Small-space living is all about finding the optimal mix of textures and patterns to keep things visually compelling without creating clutter. Sheepskin atop sisal, gleaming brass atop raw wood: Mixing rather than matching textures gives petite spaces sophistication and depth.
Not everyone owns a large and spacious living room, and even if you do, it can still be challenging to decorate right. Nevertheless, most urban dwellers know and love the challenge of working with a small and compact living room space all too well. Irrespective of the availability of space you do have to work with, you can transform your living room to be a stylishly ideal place to relax, entertain guests and do the things you love most.
So if you need inspiration to make your small living room as comforting, stylish, and inviting as possible, explore the top small living room ideas here to help you personalize and maximize one of your homes most used and seen rooms – your living room.
- Mirrors
The key to making the most out of a small living room while making it look larger is much easier than you think. In fact, in most homes, all it takes is a few stylish and affordable mirrors that will enlarge the space with light reflecting around it.
And mirrors are also easy to source, and require little to no installation if you lean them against a wall at an angle to create even more needed depth.
- Stick with Symmetry
In small spaces symmetry should also be considered key as a thoughtful layout will lend the abbreviated space visual harmony while making everything appear well-judged.
Think even numbers and less random add-ons when trying to make a small living room feel well-decorated and deliberate.
- Glass-Topped Tables
Glass-topped tables are great for avoiding blocking off floor space and will keep your small living room feeling larger while providing plenty of surface space to work with. In fact, when it comes to furnishing a small living room, the lighter the look of the pieces you bring in, the better.
- Layer Design Styles
Keep the eye moving with an intriguing juxtaposition of design styles for the ultimate in rich, transitional styling. Think mix and match, but just be sure that everything shares a distinct commonality to tie everything together.
This could be via fabrications, colors, patterns, materials, and just about anything that will tie everything together to avoid a random feel.
- Shelving Helps
Use wasted vertical space to your advantage and have slim floating shelves installed or a bring in a bookcase to store and display books, decorative items, and cherished collectibles.
- White-On-White Interior
It should go without saying that a white-on-white or neutral and tonal color scheme is best for maximizing a small living room space. When you pair your all white walls with beige and other soothing neutral hued furnishings, you’ll instantly brighten up a small space while making it look larger.
However, you should avoid using more than a handful of pale colors at once as you don’t want the eye to be bored. And even worse, since you’re working with a small living room, they tend to look messier and dirtier and all white will only work to highlight any imperfections. So be sure that you do inject riotous pops of color and pattern in your living room, even in the smallest of doses.
- Choose Your SOFA Wisely
Large sofas, no matter how comfortable, can take almost all of the space up that you have to work with in your living room. Therefore, it’s vital to go for less invasive ones. This is one of the most crucial mistakes homeowners make when considering the best small living room ideas. Essentially, if you need ideas on the best way to decorate your living room with little space, avoid large sofas.
Instead, go for a 1.5 seater that is large enough for a couple of adults to sit on comfortably. One or two of these is enough for an ideal living room although this depends on the space available. Or you can forgo a couch altogether and instead opt for a slim settee or even a bench so you can avoid bringing in visually heavy items like bulky sofas.
- Bring in Easy To Move Furnishings
One of the worst things you could do while decorating your small living room is to add a lot of furniture until there is no space left to step foot into it. Go for a small scaled sofa and petite furnishings throughout. But if you still feel the need for more furniture, use pieces that you can easily move instead, like stools and nesting tables.
By doing so, you’ll be able to create more floor space when needed while ensuring that you have enough seating and surfaces for everyone in your small living room.
- Go for Long Curtains
Your living room windows should be given an equally amount of attention, whether they are dressed with drapes or not. Small living room design ideas call for effective hacks and tricks to make them look larger while helping you make the most of your living room space. Take advantage of high ceilings if you have them, of course, but if you don’t trick the eye into thinking they are much higher than they really are with dramatic floor-to-ceiling curtains.
They’ll work to create a vast illusion of space as they draw the eye upwards. And always stick with white or sheer curtains to highlight an inflow of natural light as brighter spaces also always look larger.
- Consider Multi-Purpose Furniture
If you’re on the hunt for the best small living room, you should consider multi-purpose furniture an absolute essential to bring in. There are scores of stylish coffee tables that boast storage underneath while the top can be used as a surface for eating and working altogether. Think pieces that perform more than just one function, even when it comes to decorative extras.
This will, in turn, help you make the best use out of your small living room layout while minimizing the amount of things you do need to bring in. Think of a sofa with a space for storage underneath it, tables that are convertible, and ottomans that can be used for seating, storage, and as an extra surface. These kinds of furnishings will not only make your living room look less crowded, they’ll also make it look larger.