It seems a fact of life that however much space we’re blessed with in the lounge, it’s just never quite enough. Every available surface appears to attract clutter and let’s not even get started on the kids’ toys. No wonder it feels as though the room is closing in on you! But how can you make your lounge feel larger without moving to a new house? Read on to find our top tips to create more space in your lounge.
1. Let there be light
The first step to visually opening up a room is to make it feel airier and brighter, so avoid fussy window treatments such as over-long drapes, swags or pelmets and keep it simple – a blind is functional but unobtrusive and can be every bit as beautiful if it’s designed and fitted right. Blinds can be made-to-measure, ensuring a perfect fit whether wooden or your fabric choice. You can even buy kits and make them yourself.
2. Blend in the practical items
If your lounge doubles as an office or dining room, ensure that area and the furniture fit your room and that any equipment can be covered or shut away, as this will create more space than if everything is left out. Choose attractive files and an appropriate chair and try to blend in with your room – a completely different area can visually divide a room.
3. Declutter
Be ruthless with clutter. You can’t go wrong if you follow the mantra ‘a place for everything, and everything in its place’ and take William Morris’s advice to ‘have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful’. An easy way to achieve this is to invest in multi-tasking furniture: a coffee table with drawers or baskets, a storage footstool or a bench with a lifting seat for toys or books.
4. Use attractive storage methods
You don’t need to get rid of everything to create more space– an empty room isn’t just uncluttered, it can be characterless, stark and impersonal. Hone your craft or DIY skills and experiment with clever ways of displaying treasured items: box frames, floating shelves – even peg rails and plate racks in older properties.
5. Use colour wisely
Colour and décor play a major part in the illusion of space. Darker colours can be rather claustrophobic – deep blues particularly illustrate this. However, you don’t absolutely have shy away from colour altogether – you could use a deeper colour on a feature wall, stripes or a bold wallpaper. Lighter colours give the impression of space by making walls seem to recede, and with the trend for all things metallic, something that reflects the light will maximise that effect.
6. Play with your light sources
Consider lighting: lighter rooms seem larger, so ideally fit two or three light sources – floor, wall or table, and ceiling – to really brighten up the space while adding depth. Complete the feeling of light with mirrors which will appear to deepen the room whilst also reflecting more light around.
7. Consider Bespoke Built-ins
Make practical-yet-beautiful furniture to perfectly fit your space – shelves and cupboards in tricky alcoves, perhaps, or wall-to-wall open shelving for books. Being able to see the wall behind maintains that feeling of space whilst giving all the storage you can dream of.
Creating more space in your lounge may take a little work, but you’ll certainly benefit from a less cluttered, more relaxing environment.