Do you find yourself frustrated with arranging the furniture and decorating your small living room? While finding the perfect furniture arrangement for a small space may be difficult, it isn’t impossible. This process is made significantly easier by purchasing furniture and accessories proportional to the size of the space. The benefit of a small living room is that a few carefully selected pieces can reflect your personal style and make a statement. If the financial investment is an issue, a little bit of money can go a long way in spaces lacking square footage. The following are a few aspects to think about when decorating or re-designing your small living room.
First, consider the size of your furniture. Small spaces should have furniture of equal proportion to the room they are housed. So get rid of that large, overstuffed sofa or huge Lay-Z-Boy recliner. Choose apartment-size furniture with features like a low-profile back and sleek silhouette. If you are set on a sectional, look for one that is compact and simplistic in design.
Small spaces provide the perfect opportunity to play with color. But avoid selecting deep wall colors as they will make the room recede and appear smaller. Paint your walls in light, neutral tones and decorate with colorful textiles, artwork and accents. The light paint colors will reflect lots of natural light and create the illusion of more space. The colorful accents will add that unique touch of personality.
However, an aspect where you should avoid going too small is when selecting your area rug. An area rug should be large enough to allow the front legs of the main furniture – sofa, loveseat, accent chairs – to cover it. Avoid choosing a rug just slightly bigger than the coffee table. A tiny rug will feel insignificant and make the space feel out of proportion.
Storage is another important aspect in small space design. Due to the limited floor space, choose furniture that performs multiple functions such as a coffee table with additional storage below. An upholstered bench with a hinged lid can be ideal to store blankets, pillows, and toys. A sleek, shallow media center can display the television, as well as additional books and decorative accents. Small square ottomans can double as extra seating and as a place for books or a cup of coffee.
Keep the decorations to a minimum as a small living room can be made to feel cluttered quickly. One or two large pieces of artwork may be preferable to a collection of smaller pictures. However, if the picture frames are similar in color, they can appear to create one, cohesive piece.
Just remember, small spaces can be beautiful, especially when arranged using the rules of interior design. To view ideas and inspiration for your small living space see our gallery below of 47 small living room designs.
The crisp white of the walls ensures ideal light reflection throughout the space. The decorative chevron accents – pillows and artwork – provide a graphic element to this neutral living room.
Light and bright is the theme for this cozy living room space. The large picture window provides a great view of the outdoors, as well as providing lots of natural light.
While the square footage of this living room may be on the small side, the soaring ceilings make the space feel much larger than it is. Sleek, contemporary furniture and minimal decorative accents allow the architectural features to take front stage.
This living room features glossy white floors accented by a graphic, black and white area rug. The space remains simplistic by the implementation of a cohesive color palette.
The furniture in this small living room provides a calm, elegant aesthetic with neutral colors and beautiful stud detailing. The ikat and chevron accent pillows add an eclectic flair while adhering to the room’s pastoral color palette.
This living room features deep blue walls and an inset ceiling detail. A low-hanging chandelier provides additional conversational lighting.
The angular lines in this living room are softened by a dark, round area rug. Wall-mounted shelving provides plenty of media storage without taking up additional floor space.
The natural materials used in this small living room reflect the attached outdoor space and provide a warm and welcoming environment.
This living room features compact furniture that allows for plenty of seating space without taking up significant floor space.
The ceiling in this small living space features exposed wood beams that add an additional decorative element without taking up valuable floor space.
A soft, gray color palette and curved furniture soften this small, open concept living room/kitchen area.
The focal point in this living room is a colorful, bohemian area rug. The rug provides an colorful anchor for the furniture layout, as well as a the room’s color palette.
This living room keeps things casual by displaying an eclectic mix of furniture and accessories.
This living room features wood paneling and industrial accents. The sectional fits perfectly and provides lots of seating without blocking the flow of the room.
This living rooms maximizes the space available by using designed the wall niche to include a fireplace, mantle and additional storage.
This living room pairs sleek, mid-century modern accent chairs with a contemporary sofa and fireplace. The dark wood floors add depth to this small space.
The white, cream and gray color palette is ideal for this living room as it softens the space and makes the room feel larger.
This living room is decorated with simple, contemporary furniture and features a bright, coral accent wall.
Modern furniture and simplistic decor create a calm and relaxing spot to rest at the end of the day.
This living room features a unique blend of vintage, contemporary and modern pieces. The small scale of the furniture allows for adequate traffic flow throughout the room.
This living room contains beautiful architectural details such as a traditional, stone mantle and crown molding.
This cozy living room provides plenty of seating by including a loveseat, two accent chairs and a long, shallow bench on the far wall.
This industrial living room features polished concrete floors and exposed ductwork. The large, glass doorways and windows provide an expansive view of the outdoors.
The cool gray flooring and furniture in this space are warmed up by the vibrant, red wall color.
This living room features a large, stone fireplace and contemporary furniture with black accents.
The floating media console provides a place to display the television and a few decorative items. It also creates the illusion of additional square footage by not taking up visual floor space.
This contemporary living room contains simple furniture and bright green accents.
This living room features light neutrals and textured surfaces highlighted by lots of natural light.
Matching, tufted sofas decorated with blue and coral accent pillows provide balance to this traditional living room.
Windows dressed with taupe curtains and neutral-colored furniture fill this contemporary living room space.
Large gilded mirrors flank a substantial fireplace surround in this cozy living room.
Bright blue accents add an eclectic flair to this cottage living room. The tile flooring provides the ideal surface for wet and sandy feet.
This unique living room features concrete walls and flooring. A large, rustic wood trunk provides storage space and a place for drinks and food.
A small fireplace and mantle provide a simplistic focal for this intimate living space.
A small, glass coffee table is the ideal choice for a small living room. It provides a place to rest a coffee cup and its translucent quality takes up less visual space than a solid, opaque table.
This living room’s large open windows provide a great view of the outdoors. The brick fireplace draws the eye upward to the peaked, wood ceiling.
A painted brick accent wall and polished concrete floors provide an industrial aesthetic to this contemporary space.
This living room features walls of windows. The matching couches provide plenty of seating while their low profile ensures clear sight lines to the outdoors.
Light, ethereal curtains provide a decorative accent to the tall windows. The warm mustard accent wall provides the opportunity for the introduction of a pop of color to the space.
This nautical-themed living room features a variety of textured surfaces, as well as pops of periwinkle blue.
Matching accent chairs can easily be moved throughout the space as required. They also ensure that the view of the fireplace is not obstructed from view.
Warm, cherry wood flooring and rich accent pillows add a richness of color. A shallow media unit provides a place for hidden and open storage.
The beautiful architectural features of this space are accented perfectly by warm, traditional furnishings.
A mosaic fireplace surround is flanked by open shelving. A bright red couch and decorative pillows add a splash of color to this otherwise neutral space.
A large accent rug fills this small living room and provides an anchoring element for the furnishings. The blue, black and white color palette creates a crisp, tailored feel.
This space is accented by a classic palette of black and white. It features chrome accents and warm, cherry wood flooring.
The furnishings in this small living room are placed perfectly in front of the original fireplace. The accents of greenery provide a fresh, airy feel to the space.