Furniture Rearrangement to Make a Room Look Larger

Large Furniture Pieces

• Arrange the biggest pieces of furniture, such as sofas or sectionals, along the wall. This will help keep the space open in the center of the room and visually make it appear larger. If possible, avoid using pieces of furniture that are clunky in nature. Opt instead for pieces of furniture that are smaller in scale and conform to the dimensions of your space. Place furniture on an angle in your room to encourage the eye to look along the diagonal line, which will help the areas in front of the diagonal appear larger.

Double-Duty Items

• Keep pieces of furniture that can serve double duty and remove those you no longer need. Instead of having both a coffee table and an ottoman, place an ottoman in front of your sofa. It can be used for additional seating, a footrest or topped with a tray for use as a coffee table. Turn your dining table into a workspace, when needed, instead of having a separate desk. When changing your layout, ask yourself what pieces of furniture you can use for multiple tasks and try to incorporate them into your redesign.

Vertical and Wall Space

• Take full advantage of the vertical space in your room, as opposed to the horizontal space. For example, a tall bookcase takes up a small footprint in your room, but gives you a great deal of storage, whereas a larger-width bookcase or entertainment center will take up a great deal of precious floor space. Mount as many items as possible to the walls to increase the overall space of the room. Instead of having a large entertainment center for your flat screen television, mount it on the wall.

Clutter

• Remove all items that don’t contribute to the overall space or that don’t serve a purpose. Clutter, whether in the way of unneeded furniture or accessories, make a small space look even smaller. A home still needs to feel like a home, no matter what its size, so don’t get rid of your favorite pieces of art or sentimental knickknacks. Choose them wisely, however, so you don’t end up with a room full of clutter that makes the room feel smaller.