Jul 16 2010
Transform Your Large Room into Cozy Space
Large, spacious rooms are what many homeowners desire, but they can often appear cold and unwelcoming. It’s wonderful to have plenty of room so that everyone can relax and guests don’t feel crowded, but you want to provide an atmosphere of warmth and welcoming spaces. This article offers several tips for bringing those expansive rooms down to size a bit, creating spaces that are appealing to the eye and offer a sense of intimacy.
One thing to remember, you want to avoid adding lots of small accents and trinkets to fill up the room; this will only make it appear cluttered and messy.
Use Multiple Furniture Groupings
Consider dividing the room up in to several groupings that can be used for specific purposes. Have an area designated for watching television, one for playing games and another for entertaining guests. This will help fill up the room with larger pieces that are in scale with the space, and will make the area seem more inviting. In the kitchen, consider a lounging area in addition to the actual cooking area and dining set.
If you work from home, consider placing your home office in a corner of the living room to further break up a wide open space.
Keep Accessories in Scale with the Room
Colorful accessories will add depth and dimension to the room, but keep them in scale. Plants, whether real or artificial, should be good sized. Use large prints and tapestries on the walls that complement the shades of your décor. Dinky floral arrangements won’t work in a large room; use large, richly colored vases filled with dramatic flowers and greenery.
Color Plays a Crucial Role
Vast spaces can be made visually smaller by using rich, deep colors on the walls, ceiling, and floor as well as in furniture patterns. If you have a high ceiling, consider painting it a darker hue that blends with the room. Taupe, autumn colors, burgundy, blue and deep greens are rich colors that will add visual appeal and interest.
If you decide to use wallpaper, make sure to stick with bold patterns in large prints. Avoid small patterns with intricate details, and stick to rich choices that complement or contrast with the other colors of the room.
Other things that can be done to bring an expansive room down to size are moving the furniture away from the walls and using large area rugs in order to arrange a furniture grouping in a specific area. You may also want to consider built-in furniture; something like an entertainment center or book shelves in a corner of the room or flanking a fireplace help use up space while encouraging a cozier feel. These provide use as well as taking up additional wall space making the room appear smaller.
Spacious rooms are wonderful, especially if you have a large family or do a lot of entertaining, but they tend to look somewhat blank. Put a few of these ideas to use, and you will soon have rooms that are welcoming, warm and cozy – beautiful rooms that invite guests to relax and stay a while.
