When it comes to home staging, there's really one golden rule: Make your space look large to would-be buyers. Perhaps nowhere is that concept more vitally important than in the living room where homeowners tend to spend most of their time entertaining and relaxing, and where potential buyers will be placing extra scrutiny.

But you don't have to knock down walls or spend a small fortune to make things look big. Fortunately, there are a few quick and relatively affordable ways to maximize your living room's first impression, even when the square footage is lacking.

1. Never leave your living room empty.
I have seen many buyers walk away from a vacant home because they falsely believe their own furniture will not fit in the living room  or will not provide enough seating for entertaining. Don't just shove some furniture in the living room and call it a day. There's actually a science to arranging your stuff in a way that makes the room feel bigger.

2. Carefully consider your seating scheme
Choose a focal point—a fireplace or windows with a view are the usual suspects, but maybe yours is a great piece of art or a family heirloom—and position your seating arrangement around it. And remember: You want prospective buyers to imagine themselves actually living in and using your space, so your seating concept should be functional.

3. Scale down your furniture

This should come as no surprise, but you never want to fill your small space with a truckload of huge stuff; you'll dwarf the space, naturally. Instead of a sectional or large sofa, use a love seat, a wedge sofa, or a semicircular sofa that curves inward.

4. Build around your largest piece—and edit ruthlessly
You need to weigh up functionality with style. Assess the room for your largest piece (likely your sofa), and judge every other item in the room against it.

5. Balance color

You don't need to slather your walls in an uninspiring, institution-evoking white. You can have some fun with it. But you'll need to follow some basic rules to avoid overwhelming the space. First, and perhaps the most obvious, you'll want to nix dark or bold paint colors, which make cramped spaces feel tighter—or at least use them sparingly.

6. Use the right materials

When it comes to furnishings, materials like glass and metal, which reflect light and feel more airy, give a greater sense of space.

7. Lighten up
An abundance of natural light tricks the eye into thinking a space is larger. To maximize light, keep your window treatments minimal with a simple roller shade

Finally always call the Juli Jenkins Team for a professional opinion and top real estate agent in the Greater Baton Rouge Board of Realtors.