Reorganize Your Living Room to Create Space and Comfort

If you are like me, you never seem to have enough space. The living room is no exception. The more furniture you get, the bigger the TV, new knick-knacks, desks, chairs, everything seems to get cluttered until you don't have a living room anymore but a sitting room with narrow paths navigating to the seats. In a small home, already pressed for space, it can make not only your accommodations seem overcrowded but your entire life to the point of claustrophobia. No need to worry. By following a few simple tips, you can open up your living room into the free area it was meant to be.

1. The first order of business in creating space is to get your furniture out of the center of the room. Sofas and chairs should be along the walls as well as the entertainment center. By moving everything to the walls, your suffocating living room will immediately be transformed into a breathable room.

2. Another tip for creating space is to use end tables and a coffee table with storage units. Whether they be cabinets, drawers, or underlying shelves, this will allow you to store any materials that you don't use on a daily basis, yet keep them handy if they are ever needed. The same goes if you have a desk in your living room. Your desk should have cabinets and drawers on both sides.

3. This tip doesn't actually create space, but it sure makes you feel like you have it. Instead of pictures and paintings adorning your walls, use large mirrors. These can be interspersed with other decor to provide ambiance. The mirrors will make it seem as if you have a whole other room where before was only an enclosing wall.

4. Install shelves. If you are handy with tools, in-wall shelving may be the answer you have been looking for. This will provide you with actual new space. If not, freestanding or hanging shelves will work almost as well. Remove clutter from your floor or keep things from being haphazardly placed and scattered by putting them on shelves.

5. This seems like it doesn't need saying, but by and large it does: keep your living room clean. Trash is for the proper receptacles, not to be lying around in your living room.

6. Keep clutter off of the floor. Have a place for everything and keep everything in its place. If you have children, you no doubt have toys scattered across the living room. Have a small box, or use one of the cabinets or drawers in your end tables for this.

7. Eat in the kitchen or dining room. Dishes, utensils, and other objects required for eating take up your precious space and after eating you have a tendency to leave them sit.

8. Take a good look at the tables and shelves in your living room. Do you have one or more that is half empty. It so, get rid of it. Minimize and simplify. Are all those knick-knacks and dust collectors really necessary? How much enjoyment do you really get out of viewing them for hours each day? Re-think if you would do better to have the space. If you are not sure, just try it out. If you decide that you do need them, they are easily replaced. Chances are, though, once they are down, you won't want to put them back up.

9. Survey your home in its entirety. Do you have a room that you hardly use? Do you have a study, but end up doing all your writing and paperwork in front of the TV? Think about moving any extra furniture to your unused room.

10. If you have a separate sofa and love seat, think about replacing them with an L-shaped or wrap-around sofa. This will save you a lot more space than you realize and additionally, I think they look far superior to the two piece set. Also, if you have an extra lounge chair, think about a sofa with a built in recliner. This will free up a great deal of space.

By following only some of the above ideas, you will immediately have a much more open , warm, and inviting living room. Remember, this is a place to relax. If you are stressed all day from work, you don't want your living room to look like your mind, full and cluttered. You want it to be a place where you can relieve your mind from the day's trials and tribulations. Enjoy your space; enjoy your life.