Our readers often ask us how to organize furniture in a small living room. In this write-up, we will be sharing 30 tips and tricks to make a small living room tick.
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The living room is the hub of our house. It is the beating heart that acts as the center of all activity in your home. But choosing the right kind of furniture for a narrow and small living room is a challenging task.
But smaller living rooms are also more inviting and comfortable? You just need to follow a few tips and tricks in your furniture arrangement to make the small dimensions of your living room “feel” bigger than they really are.
Also, you need to be a bit creative to utilize all the tight corners of your living room. Remember, a small living room does not mean that you should compromise with your style and taste. Keeping all this in mind, I am going to give you tips on how to organize furniture in a small living room.
Please go through these designer guide tips to make your small living room livelier and more welcoming.
Designing Tricks for a Small Living Room
#1 Plan the Layout
If you have a small living room, you should make a plan before you start designing. You should sketch the layout according to your functional requirement. After that, you should decide the furniture size.
#2 Smart Lighting
Try to choose the lights that you can hang from the ceiling or attach to the wall. It will help you to save your floor space. Swing-arm sconces are also suitable for your small-sized living room. They will enhance the beauty of the wall while also reducing the space utilized.
#3 Barn Door
A sliding barn door will separate your living space from your dining space. It not only helps to save your floor space, but you can perform various activities like putting in a treadmill or a workstation.
#4 Swap Sofa
It may be a bit difficult for you to place both a sofa and armchairs in your small dining space. You can install two armchairs and a coffee table rather than a large couch to make your sitting room look cozy.
If you have a fireplace in your living room, you can angle both the chairs to make your conversation cozy and snug.
#5 Large rugs
A large-sized rug with a bold pattern can make a small room look bigger. It is because these rugs do not break up the floor space. It will also help you to design the rest of your living room space by becoming the centerpiece. Try to utilize the corners to get space in your room.
#6 Layered Coffee Tables
Neither the large-sized coffee table nor nesting ones are right for your small living room. But the sleek, designed layered coffee tables will be the perfect addition in compact places.
#7 High Ceilings
If it is an independent home, you can make your ceilings high to fulfill the lack of surface area. You can make tall windows with long curtains in this living space. They will make the small living room look bigger. Try to use fabric-designed essential curtains to add fullness to the room.
#8 In-built shelves
You must design your small sitting room with in-built shelves. They not only make the room look attractive but also help you to keep your necessary belongings while saving space. You can make the bottom shelf an extra seating option or a study table. Colour the shelves the same as the wall to make them look natural.
#9 Dark Paint
Try to color the walls of your living room with dark and bold colors. Also, paint the ceilings with the same bright colors to improve the intimacy. Then install brilliant furniture in this dark-painted room to make it look big.
#10 Fill Your Room
Try to fill your room with appropriate and suitable size furniture, but do not overcrowd. Cover your floor with a neutral carpet, a cozy seated sofa, and glass coverings to add extra warmth. Also, add space-saving coffee tables and sconces rather than floor lamps to save floor space.
#11 Place Unexpected Furniture
You can opt for strategic decor and furniture to accommodate your living room. For instance, you can arrange a tall and sleek floral pedestal in a corner to accentuate the height rather than a narrow and cluttered floor space.
#12 Display Artwork Strategically
You should place the artwork in a way to highlight the height of your room. Display all your artwork up to the ceiling in your gallery wall to make the room look bigger. Also, paint the ceiling glossy and give it a mirrored finish to make it look glamorous and more extensive.
#13 Low Seating Arrangement
You can also choose a lower seated sofa to enhance the height of your ceiling. Keep soft padded cushions and a small bedside table beside your daybed to make the arrangement cozy and creative.
#14 Customize Seating
If you own a small and odd-shaped living room, customized furniture will help to elevate the space. For example, if you have a curved sitting room, a curved-shaped sofa will be ideal to invest in.
#15 Arrange Banquette
You can take a small nook of your living space to build a banquette. It will add a bonus and give the feeling of a European train car. You can place some of the classic games on the coffee table to entertain your guests.
#16 Paint White
You can paint both the ceilings and the wall white to make it look brighter. You can also attach black and white artwork to the white border to make your furniture the focal point.
#17 Float the Furniture
Avoid placing the furniture against the walls. Instead, keep a space behind the furniture to make the room look bigger. An antique-style coffee table will enhance the look of your room.
#18 Choose Hanging Chairs
A hanging chair or swing chair will work as a space saver in your small living room. Avoid using the traditional armchairs that occupy a ton of space.
#19 Arrange Plenty of Sitting
You can place a small sofa along with two armchairs to offer plenty of sitting. Choose a classically designed stool to make the entire look of the living room complete.
#20 Multi-Purpose Room
You can make your small living room for multi-purpose usage. You can use it both as a family room and living room. Therefore, choose the furniture in a way that will work for both purposes (Think sofa beds).
#21 Choose Ottomans
It would be best if you choose ottomans rather than traditional chairs and a coffee table in your compact living room. It will work both as a footrest and seating option. Also, when you are alone in your sitting room, you can place a tray to keep flowers or other necessary belongings.
#22 Let the Lights Enter
If you are blessed with sunlight, do not guard it with dark curtains. It will help your living room look open and bright. On the other hand, if you do not have the option to let in the sunlight, try to choose light color curtains to make it bright and airy.
#23 Place Small Coffee Table
You can use two coffee tables rather than one larger one. It allows you to move it wherever you want quickly.
#24 Place Mirror
Mirrors play a crucial role in making a small room look big. You can place a mirror up to the ceiling or cover an entire wall with a tiled mirror to make your living room look bigger.
#25 Introduce Nature
Place the mirror in a way that can reflect the greenery outside your room. You can also use green botanical fabric to create a spring feeling. Also, you can add green artwork to make it look elegant.
#26 Repeat A Pattern
You can pair both the sofa and curtain with the same bright color pattern and design. It will help your small living room look big and airy also.
#27 Paint the Fifth Wall
A right-colored ceiling or the fifth wall can make the living room look bigger. If you color the top with a light or pale shade than the walls, it helps the ceiling look higher. Naturally, a high ceiling can make a cluttered room more spacious.
#28 Use Monochromatic Colour
Try to use the monochromatic or the same color to design most of the furniture in your room. This monochromatic color may appear to take less space in your small living room.
#29 Decorate with Stripe Design
It is another innovative way to make your small room look large. Try to design the armchair, sofa, or daybed with a stripe pattern to make your low ceiling look taller. Whereas, if you have less carpet area in your living room, design your furniture with horizontal stripes to make it look wider.
#30 Choose A Simple Palette
Try to design your small living room with classic and contemporary patterns. Try to create those patterns with green and white colors to make a small space look big and overwhelming.
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of couch is best for a small living room?
Generally, sectional sofas and loveseats can be ideal for keeping in a small living room. They occupy not only less floor space but also offer good comfort and reliability. A couple of armchairs are better than getting a large couch.
Should a couch be against the wall?
No, you should not place furniture against the wall. You must keep at least a 1-feet distance between the table and the wall. It will help look your living room more prominent and create a cozy and inviting conversational space.
Where should you not put the TV?
Do not place your TV and console table in the corners or on small furniture. Instead, you can wall mount your television to help you to save your floor space. Remember, it should not interfere with any of your room decor or any artwork. Also, you can hang the television from the ceiling.
Which color is best for the living room?
Green can be the best color that you can do in your living room. It will echo the natural world to make your living room fresh.
What is the best furniture for your small living room?
A slim-designed sofa or daybed along with an antique pieced coffee table will be the best furniture to keep in a small living room.
Wrap Up
I am sure this informative article has given you a clear idea of setting up furniture in a small living room. These basic tricks will help you to make your small living room look bigger and airy.
Happy furnishing!