Upsizing? Here’s How to Make Your Big Home Feel Cosy!

Have you recently upsized? Moving into a bigger home can be an exciting transition. But you may have discovered that you suddenly have a lot more space to fill and you don't have nearly enough furniture to make your spacious abode feel as comfortable and cosy as your last one.

From dividing a large room into different sections to adding a few tall potted plants, here are some handy tips on how to make a spacious home feel more cosy and welcoming.

1. Break the room into sections

Big homes are great but are often lacking that ‘cosy’ feeling because there’s an overabundance of unused space. As an easy solution, divide the room into several smaller, more intimate sections. For example, you can create several cosy areas within a large living room, each specific in its own way; a conversational area, a book reading area and a television-watching area.

You can divide the space while keeping the flow between the two zones with furniture that you can easily look over, such as a daybed, a bench, a chaise or a console table. If you prefer to create a more closed area within a large room, you can also add a room divider or a partition as pictured in this living room designed by IQI Concept to section off a big space and make each area feel cosier. It also gives the impression that the room is smaller than it seems.

2. Centre your furniture

When it comes to arranging your furniture, most homeowners often make the common mistake of pushing all their furniture against the walls. This will only make a large space feel empty or too sparse.

Instead, move your furniture a few inches away from the wall, as pictured in this spacious living room designed by Wuuu Studio. By arranging your furniture towards the centre of the room, you’ll make a large space feel cosier and more inviting.

3. Think oversized pieces of furniture

If you’re arranging furniture, make sure everything is complementary, size-wise. A tiny coffee table for example will get swallowed up by big, bulky sofas and the off-balance pairing will create an illusion of extra distance between the sofa and the coffee table.

To create a balanced look, replace the coffee table with a large ottoman. Choosing a big upholstered ottoman instead of a traditional coffee table will close that gap and add softness to the room at the same time.

Note: Before making big size purchases, don’t forget to jot down your door width too! A lot of people purchase items without considering if they can fit through the front door.

4. Strategically place large indoor plants

Indoor plants are one of the best design tricks to fill voids in your home. As long as your space gets enough light to support the plant's needs, you really can't go wrong with adding a massive houseplant to fill those empty spaces in your home.

Houseplants are also a great way to make your spacious home feel warm and inviting. Take a style note from this living room designed by Dot Works that features plenty of cosy accents such as a khaki sofa set, a wooden coffee table and some oversized plants - that give life and refreshment to the large space.

5. Match your floor-to-ceiling windows with equally grand curtains

If you have windows large enough to balance the scale of your walls and the height of your ceiling, consider hanging grand, heavy curtains that puddle on the floor for an opulent look. This is one means of window treatment that smaller homes, with low ceiling heights, can’t effectively pull off so this is your chance to make your large home shine!

Designed by Blaine Robert, this living room’s floor-to-ceiling curtains naturally draw visitors’ eyes upwards to admire the wooden panelled ceiling and the elegant pendant lights.

6. Fill out your walls with artwork

A home with high ceilings can be challenging to decorate and can often make a room look even emptier than it really is. This is where artwork comes in handy. An oversized artwork or a gallery of photos can help to fill up large stretches of an empty wall and close the visual gap between the floor and the ceiling.

Take design inspiration from this spacious living room designed by Red Land who has done just that, making the living room seem much more well-proportioned.

7. Anchor a big room with a rug

If you have a spacious room with furniture that seems like isolated islands, you can add an area rug to anchor the varying places in your room.

Placing an area rug as pictured in this bedroom designed by Surface R, can help to tie the space together so that your room doesn’t feel too bare and uninviting. Choose rug styles and colour that complement the accompanying furniture to create seamless visual flow in the room.

8. Go big with lighting fixtures

Oversized lighting fixtures can make a big impact on a large room. Consider adding them in your living room, dining room or over your staircase. These will draw the eyes upwards, effectively tricking guests into thinking your place is fully furnished.

This spacious 4737 square foot landed home designed by ZOGE interior makes use of a statement chandelier hanging in the centre of the staircase. It showers the staircase with plenty of warm lights and adds visual interest to the ceiling.

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