Question: Is it possible to cut back a schefflera very hard? Mine is more than ten years old and is taking over my living room.

Answer: Yes, you can cut your schefflera back. You can safely remove a third of the foliage; simply cut stems back to just above where a leaf emerges, and you should get a new sprout there. In the long run, you'll get a fuller bush if you cut some of the branches way back, so they will sprout near the main trunk, than shearing just the tips off all the branches.