Have A Small Living Room? Learn How To Make It Look Bigger

When my youngest child moved out, I was left living in a large home by myself. Weekend visits from the grandchildren only filled the space part of the time. The home became more of a burden as each day passed. It was not until I was working with my real estate agent to sell my home and find a smaller home did I realize that there were so many others in the same position. I created this blog to help other empty nesters explore their options for downsizing and to provide guidance on finding a new home that fits in more with their lifestyle.

Have A Small Living Room? Learn How To Make It Look Bigger

Have A Small Living Room? Learn How To Make It Look Bigger

26 January 2015
 Categories:
Real Estate, Blog


If you're thinking of downsizing now that you're retiring, you might wonder how you can adjust to a smaller living room. Many retirement communities don't have large living rooms, so adjusting your purchase ideas is necessary. This guide explains what type of items to purchase so that your new cozy living room looks bigger.

Small Furniture With Legs

When shopping for furniture for your retirement community home, look for small furniture with legs. The legs should allow you to see the floor underneath the couch, loveseat and/or chair. When more of the floor is visible, the room naturally looks bigger.

Glass Top Tables

In keeping with the idea of providing the illusion of more floor space, choose tables for the room that have glass tops. Don't clutter up the top of them with a lot of decor. A small lamp and one other decorative item, such as a photo frame works well to create the illusion of extra space.

Bright Rug

For tile or hardwood floors, shop for a bright colored rug with a pattern you desire. However, a pattern is not necessary. A plain rug works well, as long as the color is bright and matches well with the walls, furniture and other decor.

Light Colored Wall Paint

When choosing the wall color, make sure that you choose a light color. However, not all the walls have to be the same color. For example, you can choose a light blue for three of the walls.

For the longest wall, stick with blue but make it just a little darker to add a little warmth to the room without going too dark, making the room look smaller. Don't put any wall decorations on this wall. Leaving it empty creates the illusion of extra space.

Sparingly hang paintings or other wall decor items on the lighter colored walls. The less cluttered the walls are, the bigger the room looks.

Corner Storage Baskets

Things like TV remotes and other gadgets used in the living room take up space, making the room appear smaller. To combat this, choose a corner of the living room to hang a decorative basket from the ceiling, and store these items in there.

Walk through the living room and take a good look around to get a vision of what you want the room to look like. Ask your real estate professional to give you a tour of a model home in the retirement community so that you can get even more ideas. If you're not retiring just yet, share this with someone who is, so they can downsize without losing style.

About Me
Home Buying Tips for Empty Nesters

When my youngest child moved out, I was left living in a large home by myself. Weekend visits from the grandchildren only filled the space part of the time. The home became more of a burden as each day passed. It was not until I was working with my real estate agent to sell my home and find a smaller home did I realize that there were so many others in the same position. I created this blog to help other empty nesters explore their options for downsizing and to provide guidance on finding a new home that fits in more with their lifestyle.

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