Are you looking for ways to add extra seating to a small living room area and make it appear larger? Don’t worry, I got you covered! In today’s post, we’ll share how we added extra seating which is also functional to our small living room space.
Unlike what photos have shown in the past, I have a small living room area space. Our home consists of 2 living room areas, the larger one we converted into our family room and the smaller one on the ground floor of our house is where we entertain our guests. However, due to its small size, we very rarely entertained more than 2-3 people at a time when we could before COVID restrictions. While my outdoor patio looks amazing, I’ve always had trouble with my living room area.
I’ve always wanted to have extra seating in the living room but had no idea how to get it done without making our small space look cluttered. I didn’t want my living room to look smaller than it already was but instead make it appear larger than it really is. We currently have an extended sofa that seated 5 and a coffee table that took up more space than was necessary.
While chatting with a friend recently, our conversations drifted to furniture and I mentioned my dilemma. I’d love to have some extra seating, but something that wasn’t too obtrusive, didn’t make the room look cluttered, and was also functional. It’s how we managed to come up with a storage ottoman. They have so many functions and Wayfair has so many to choose from, and it was exactly what I needed. Here’s how I went about choosing the correct one for my space and a few tips to make your room appear bigger.
Here’s how to add extra seating to your living room and make it appear larger.
Declutter the Room
The first step to making any room look bigger is by decluttering. The less stuff you have in a room, the bigger that room appears. In our case, we didn’t have much in the living room, but Madison almost always leaves her stuff laying around, or there might be video game controllers, a board game or two, and books. I decided to add a few wicker storage baskets, for texture, that I could use to store her controllers, our board games, and books. If you’re like me and enjoy having blankets around for warm cozy movie nights, consider adding a basket to store them in as well.
Take Advantage of Your Natural Light
Natural light makes your living area appear larger. Invest in light-colored or sheer drapes and keep your window dressings drawn if you can, and in warmer weather open up the windows to allow the natural light in. Painting the room in a light color can also help.
Use Light-Colored Rugs and Accents
We’ve all heard that lighter colors tend to make things appear larger, which is why it’s recommended to paint smaller rooms in light colors such as white. The same goes for your decor as decorating in light colors tends to make your room appear bigger. Lighter-colored rugs tend to give the illusion of a larger room, while rugs with heavy patterns do the opposite, which is why we tend to stick with light-colored rugs in our living room space. I also like using light or bright-colored accents to bring the room together. Add some floral accents, and throw pillows to your couch but don’t overdo it.
Add Some Personality
Don’t just make everything white because you want your living room space to appear enormous. Consider adding your own touch to the room as well. Too many blank spaces may make your room look uninviting. Besides adding some throw pillows, consider introducing a plant or two, candles, and some artwork to the walls. Don’t go overboard by adding too much as too many may get gaudy.
Invest in Stain-Resistant Materials
This was a must for us. When thinking of additional seating, especially since we have children, we needed something that was stain-resistant. We also had to think about our budget. We didn’t want something too expensive, but we still wanted something that looked good, so we opted for faux dark leather. This can be cleaned easily if anything spills compared to other materials and with it being a dark color, in the event that something dark colored such as red wine is spilled, it would not leave a mark.
Purchase Multifunctional Furniture
It doesn’t get any more multifunctional than storage furniture, in our case a storage ottoman. We decided on a rectangle cocktail ottoman with storage because due to the lack of space, a rectangle ottoman fits better in our space. We also knew that we didn’t need it too big so measured our space before purchasing which is another step you should also take. This storage ottoman not only functioned as additional seating, but is also a space to put items such as blankets, board games, etc., and can also be used as a coffee table.
By now you should have an idea of how you want your living room to look and if it’s small in nature, with a few adjustments, some hidden storage seating, cute accents, and all the amazing living room furniture option available at Wayfair, your living room will be just as outstanding as your outdoor space.
