10 Ways to Make Your Home Feel Fuller Faster

An apartment or home can feel empty for a bunch of reasons. Maybe this is your first time living alone, and all you have is a hand-me-down sofa and a few IKEA pieces. Or maybe you moved into a new place that’s bigger than your last one, and you don’t have enough items to fill it. Whatever the case, the end goal is the same—a cozier, fuller space. Lucky for you, there are ways to make your rooms feel more welcoming and intimate, and the process doesn’t have to cost a small fortune. Take a look at these rooms from our Instagram feed, and you’ll see just how to create spaces that feel full and well-rounded. From buying a few strategic pieces of decor to rearranging your furniture, here’s how to make your house feel full and lively in a flash. 

If your living room feels bare, especially around the couch, bring in a few end tables to support your coffee table. Not only does this add extra furniture to the empty room, but if you look for a set of nesting tables, you won’t tip the scale toward cluttering up your layout. You’ll also get another handy spot to place drinks and snacks.

If you walk into a room and it feels undone or naked, think about your walls first. A gallery wall arrangement will fill up large stretches of empty wall, but you don’t necessarily have to go that far. Even putting up a print or two that you love should help. Or you can try a wall hanging or a mirror as well.

Make an empty space feel more alive by literally infusing it with life. Cluster small plants together on shelves and decorate the floor with big bushy plants in fun planters and baskets. These pops of green will instantly make your room feel fuller and happier. 

An area rug acts like an anchor in a room for all of your furniture. The right rug will tie together all of the colors and textures in your room, but it also has visual weight and can instantly fill up a space that seems empty. 

Whether you have very little furniture or have a huge house to fill, oversized lighting can make all the difference. Look for large pendants, tall floor lamps, and oversized side table lamps. The bigger, the better. 

Vertical decor can draw the eye upward, effectively tricking guests into thinking your place is fully furnished. Think tall plants, bookcases, wall shelves, floor lamps, room dividers, tall cabinets—basically anything that soars toward the ceiling. 

Your parents probably used to tell you to clean stuff off the floor, but in this case, I’m encouraging you to scatter strategic items around on them. This list includes poufs, ottomans, floor pillows, and maybe a stool or two. Having these extra items will make the room feel comfy and cozy, especially if you don’t have enough seating for when guests come over.

If your living room feels empty, a few lofty pillows can add a touch of coziness to the space. The same goes for an empty bedroom. But to really raise the bar and make the room feel fuller, overstuff those pillows so they’re plush and plump. Use slightly bigger inserts than what the size of the pillow calls for—say, 20-inch fills in 18-inch covers. This will instantly add visual weight to the space. 

If you don’t have a lot of furniture, use patterns and colors to your advantage. Get temporary wallpaper in a wild print that contrasts with the patterns found in your area rugs, pillows, and paintings. Busy prints and bold colors will make the space feel fuller. 

If you’re not working with a lot of furniture or have a huge room to decorate, do yourself a favor and don’t push all your pieces against the wall. Scoot your chair and ottoman combo out a bit from the corner of your room, and place you sofa, tables, and chairs a few feet away from the wall. By cheating your pieces towards the center of the room, you’ll make the space seem fuller.