Tips to Make a Large Room Feel Cozy and Comfortable
While many folks dream of owning a home with a large living room complete with soaring ceilings and serious square footage, generous space offers it own set of challenges. A poorly designed large space can be just as distasteful as a poorly designed, cramped small space. But let’s just say, that it’s a nice problem to have. Here are some ideas that could help.
1) When decorating a large room, individual spaces can be created that still serve to pull the room together as a whole. The separate areas could include a TV viewing area, a conversation space, a reading or gaming nook, etc.
2) If you are blessed with high ceilings, large furnishings should be used to effectively fill the empty void. Furnishings lacking height would get lost in the large space. If, however, the ceilings are low, keep the furniture small to medium in size.
3) Avoid placing all your furniture against the walls. This would be an error, creating large empty, cold spaces. Cluster some of the furniture near each other to create more inviting spaces.
4) Try to use cushioned, rounded seating with plush armrests to offer a warmer ambiance. An oversized ottoman also works well to provide softness in large spaces, as does an L-shaped sofa. In this regard use tall plants or potted trees to fill the empty spaces created by high ceilings.
5) Two tone walls where the lower section is one color and the upper area is another complimentary tone is also a good idea to provide some definition in what could otherwise be a vast and imposing space.
6) A fire place is always a good option in a large space to add intimacy, as are impressive bookcases or a piano to help anchor a large room.
7) Consider architectural elements such as moldings or columns to enhance the room and create warmth.
8) Artwork should be of a larger scale, just as your furniture should.
9) In large rooms, it’s best to use muted colors such as creams, warm whites, and grays. They can be balanced with touches of brighter tones to add a warm but vibrant feel.
10) If you’re not doing a full redesign, and some of your items are smaller, try to group in threes: vases, artwork, etc. This will keep singular items from getting lost in a large space.
11) Create a second seating area in an unused area of the room and further improve the space with a coffee table. Creating two full scale seating areas divided by a daybed, chaise, or bench often works well in large rooms. Also, rugs can be a wise choice in defining seating areas.
12) In a large room, be careful that there are no dark spaces. These can be eerie. Use wall and floor lamps to illuminate those dark areas.