Making a Large Room Feel Cozy

Making a Large Room Feel Cozy

The following contribution is from another author.

When you think about a small home with small rooms, you might focus on the negatives. You might think about the lack of storage space, how cluttered and messy things are likely to be. Or how limited you’ll be when choosing furniture to fit the space. But there are advantages too. A small room is easy to make cozy and can be much more comfortable in the colder months. It’ll be easier to heat and keep warm, and the energy bills will be cheaper. 

While a large home, with large rooms, can have many other advantages, it is often more expensive to heat, even with modern insulation and technology, and it never seems to feel quite as cozy. In the autumn when you want to snuggle up on the sofa, wrapped up warm and sipping a hot chocolate, it can be hard to feel comfortable in a massive room, where everything is so far away from you. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. There is plenty that you can do to make even the biggest room feel cozy and comfortable. 

Add Texture to the Ceilings

Whether you have high ceilings or not, a big white or cream surface is always going to make a room feel cooler and bigger. Add ceiling tiles, and you won’t just create a unique and sophisticated space, they’ll also make the ceiling feel closer, and the room feel smaller. The bigger the room is, the more adventurous you might want to be with your ceiling decor. 

Create Soft Flooring

The same goes for your floors. Whether you prefer carpet, or wooden flooring, which both have benefits, your floors are a great place to add extra texture, which will make a room feel deep, instead of just large. Add rugs to any open space to add color, warmth, and comfort to the area. 

Invest in Large Pieces

Large furniture in a small room can make it feel crowded and even be impractical. Small furniture in a large room can make it feel vacuous and empty. Of course, not all of your furniture must be massive, that might be overwhelming. But, investing in a few large pieces, like a large comfy sofa, an oversized armchair, and a big dining table can make the room feel smaller and cozier. 

Add Patterns to the Walls

Patterned wallpaper has somewhat gone out of fashion. But, patterns can still look trendy, and they’ll make the walls feel closer. Avoid anything too overwhelming by confining bold or intricate designs to a feature wall, or adding patterned textiles instead of a full wall. 

If you’d rather keep your walls themselves plain, focus on what you can hang on them to break up the color and empty space. Add paintings and photographs, in heavy frames.

Avoid Reflective Surfaces

In a small room, you might be advised to add mirrors and other reflective surfaces to make a room feel bigger. So, it makes sense to avoid them in an ample space. If you want a mirror, find the smallest space, or combat the effects with thick frames. 

Author

Eric is the creator of At Home in the Future and has been a passionate fan of the future since he was seven. He's a web developer by trade, and serves as the Director of Communication and Technology for a large church in Nashville, TN (where he and his family are building a high tech home in the woods).