One of the fastest growing trends in home construction is the inclusion of “great rooms.” Characterized by high ceilings and wide open floor space, these rooms are popular for the elegant feel they can give a home.
However, many homeowners find that these great rooms can lack the feelings of warmth and coziness they’ve sought to give their homes. For those looking to cozy up a more cavernous room in their home, consider the following tips.
* Use the ground below you as best you can. How you use the flooring can go a long way toward giving a large room a more cozy feel. Area rugs can help to separate a large area into zones, making one large room seem more like several areas. If possible, raise the floor in certain areas to give the distinct feel that a large room is actually several separate areas.
* Furnish a great room with larger furniture. Think of this as seeing a professional basketball player among his teammates and then among the fans. Among his teammates, a basketball player doesn’t seem as tall because they’re likely as tall as he is. However, among fans he might seem like a giant because fans are typically shorter.
The same illusions can be applied to a great room. Furnish a room with an especially high ceiling with larger pieces, such as a tall bookcase. Also, make sure wall hangings are larger than those you might use elsewhere throughout the house. This will draw the room closer together and make it seem less expansive, while giving it a warmer feel.
* Keep mirrors out of great rooms. If bigger furniture can make a great room appear smaller, a mirror or mirrors will undoubtedly make it seem more cavernous. Mirrors make rooms seem more spacious, which is precisely what you’re trying to avoid.
* Add a passageway. Rooms can also be broken up adding columns or arches to create a passageway that leads you from one area of the room to another. This will take away from the grandeur of having a great room, but it will also eliminate the cavernous feel that many of these great rooms can create.
* Accessorize a room. When all else fails, if the room looks too spacious, you can always resort to filling it with items. Plants, extra lighting, some tables, and extra wall hangings are all accessories that can take focus away from a room’s size.
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