How to Decorate an Empty Space in a Living Room?

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Here are some good hints and ideas on how to decorate an empty space in a living room that won’t break the budget!

Sometimes, the thought of how to tackle an empty corner in your home can seem like quite the challenge.

Here are some good hints and ideas on how to decorate an empty space in your living room.

With some creative thinking, there is no need to worry that this is going to cost you a lot of money. There are numerous ways to decorate a blank wall or awkward spaces using plants, lighting, and furniture.

The following ideas can be used in a minimalistic way or to fill up the space in a manner that compliments the character of your home. Hopefully, this will help fire up your imagination and give you the confidence you need to find a great way to turn that awkward corner into something special.

Create A Special Nook in the Empty Space

One of the most popular versions of a nook is for reading, but there are other suggestions.

Consider a Music Corner

Do you love your music? Proud of your vinyl or CD collection? This nook could be perfect for one of your favorite pastimes. The right shelving can be a great storage space to arrange your record or CD collection for you and your friends to admire. This is also the opportunity to have your sound system on display and readily accessible. 

If you are creative enough with your shelving you can create a pocket to the left and right of the sound system for your speakers. Many designs of modern-day speakers are works of art in themselves and worthy of displaying.

How About a Workspace?

Many of us have the combination of “work from home” days coupled with almost all the work activities being computer-based. You can turn a small corner into a very productive home office with some very easy changes. 

Either some shelves on the wall above a desk and a comfortable chair, or, if you are going for a cleaner look, a corkboard on the wall to pin up important paperwork can look very smart. The lovely thing about an office nook is it does not take a lot of money or furnishings to make it work. Instead of a cold-looking office desk, you could upcycle an old table which can be made to look very stylish.

If this nook is going to intrude into a portion of your living room then soften the look by using a comfortable-looking chair and adding a potted plant. Consider it to not be a work-only spot but a great option to study, read or write letters.

A Quiet Reading Spot

Still one of the most popular ways to create a special corner in a large living room is the reading nook. 

It’s easy to start off with a comfortable reading chair and then grow from there. Shelving is a must to proudly display your reading tastes. Let’s be honest, the sight of a shelf or two filled with your collection can bring you a vast amount of joy.

If you are close to a window, see if you can position your chair in such a way that you can enjoy natural light falling on the pages as this is much less tiring on the eyes. A good quality curtain or blind can be used to adjust the brightness.

Finish the look with a small table and floor lamps that can throw light over your shoulder at night.

Bring In Some Life with Indoor Plants

We spend a large portion of our life indoors. Plants are guaranteed to bring some life into an empty corner.

Not only are they stress-relieving to see but they are very useful to us by purifying the air. 

The right choice of a plant can certainly change a blank space but a clever choice and placement of plants throughout the home is a winner. 

Apart from furniture, large plants will fill a large room while still being easy on the eyes. If you really can’t keep a plant alive you can always buy the faux version of this plant!

Delicious Monster (Monstera Deliciosa)

This visually impressive plant is also known as the Swiss Cheese plant due to it developing attractive holes in its leaves as it matures. To be happy, they do need to be placed in the correct position within the home.

As they originate from the tropical forests in the South of Mexico it is not difficult to understand that they do not do well in direct sunlight but rather let it have access to lots of diffused and indirect natural light. They can grow to be quite large so are not advisable for smaller rooms.

Mother-in-law’s tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata)

Mother-in-law’s tongue also known as snake plants in some parts of the world, can be looked over when choosing plants to fill up dead spaces. One of the reasons why this makes for a great indoor plant is its resilience. It will forgive you if you occasionally forget to give it a watering.

The strong, upright, sword-shaped leaves make it ideal to add life to a small corner of the room as the only floor space taken up by this vertical plant is the size of its pot. Keep the leaves clean and shiny to really create a focal point.

Although they seem to cope with low light situations it is best to let them live in a place where they can be given some indirect sunlight.

The real benefit of this easy plant is that it can improve the air in your house as they are known to remove toxins from the air. This is not something to ignore these days as so many of the items in our home are made from synthetic materials.

Dragon Tree (Dracaena marginata)

A native plant to Madagascar is an attractive addition to your home that is worth considering. The spiky leaves with their red edges make a great starter plant for the budding indoor gardener as it is remarkably forgiving and easy to look after. 

Although it can grow up to 6 meters in height which could look very impressive if you have an atrium or very high ceilings. It can live happily in a standard-height room as it is slow growing and doesn’t complain if kept pruned.

As with other indoor plants, keep them out of direct sunlight so as not to burn the leaves. This plant is drought-tolerant so watch that you do not overwater. One final thing to keep in mind is that it is poisonous to cats and dogs if eaten so this may be one you definitely want to look into purchasing as a faux variety!

Add Life to a Bare Wall with Mirrors and Art

You may have all the furnishings you need but empty walls can sometimes be a challenge to correct. Here are two lovely ways to improve the room feel.

Mirrors Can Open a Room

One way to breathe life into a room that is a little too dark or feels a little stuffy is by utilizing reflected natural light. By placing a mirror so that it is opposite a window you will be able to reflect a surprising amount of light that will brighten the area but make it feel like a larger room.

Not only good for bouncing light but they can also be used to help draw attention to a feature of the room or to create the sensation of spaciousness by utilizing the depth illusion. One great trick is to have a large mirror in the dining room to “double the food”.

In addition to its light-reflecting properties, the shape of the mirror, and the correct choice of frame, it becomes a stylish focal point to any room.

Here are some mirror options for you to consider!

Artwork for Character

So, how decorate an empty space in your living room using artwork? A good idea is to create a gallery wall of your favorite artwork or family pictures. This is a foolproof way of adding character and life to a wall. This fills what would otherwise be an empty space and makes it really feel like a home.

You can choose to collect art over time that stirs something within you or have a wonderful montage of landscape and portrait pictures of family and experiences.

Your blank walls decorated this way always turn into a talking point with visitors, while a single piece of artwork can be pleasantly welcomed in an entry hall.

Using Furniture to Create a Corner

You have considered a nook, thought about the walls and have an idea of the ideal plants but what about the furniture? A reading nook is a great idea, but you can expand on it a little by adding an additional accent chair and a suitable coffee table. 

Now you have created something that can not only be a quiet space for you to read or just relax but it also becomes a conversation corner or intimate seating area when a friend joins you for a cup of coffee.

Be Brave with Paint

There is a world of color out there to experiment with. You would be surprised how a color can change its hue as the incoming natural light changes through the day.

Although white indicates innocence and purity it should not necessarily be considered unless it is a very dim corner. Here are some colors and how they can help create the mood you are looking for.

Yellow is one of the most cheerful and bright colors. Rich with energy, optimism, and happiness. Natural light from the late afternoon sun falling on a shade of yellow can bring such joy to a room.

I don’t have to tell you that red is the color of love. Use it in the right way to stimulate your hunger or stir a sensation of excitement or danger.

Nature is green. Choosing the right shade is important as it can be a challenge to get it just right. When used as a backdrop to a lush setting of indoor plants it can create a feeling of depth. Great for your health and reduces anxiety.

For a sense of peace choose a shade of blue. Not just for a baby boy’s room, it has a calming effect that is believed to help lower blood pressure. A sense of tranquillity will flood the area when splashed with natural light.

Purple can be quite a mysterious color. Often linked to wisdom and dignity. The right shade can calm emotions, reduce stress, and increase your creativity.

A Few Last Tips & Tricks how to decorate an empty space in a living room

If you’re out at a market and you spot a piece of furniture that you’re drawn to, but it doesn’t quite hit the mark for your current theme, you can always add to it.

Sometimes these smaller pieces work well in a living room corner with a new splash of paint, or an upholstered seat.

Bar carts often don’t have a space of their own and are often in the way, but depending on their size and design, they could fill an empty corner space quite perfectly. A well-placed mirror and a strategically placed downlight will highlight the shapes of the bottles and glass accessories.

Empty floor space can receive a complete face life just by adding a rug. A shaggy carpet will add texture and interest to the center of the room.

Take a look around the room. By adding a pop of color, some texture, and even something unique to the space such as an Indonesian side table or an antique bird cage, you will be satisfied by having creatively filled that empty space in your living room.