One of the easiest ways to open up a living room without spending a rupee is to simply rethink how your furniture flows around doorways and walking paths. Most of us push sofas against the walls by default and then squeeze everything else wherever it fits. Sometimes that actually makes the room feel more cramped, not less.

Start by asking: Where do people naturally walk? From the door to the sofa, from sofa to balcony, from the living room to the dining or kitchen. If a big coffee table or armchair sits in that path, the room will always feel tight.

Try pulling the sofa slightly away from the wall and aligning chairs so they don’t block the natural walkway. Leave a clear “lane” where you can walk without having to turn sideways. You might also swap the position of bulky and light pieces – for example, moving a heavy cabinet to a shorter wall and keeping the longest wall visually lighter.

Sometimes just rotating a sofa, shifting a table a little, or moving one chair out of the main traffic line makes the entire space breathe better, without buying a single new item.