The first time I shared this space over on IG and called it ‘small’ I got some emoji chuckles in the comments. “Yes!” I insisted! “This space used to be our garage, and the entire thing is less than 300 square ft!” What you’re looking at above, just a few short months ago, looked like this:
Crazy huh? We employed a few tricks to make this space look and feel bigger than it actually is, tricks that I’m excited to share with you all today!
1. Paint color
Y’all know how I feel about color, and there was a very, very big part of me (about up to my neck) that wanted to go bold with the paint color in here, but we ended up going with Spun Cotton by Behr and I’m so glad we did. The color feel a bit old-world-y and really soft and warm, it plays nicely with the other brights that we’ve got going on in here, and, yes it does make the room feel bigger. The ceilings in here are so low that I can easily touch them If I reach my arm up, and the Spun Cotton color makes the ceilings feel much more open.
2. Skylight
The paint color is not the only thing on the ceiling that makes this room feel bigger. We put a small skylight in, and WOW did that make a big difference. Just a small peek to the sky and it completely opens up the space, makes the ceilings feel taller and makes the whole space brighter.
3. Storage behind the sofa
One of the big difficulties with this space was figuring out how to house all the ‘stuff’ our garage housed before, but also create space for entertaining (especially since this was now, by far, the largest room ‘in’ our house. One way we solved this was to create these built-in bookcases behind the sofa. This helped to create some architectural interest in the space as well.
4. Sofa that feels big, but has a small footprint
One of the things I dislike about our actual living room is that if more than four people are hanging out in there, there are not enough places to sit. On of my goals for this space was to be able to host more gatherings. We love to play music and we wanted a place where we could all sit around and jam, or play board games, or have a girls night or whatever — but we wanted a sofa that could fit more folks. I also loved that the arms are nice and wide so for parties people could sit on the arms, too.
I reached out to my friends at Jonathan Louis to see about a sectional and I fell in love with their Bingham sectional sofa. The sofa comes in a myriad of configurations, and they custom made this sectional for me using quilted fabric from my collection with Valdese Weavers. (While they don’t carry the quilted fabrics in their collection, they do have dozens of fabric options, including some gorgeous velvets. Check their list of dealers if you’re looking to replicate the look!)
The sofa is deep and plushy, super comfortable and as you can see: takes well to naps (as lovingly demonstrated by my Pops in the above photo). Also, even though the sofa looks huge, it’s actually only 100″ X 100″ — which is actually pretty small as sectional sofas go. Having the sectional in here gives the illusion of the space being bigger than it actually is.
5. Round Ottoman/coffee table
Using a round coffee table helps the flow in the space and helps to balance out the square shapes created by the Caspia rug (from my collection with Loloi) and the Bingham sofa. Also, using a smaller coffee table situation (that can double as an ottoman or extra seating if push comes to shove) helps save space. As a general rule, when thinking about space planning and proportion, when you think of a smaller space, thing about introducing smaller furniture pieces, and the opposite is also true.
Here are all the sources if you want to shop the post!
- Justina X Loloi Caspia rug
- Bingham Sofa by Jonathan Louis: list of dealers
- Justina X Selamat Faraja Ottoman
- Justina X Loloi Pillows
- Copper Tray (similar)
I love that PawPaw is just chillin <3
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I love this room and I’m so happy to have found your blog. Your style is relatable and I wish you’d come over and style my shelves. Pinned!
Sts the bookshelves built custom?
Is the sofa fabric available anywhere? I searched and couldn’t find it online. Thanks
nice useful tips and storage space is really good.Sofa material is very beautiful feeli..ng light outside.
I LOVE these ideas. I live in a small 1100 square-foot home, and plan on incorporating these ideas to my living/dining area. I really adore the built-in bookshelves. Thank you for this wonderful post!
This topic is fascinating. Thank you for sharing this information.
Do you know where the coffee table is from?
How has the sofa held up over time? Are you still happy with the purchase? Have your cushions altered in any way?
We are looking into buying a Jonathan Louis sofa, but I’m having trouble finding many online reviews of their sofas.
I think the skylight is very important to make it more spacious.
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Thanks for sharing this knowledgeable content. I like this because it helps me papa’s games a lot.
Anything from this selection would be highly appealing to me to purchase! The going has become a little easier. I’m not simply shifting stuff around anymore.
When Donkey Kong came out. I So many hours spent on it. I nearly flunked grade 5 because of it.
The way to store things behind the sofa is extremely important, it makes the space much more spacious and tidy!
That is all the helpful information I needed. I appreciate you sharing.
The room helps us relax and comfortable after a tiring day at work, so we have to make sure our room is tidy. Your post helped me come up with a great idea. Thank you
it makes the space much more spacious and tidy!
great
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The sofa is very soft and deep, making it very comfy.
If you are seeking a vacation to get away from the stresses of everyday life, then papa’s games is the perfect place for you to go. Because of the captivating gameplay and the cute visuals that these games are able to achieve, passing the time with them is both an enjoyable and stress-free way to accomplish it. Why don’t you take a break from your busy day and step into the enthralling world of Papa’s Games today?
I could really use this as I’m in the middle of renovating my apartment. I’m looking for interesting designs. In papa’s games I found a design of a cafe where they cook hot doggs. I liked it.
Great tips! Tried the decluttering and mirrors suggestion, and it really opened up my small space. Feeling more spacious and cozy now!
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I love this design, it’s really colorful and wonderful.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Your articles have helped me to learn a lot of interesting information on this topic and they are important material from which I can come up with many good ideas. fnf
Thanks for sharing your experience
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