Occasionally, it is not enough to bring in a new piece of furniture or a new style to a home. When you adhere to the same old plans again and again, it is never going to look that much different. Instead, you need to think about the size and shape of the entire room.
Here, we are looking at changes that radically alter the way a space works. You are not going to have to go as far as knocking through any walls or anything quite that dramatic, although a lick of fresh paint and the installation of carpet can go a long way to improving a room.
Rearrange the room
Sometimes, the best way to get started with a room is from the very beginning. If you have had the furniture configured in the same way for years, as many of us have, but you have only been exchanging one bit for another, then the amount of space in the room will stay the same. This is despite the fact that the actual size of the pieces may have changed somewhat. It is worth taking the time to rearrange it, bearing in mind the dimensions of your current furniture choices. You might be able to make use of the nooks and corners and the odd spaces that were not accessible to any of your furniture before, for example.
Have a visual follow-through
The entrance to the room is at the farthest point. If you create a line of sight and, even better, a path that cuts right across, it makes the room look much larger. This goes against some of the assumptions that the very centre of the living room should be where the coffee table is going. If it frees up some follow-through, think about moving the coffee table over to the side instead. The illusion of more space is just as effective in making the room feel different as it is in changing the space available.
Think about the footprint of the room
You can make sensible changes to the room in the future as well by doing this. When you use a limited amount of space, making your choices more efficient will give you a lot more room for arrangement and a lot more room for every piece of furniture. The way to do that is to think about the footprint of a piece of furniture versus the amount of space that you actually use. For example, chairs with arms wider than their bases use space that might otherwise be useful.
Look up
Standing space in any room is very important. There are some things that could seriously change the room just by taking them vertically. Take, for example, a vertical radiator instead of one that runs horizontally across the room. It could give you much more wall space to place a chair or bookshelves without worrying that you are blocking the heat in the room. Lift what you can.
Hopefully, the tips above give you some ideas on how to open a room out and give it a completely new feel.
