Choose Visually Lightweight Furniture
Pay attention to the visual weight of furniture, not just its actual size. Light-color furniture or pieces with legs appear lighter than dark or boxy upholstered pieces. In this small living area, the leggy chair doesn’t obstruct views of the passage or the floor, so the space feels more open. The metal and glass coffee table also consumes very little visual space.
Emphasize the Vertical
A room’s space always includes more than just its horizontal dimensions. Invite the eye to move above and below eye level. In this living room, emphasis on the vertical comes by way of floor-to-ceiling draperies that hang just below the ceiling beams.
Use Small Scale Furniture
Choose furniture in a scale appropriate for the room and for the people who will use it. The sleek design and small scale of a Saarinen Tulip chair suits a small living room, as does the Parsons table. The armless chair is heftier, but its lines and shape won’t make a small room feel crowded.
Add Seating with a Window Seat
Turn a window niche into a mini living area with a window seat. Choose slender, leggy furniturefor small spaces because they take up less visual space. The eye is fooled into thinking the space is larger because you can see under and through these pieces of furniture. Add storage without eating up floor space by building shelves into the space between wall studs.
Source from bhg.com