Maximizing Living Room Space and Living It Large

Much like lemons, when life gives you space, you make space-ade. Horrible puns aside, our sense of ingenuity is what makes humanity so special; we always find a workaround to our problems and come up with clever ways of reaching our goals. The techniques for maximizing space in a small apartment are a perfect example of this.

It is easy to lose track of how busy your living room can get due to constant traffic in and out of it. This is why some decluttering specialists and interior designers have a few handy solutions and tricks you can use to increase your living space. 

Declutter the Floor

Clearing Floor Space Is Important in the Decluttering Process

A good place to start when making things more spacious is by opening up some floor space. It is easy to lose track of the clutter in the living room since it is used so often and sees a lot of traffic throughout the day. It’s easy to forget things in a cluttered living room especially when you’re in a hurry.

To stay on top of things, take a day out of the week to do some decluttering. One of the best ways to declutter is to designate the various items and gadgets in your living room into specific storage spaces. If you have a hard time putting things away, consider dedicating space to these items.

For example, remotes tend to end up anywhere but near the TV. A wall remote holder will keep the remote out of the way and make it easier to find. If you have magazines on the coffee table that often end up on the floor, simply try to get rid of them. With these simple decluttering tips, you will achieve much greater results.

Multipurpose Furniture

Multipurpose Furniture Gives Your Living Room Both Extra Space and Functionality

Another example of amazing human ingenuity is multipurpose furniture. Why have a plain old coffee table when it can be converted into a taller work desk? Why keep regular accent stools around when there are ones you can store things in? What’s the point of having an extra cabinet in an already busy room when you can have shelves on the sides of your sofa and armchair set?

Multifunctional furniture is quite accessible in terms of price and availability. Your local furniture store should have plenty of multifunctional living room furniture and you can even purchase one custom-made by a local carpenter for a higher price. Multifunctional furniture saves space and is typically built with durability in mind. Plus, the added practicality of its design makes for a nice addition to any contemporary interior.

The Layout of Room Traffic

Make Sure Your Pathways Are Clear in Your Living Room

Let’s take a step back and put ourselves in the shoes of a city planner in charge of optimizing the roads in the city. The living room is your city, and you must understand the flow of traffic in this space; flow is a crucial aspect of interior design. If the flow is obstructed by an object, be it a piece of furniture, decoration, or a loose item, it may limit motion in the room.

This can make the room seem much smaller than it is because people have to bob and weave their way through it. Plan out the paths in your living room. Consider what “routes” you usually take and what things you tend to walk around, and rearrange your living space in such a way that walking through it feels intuitive and smooth.

You should not have to navigate through your living room but rather should be able to naturally make your way from one end to another. If your couch is too far out and obstructs your freedom of movement, move it forward a little. If a bookcase is making the path too narrow to pass through naturally, consider moving it to another wall.

Scaling Down Furniture

A Minimalist Living Room Increases Space

More is not always better. This is especially true with furniture that is far too big for the limited space in a living room. Sure, a bigger cabinet or couch will give you more room for storage and relaxation, but you should ask yourself if you need that extra space at all. If you live in a two-person household, chances are a small couch or two will be more than enough. If you do not own many books or a china set, there’s no point in buying a full-sized china hutch.

Instead, consider more practical options that prioritize what you will need over what you think will look good. Purchase more compact furniture, and you will notice how much room it will open up in your home. 

Or Scaling Up Furniture

Invest in Useful Furniture

On the other hand, you won’t automatically save space simply because you scale down the furniture. Many homeowners purchase smaller pieces of furniture, believing they are saving space only to overstuff their room with all manner of armchairs, bookcases, and drawers.

Instead, simply have one big cupboard or a single large sofa in place of several armchairs. This gives you more flexibility to create your furniture layout. If you invest in some multifunctional large furniture you can save even more room. This allows you to maximize seating in a small living room without too many pieces of furniture cluttering the space.

Use Walls and Vertical Space

Vertical Spaces Should Be Optimally Used to Reduce Clutter

It is common to leave the walls mostly bare in a living room. With all the new sofas and personalized cabinet designs on the market, it is easy to overlook all the storage opportunities on the walls. As a result, homeowners with smaller living rooms may not realize that the solution is all around them.

Shelves, wall-mounted desks, and cupboards are among the most effective tips to declutter your home. They do this by making use of the vertical dimension and saving on floor space. Installing shelves around the wall that will act as storage and as decor is an excellent way to break up the monotony of bare walls. If you do not have room for a desk a wall-mounted one is the perfect addition to your work-from-home setup. Take advantage of all that open wall space and revel in all the extra free space.

Spread Out from the Focal Point

Avoid Cluttering Around A Focal Point

Many homeowners tend to focus a lot on the living room’s focal point. A room's focal point can be a fireplace, TV cabinet, dresser, or even a large painting; it is essentially the centerpiece that gives a room character. Because of this, it is easy to pay attention solely to the focal point of the interior design while stuffing the area around it with too much furniture and decor.

While you do want to emphasize the focal point of your living room, it should not come at the price of a cluttered space. Consider moving some of the furniture away from the focal point or getting rid of it entirely. This will free up the focal point and visually declutter it.