by Lisa McGee

Created on: August 18, 2008

Furnishing and decorating large spaces can be a daunting task, but take heart, there are two words that will help you overcome, they are scale and grouping. Keeping these two words in mind, as you go about the business of turning a large space into a comfortable living area, will help keep you on track.

Scale refers to the size of the furniture and artwork you choose for the space. In this case the scale should be large, even oversized. Using small furnishings will only draw attention to how large the room is. It will also make the room seem undone and cold.

Grouping refers to how you arrange the furnishings. It is possible to use a large space for more than one purpose simply by grouping items as if they were in fact separate rooms. This breaks up the huge space and makes it seem more welcoming.

The first thing you need to do is determine how the space will be used. Is it going to be one huge living room or double as an office? Once you know what you intend to with the space you can move on to deciding where these areas will be located in a way that allows flow from one to another. Use some graph paper to sketch out your ideas.

When choosing wall color, remember that earth tones will warm up a large space. They are also currently very popular and will be easy to match up with furnishings. If you decide that one wall will be the focus of the room, consider painting it a complimentary color to accent it.

Once the use(s) of the room are determined, choosing floor coverings is the next logical step. Carpeting or loose area rugs can help to anchor the furniture and delineate one area from another. When decorating a large space, you can be bold in your choice of pattern in carpeting or area rugs. Keep in mind that all of the rugs should compliment one another with complimentary colors or repeating patterns, through out the room.

Moving on to furniture, scale is important here. Remember bigger is better in this case. Oversized furniture is the way to go. For once you can go shopping and not have to worry if something will overpower a room. Have you always dreamed of having a huge couch? Go for it. Enormous TV? No problem.

If you are interested in antiques you will find that you have the upper hand in this case. Many times you can get a great deal on oversized pieces of furniture that once graced grand, high ceiling homes of old. These pieces are often sold cheaply simply because no one can use them because of their size. With some patience and luck, you might just be able to find a great piece.

When grouping furniture, think of it as making little rooms for people to sit in and enjoy each other. You wouldn't want to sit across the room (especially a huge room) when trying to chat. Anchor the furniture on the rug in such a way as to create comfortable setting to visit in. Test out your groupings. Could you sit and chat comfortably with someone? Could you curl up with a book and read? Are you banging into furniture? Rearrange until the flow is good and you are happy with the results.

Finally, finish with room jewelery. These are the accessories that tie the whole room together. Again, you want to have oversized items, and they should compliment other items the room. Big pillows can add a splash of color and carry it from one area to another. Art for the walls should be hung at eye level to draw the viewer's attention to away from how large the space is. Plants are a great addition to any room.

The most important thing to accomplish is that you wind up with a room that you are comfortable in and it makes you happy to be there.

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