Make That Empty Living Room More Welcoming By Overcoming Awkward Corners
Likely there’s a corner in that white-walled living room of yours that reminds you every time you walk into the room just how awkward it feels. Leaving you overwhelmed + wondering what the heck to do, it feels like an empty living room.
Sure, you’ve had a thousand ideas + you’re fairly certain you’ve tried them all but no matter how creative you get –– nothing has felt right.
To make matters worse (and despite how much you love your home) it’s embarrassing. Its because of this devoid space, you second guess yourself (more than once) as to whether or not you should have someone over.
Whether its bookclub with you’re besties or cocktail hour + a celebratory dinner party…
Friend, I’m here for you. And yes I’m going to help.
In fact, there are 3 things you absolutely must do to make an empty living room feel more welcoming + I can’t wait to share them with you. But, after these 3 must-dos, we’ll keep going + I share with you some practical things you can do right away to fill those ugly, empty + awkward corners.
1 | KNOW YOUR WHY
There’s a fantastic book by Simon Sinek called, “Start With Why” that focuses on putting your “why” (or the purpose) ahead of your how + what. And to be fair, the same applies when you’re designing an empty living room because you really want to consider your purpose (or your why) for your home, especially the space you're designing.
Do you want a comforting space where everyone feels like they have a place? A living room that drives curiosity + conversation because it’s full of pieces that intrigue? Or maybe you want to take that empty living room of yours + inspire those you love.
Our interior design process is extremely introspective :) So, before we discuss the “how” + the “what” we want to be sure we know the “why.”
In case you’re feeling inspired to check out more — Sinek went viral in 2014 after this TED talk.
2 | IDENTIFY YOUR FOCAL POINT
When we know our why, everything else magically falls into place. Take, for instance, if our goal is to make your empty living room feel more comfortable + welcoming then we need to determine (or create) a primary focal point. But, what is a focal point? It might be a fireplace with a piece of artwork above the mantel, it could be a view of the city lights, the mountains or even an element of water. Or maybe you’re like “Sherri, it’s a living room — the focal point is the television” I get it.
Whatever the case may be if we want to change the way people feel in your home we have to clearly identify what people currently see. And then, we have to imagine a newly designed space complete with the most stunning family-friendly furniture + what we want them to see first when they walk into the room.
3 | ARRANGING YOUR LIVING ROOM FURNITURE
As you can imagine, if our goal is to eliminate those icky, awkward + empty corners by creating a living room that not only wows your peeps by the way it looks but by the way it feels + how it functions, then the seating arrangement is kind of a big deal.
The good news? Because we are clear on the focal point of the space we can begin determining the specifics around furniture + furniture arrangement.
For instance, does a sofa + a couple of statement-making lounge chairs make sense in your living room, or maybe an L-shaped sectional with clean straight lines better suits both your needs + the overall size of the room?
In fact, one of the most important things to be mindful of when exploring furniture arrangements is to keep the scale in check so all of the pieces work in harmony. In other words, don’t get a large overstuffed sofa if you’ve got Danish modern chairs or smaller minimalist end tables.
Choosing oversized furniture is fantastic for a large living space that allows for it but when the living room isn’t big enough these spaces often feel too full or congested. On the contrary, furniture that is too small for a large living room not only makes the furniture feel underwhelming but creates an uneasy + unwelcoming feeling.
4 | ADD GREENERY
Even in the perfect home with the most functional furniture layout, odd corners still exist. So there have to be some sneaky yet practical ways that as an interior designer we preemptively fix them so you never notice. One of them is to fill it with greenery.
Now, if that empty little corner of yours also has a window a real tree that’s living + breathing will work great but on the other hand if you’re talking about a boring old corner where sheetrock butts into sheetrock — trust me boo, faux greenery will do the trick. Again, scale matters here but don’t be afraid to fill it with a large or even oversized tree. Not to mention, a pot for this tree is the perfect way to add texture + pattern.
5 | DISPLAY DECORATIVE ACCENTS
Whether you’re going the route of shelves or even a bookcase use this corner to put your personality on display. When selecting which decorative accents, keep in mind that less is more. It’s incredibly easy to fill a shelf or bookcase with a ton of “stuff” but corners especially can very easily feel cluttered which is why we want to be mindful of all the things we put on display.
A few quick tips: Consider your why + select items with soul-deep meaning to you –– and create groupings. Each grouping will usually have a variety of heights, weights, sizes + types.
6 | INTRODUCE A FLOOR LAMP
A tall + sexy floor lamp makes a ton of sense because it acts as an anchoring element + adds a bit of vertical height which is utterly important because the last thing we want is for everything in the room feels like it’s the same height.
But there’s more…
Adding a floor lamp is an excellent way to not only fill shadows caused by corners but layer in interest with a unique material or shape.
7 | CREATE A READING NOOK
Not all odd corners that create the feeling of an empty living room are created equal. In fact, in some instances this empty space could be considered an entirely different area in and of itself which is why creating a reading nook might be the perfect solution to your problem.
Space permitting of course (refer back to tip #3 on size + scale) adding a bench, settee or armchair with a small side table is a fantastic way to not only make this empty living room feel complete but make that odd corner (or space) functional.
8 | SEPARATE CONVERSATION AREA
When it comes to creating the illusion of space, open floor plans are fantastic. But the downside? You’re reliant upon your furniture arrangement to create distinct activity zones. If you feel like you have an empty living room because you have an odd space that’s separate from your actual “living room” but it’s not really that far away — consider adding a conversation area.
In fact, one of our favorite ways to create a special conversation area is to do is to introduce a couple of fashion-forward lounge chairs + a small accent table.
And there you have it! Some of our favorite ways to transform + make that empty living room come to life. Make it feel more cozy, welcoming + inviting. But whichever you choose friend, consider this — making your home the most comfortable part of your day is entirely about you + your family.
So drop in the comments below, which of these ideas you love or you’ve tried. We always love a good home-inspired convo.
— Sherri