Today, people tend to either upsize or downsize, depending on what stage they are at in their lives. Each situation brings its own unique set of dilemmas. Downsizing leaves you trying to decide what to keep and what to say goodbye to. Upsizing often leaves you with a void – not having enough furniture to fill your space. An even tougher problem for some is what to do when you have an enormous living space to decorate. In this blog, we will explore some unique great room ideas that can help make a large area feel cozy, intimate, comfortable, and sophisticated.
Many floor plans today feature a “great room” – a large living space that can double as a living room and dining room, separating the two with furniture groupings. However, other homes have designated dining areas, leaving you with a large room that can seem overwhelming. How do you fill the space to make the room welcoming?
Creating unique open floor plan ideas can seem daunting, leaving you second-guessing your decision to buy that house. You do not need to suffer from buyer’s remorse when an interior designer can show you how to create that intimate, warm feeling you desire.
If you have lived in a home for many years and would like to transform your great space into a cozy room, think about intimacy. Rather than trying to fill an open living room with lots of large pieces of furniture positioned around an enormous coffee table and large area rug, imagine the feeling that comes from creating multiple, more intimate seating arrangements.
Before – Spreading Out the Furnishings
When thinking about how to fill a large living room, many people naturally assume that oversized furniture is an excellent way to begin. It is true that you do not want to use small, dainty furniture in a vast space – it will get lost.
Another thing to avoid is hugging the walls. Putting furniture up against a wall in a large space only makes it feel cavernous. Creating a seating area around a focal point is crucial, such as with the fireplace in the photo below.
As you can see in the “before” photos below, not only is this room extremely large, but it also has very high ceilings with windows above the French doors. There are many focal points in this space.
Another problem that can occur when you have a big living room is that the creation of one central sitting area leaves you with a lot of open floor space. The space in the photos below is 40 ft long x 32 ft wide with a 24 ft high ceiling. This “grand” room is perfect for entertaining – the question is how to pull it all together, making it feel intimate and welcoming.
After – Creating a Cozy and Intimate Floor Plan
Intimate, cozy rooms are possible to create, even when dealing with a huge living room. Besides the general concept of filling the room with furniture without overdoing, there is also a sound factor to consider. Large rooms can feel like an echo chamber at times. The proper use of textiles in furnishings can help absorb sound.
One thing to consider when discussing great room ideas is how you plan on using the space – especially if you enjoy entertaining. Creating seating areas that foster conversation is crucial – you do not want to have people yelling across a large space to be heard.
In the drawing below, you get an idea of how to make a living room cozy by creating two separate seating areas. The areas are symmetrical, giving the room a cohesive look.
Because area rugs can anchor a room, understanding how to combine area rugs in an open floor plan is crucial. As you can see in the design concept below, two identical rugs create the anchor for each of the seating areas.
Properly sized furniture and the scale of accessories are essential when filling a large space. The two living room furniture arrangement examples in the drawing below show how to use accessories to separate similar but distinct seating areas. The sofas help to anchor each of the seating areas. The use of asymmetrical coffee tables helps serve as focal points that take your eyes away from the expanse of the room.
When creating great room designs, another critical aspect is the lighting. There are a few things to consider with lighting design for a large space:
- The lighting must be even
- Lighting should be large or use plenty of recessed lighting
Lighting is not a problem during the day when a room has abundant windows like this one that will let the natural light in from the outside. Ensuring the creative use of lighting for nighttime entertaining will help enhance the intimacy of the individual areas.
As we continue with our discussion of large living room ideas, the next focus is wall art. When dealing with a vast space, small pictures will get lost on the walls. You want large scale, bold art to help enhance the design of the room.
Color is the other crucial aspect when discussing great room ideas. In a large space, you want to ensure that you have some colorful accents. As you can see in the drawings, blue accents are used for the loveseat in one seating area, and the chairs in the other, with coordinated pillows on the cream sofas and chairs. Repeating color and furniture patterns through the room help tie it all together.
The room depicted here is a work in progress. A future blog will present the finished project. Do you have a large space that you would like to see transformed into an intimate, sophisticated, and cozy paradise? If so, contact HK Interiors at 954-401-8542.