Make Your Large Living Room Cozy

While many love large living or family rooms, especially when they have vaulted ceilings, they can tend to have a cold or cavernous appearance. You may love the spaciousness but still wonder how you can make the room feel a bit more warm, inviting, and cozy. It’s important that your home have a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere, an almost intimate appeal that feels alluring. If you want to break up a large space in order to make it feel a bit more personal, there are several places you can start. This articles provides some tips on how to create a room that not only offers interest and appeal but warmth as well.

Arrange Several Furniture Groupings
Grouping your furnishings in different areas, each for a different purpose, is by far the easiest way to break up a large room. Create a small grouping around an area rug consisting of your sofa, loveseat, recliner, red oak tv stand and tables. Here you have created a wonderful conversation area in which to entertain guests. Try to avoid placing furnishings against the wall, as this only makes things look impersonal.

Another great area to create is a reading area, a place designed for enjoying a good book. If you have space near a window, place a rocking chair or recliner there, along with a small table, living room bookcase and lamp—perfect for reading. If you have a great deal of space, you can always create an entertainment area where you place an additional sofa, television, stereo, and game station. By creating these areas, you can break up a large room into smaller, more intimate spaces.

Use Paint or Wallpaper to Draw the Room In
The general rule of thumb in smaller spaces is to avoid using dark-colored paint. But the opposite applies to those very large rooms with high ceilings. In this case, dark paint is the perfect solution. You might also consider painting the ceiling a darker shade, as this will bring it down visually. Of course, you always have the option of boldly patterned wallpaper that contains dark shades as well.

Avoid Decorating with Mirrors
In many cases, mirrors tend to make rooms look larger. When they reflect light from windows or other light sources, this is especially true. If a mirror is a necessary piece of your decorating scheme, then place it where it reflects a favorite piece of décor or accent instead.

Add Lots of Accessories!
Adding lots of accessories can really scale a room down. Consider items such as baskets, pottery, plants, and bookshelves. By using small- to medium-sized accents, you can help reduce the appearance of a large room, as these items balance those bigger items like your furniture. Placing a potted tree in a corner to match to scale of a high ceiling will also help to balance things out.

Bulk Is Great
If a room is spacious, then bulky large furniture is always an smart choice. You might also consider using “heavy” looking fabrics such as tapestries, keeping the colors dark. Dark-colored wood is also a great choice, as lighter colors tend to make spaces look larger. One thing to avoid completely is glass-topped tables.

So that’s it in a nutshell—five fabulous ways to visually reduce the size of those spaces that appear cold and uninviting. No matter how large your living room, you should be able to give it a cozy, warm appearance that everyone will admire.