. As suggested, lighter color palettes cast the illusion of a larger area. Dark color schemes, although trendy and design-friendly, are best used in larger areas. When dark color schemes are used in smaller rooms, it can create a suffocating feeling as though the walls are closing in on what is already a space-challenged room.
Natural Light
The more the natural light, the larger the room appears. The beauty of a well-lit room is not hidden but it is also important for making the room look bigger. Just like the white room gives an appearance of large space, big windows with a lot of natural light coming in helps make the living room look bigger and brighter!
See-Through Furniture
By using materials that you can see through, anything beyond will appear farther away. For example, in a tiny bathroom, get rid of an opaque glass shower enclosure and substitute a clear, frameless one. The room is the same size but it will look bigger. Now you can see all the way to the wall at the back of the shower––it may only be three extra feet, but the difference it makes is dramatic. You can also use glass or lucite for tabletops. With a sturdy base of wood, stone, or metal, the space around the table will open up the view beyond.
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