Many people prefer homes with large rooms rather than small, cramped rooms. How do you create a cozy environment in these large rooms? Here are 10 tips that will help you make a large room cozy and welcoming.

Large rooms in a home give you more storage room and keep your home from feeling cramped and crowded. But what do you do with all of that space? The following tips will help you create an atmosphere that is warm and cozy in the largest of rooms.

Have more than one grouping of furniture. For example, in a large living room, you can have a comfortable grouping for watching TV and another grouping for conversation or playing games. In a large kitchen, you can have an area set up for preparing meals, an area set up for dining, and even a cozy little corner for relaxing and enjoying a cup of tea of coffee.

Use colors to your advantage. Light colors are used to make smaller rooms seem larger. So, it only makes sense that dark colors would make a large seem smaller. Bring the natural colors of autumn into your home to make larger spaces more inviting. Using darker colors on high ceilings can give them an illusion of being lower and minimizing the height.

Use a few pieces of oversized furniture in order to keep your rooms from appearing under-furnished. Many times you can find furniture that also functions as storage spaces. This will help to keep the room organized as well as make the room feel cozy.

Centrally located rooms, such as living rooms, can be used for more than one purpose. For example, if you have a large living room, you can divide the room into different areas that serve a different purpose – combine a home office, family room, and activity area into one room.

Use plants and accessories to fill some of the empty space and make the room more inviting. Purchase large plants rather than multiple smaller plants that can make the room seem cluttered.

Use large paintings and pictures on the walls rather than cluttering the walls with too many small pictures. Larger frames will give the dimensions of the wall a smoother look. Also use larger knick-knacks and other decorations in a large room. Filling the space with small knick-knacks will create a cluttered atmosphere rather than a neat, welcoming atmosphere.

Use patterns for furniture and wallpaper that is large-scaled and have rich colors. This will detract from the size of the room and put the focus on the details of the room instead.

Use area rugs to change the focus from the size of the room to the specific furniture groupings. If you have several groupings, an area rug in each grouping will place the focus on that specific grouping rather than the room as a whole. Consider a round area rug under that round table; a cozy shag area rug under the coffee table and an oriental area rug under the reading lounge.

Placing furniture away from the wall will help to use up some of the extra floor space and create a sense of coziness in a large room.

Large rooms give you the opportunity to use built-in furniture. For example, a built in entertainment center can be used to create a cozy area for watching TV, and built in bookshelves can create a cozy reading niche for the times when you would rather enjoy a relaxing read.