A large living room is an ideal place for entertaining and relaxing with family and friends, and anyone with a small living room would probably be happy to trade up for a more spacious version. But wide open spaces can seem cold and impersonal. If you’re lucky enough to have a great big living room, you can make it seem welcoming and cozy with a few decorating tips.
Step 1
Warm It Up with Color
Rich warm colors will make a space feel more intimate and inviting. Deep tones of burgundy, umber, mango and apricot will envelop the space with warmth and ambiance. Sample jars of paint make it easy for you to test a color in a small area or on a piece of poster board before committing the entire room to a particular color.
When choosing furniture and accessories, add contrast with complementary hues in warm tones. While closely related shades are a good idea when you want to expand a space, providing contrast in a large room will minimize its scale. Choose warm shades, such as paprika and gold, and use black to unite and ground the colors. Repeat your accent colors throughout the room in bold swaths of color in curtain panels and window treatments, pillows and throws, lamps, lampshades, wall art and accessories.
Oversize pieces, such as tall urns and vases that can accent a corner or sit on an open soffit above, will help bring the room down to size and make it more human in scale.
Step 2
Add Depth and Warmth with Wall Decor
Continue the warm palette in wall décor. Metal wall art will add contrast and dimension and another opportunity to display splashes of your accent colors. Choose metal wall art with bold graphic designs in a contemporary space and classic motifs for a more traditional look. Wrought iron wall art will add definition to a large expanse of bare wall that would otherwise leave a room feeling empty and cold. In rooms with high ceilings, semi-circular or rectangular wrought iron wall art can accent bare space above entries and windows. From Old World and Mediterranean influences to casually inspired decors, any living room will gain style and richness with the addition of metal or wrought iron wall art.
Step 3
Define Space and Get in the Zone
It’s natural to feel overwhelmed by a large expansive space that is continuous and unbroken. Create ‘zones’ in your large living room, delineating conversation areas, entertainment areas and so forth.
• Use area rugs to define spaces. Choose a patterned rug that pulls your color choices together. Use rugs to anchor a space, arranging furniture around the perimeter.
• Pull furniture in toward the center of the room. Create a conversation area by defining the space with your area rug, then arrange a couch and love seat and/or side chairs in an inviting diagonal arrangement that encourages conversation.
• Use a table and chairs on another end of the room anchored by an area rug for casual dining, game playing or impromptu gatherings – you have the space, now enjoy it!
• Pull furniture in toward the center of the room. Create a conversation area by defining the space with your area rug, then arrange a couch and love seat and/or side chairs in an inviting diagonal arrangement that encourages conversation.
• Use a table and chairs on another end of the room anchored by an area rug for casual dining, game playing or impromptu gatherings – you have the space, now enjoy it!
