How to create a spacious lounge

As the living space is where you’re most likely to spend the majority of your free time, it pays to adorn you lounge in such a way that maximizes your space.

Obviously pushing walls back isn’t an option, and if building an extension is too far-fetched for your budget, here are three of tricks you can perform to make the most of your living room’s diminutive dimensions:

With a feature wall

When executed correctly, a feature – or statement – wall can add inches to your room.

Whatever colour scheme you have in mind, it is worth bearing in mind that cool colours recede and warm colours advance. For example, if your room is narrow, you can trick the eye into thinking it is wider by painting the widest walls dark and the narrower walls a lighter shade.

The same applies to wallpaper, so why not choose a dark, plain paint for your widest wall and light, intricately-patterned wallpaper for your shorter wall?

And don’t forget, you can also widen a narrow room by painting horizontal stripes if you wish to play with a number of colours.

Make room with a mirror

The paint job done, it’s time to move on to making the most of your homeware and accessories. By implementing a focal point, and angling your mirror towards it, this creates the illusion of depth within your room.

If you have a few free walls to play with, try to place a large mirror near to you window as this will catch, and accentuate, the natural light. Taking this on board, add glass-topped tables instead of chunky wood ones, as this will add to the amount of visual floor space; enlarging your lounge.

Space-savvy seating

As the main event of your lounge, your sofa should only be as big as the room you put it in. Instead of a wide-armed, large-backed monstrosity, opt for a chic sofa with simple lines and neat tailoring. Or one with open arms and exposed legs is even better, still.

Scale the seating to suit the size of your room and, if possible, try to match the colour of your sofa to the wall as much as possible.  It’s a bizarre trick of the eye, but it works!

Complimenting your paint job with a fabric sofa, such as those available at sofa specialists Oldrids & Downtown, is guaranteed to add texture and interest to the room’s décor. Placing the sofa against the wall will enhance the (albeit minimal) open space you may have available, too.

What is a Homeware?

The media seem to like throwing around jargon that either means nothing or a thousand things at once, the key word they’ve cottoned on to at the moment is homeware. We see it in articles relating to the home, and shops have even started using it as a category to put a wide variety of items under. But what does it actually mean?

The dictionary definitions say that homeware is furnishing for the home, this includes furniture and cushions. But is there more to homeware than just furnishings? Furnishings tend to imply those little extras that finish a room, the curtains and knick knacks, but are modern homeware more? Does it include cutlery, plates and other kitchen items? Well the shops seem to think so and most people you talk to seem to agree with them.

So it seems in the modern world homeware has taken on a new definition and expanded its range to, well, everything that may be needed in the home. Be it bedding, curtains, a bin, kitchen equipment or even a bed itself homeware covers it all. There is of course a question where the term homeware stops and appliances begin. For example a blender can easily be considered to be homeware, but what about a fridge or tumble dryer? These are traditionally considered to be appliances, maybe in the case of crossovers it depends upon the size, with smaller items that can be tucked away, being considered as homeware. Or maybe, just maybe, homeware can be considered an overarching category that appliances falls under in its own sub category.

If homeware is now deemed to cover the home and everything in it, it seems the next logical question is how far the term home extends to. Does it cover the garden and gardening equipment? What about the garage and its contents?

It seems that the term homeware is a continuously evolving idea that changes depending on the worlds current needs and demands on it. Given 50 years who knows how homeware will be seen, it might have changed dramatically from the view we have of it now.

Visit Very.co.uk today for all your homeware needs.