55 Brilliant Styling Tricks That Make a Small Living Room Feel Bigger
Time to outsmart your floor plan.
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A sprawling living room with multiple seating arrangements may be the dream, but for those of us blessed with limited square footage, it's definitely not the reality. A small living room can feel cramped and cluttered, especially if there's only one furniture layout that seems to work. You can do something about it, though, without ponying up for an addition or moving houses altogether. No matter how small your space is, there are design strategies that can make it look and feel bigger. Designers have the small living 2room ideas you need to remake your hangout hub—and they're not expensive or involved.
Making the most of a small living room doesn't require getting rid of all of your stuff or buying new furniture. You probably just need to troubleshoot the layout and bring in a few smart storage solutions. You should also think about how you actually use your space. Is this where your family heads every night to watch your favorite show, in which case you may want to reorient the television, or is it a more formal space you only pass through on the way to the den? Functionality is always key, and in small spaces, it's crucial. The most beautiful space is only truly beautiful if it works for your lifestyle.
Ahead, we've put together brilliant small living room ideas that show how to balance form and function no matter what design style you prefer. Get ready to bookmark all these tips and transform your small living room into a comfortable, stylish hangout.
You love finding new design tricks. So do we. Let us share the best of them.
Opt for Open Furniture
Rather than choose a sofa with a traditional back, designer Lichelle Silvestry went for a daybed-style piece that wouldn't block half of this small Parisian living room from the other. Now, no matter where your guests are, you can turn to face them.
Choose Low Accent Tables
Rather than overwhelm the space with a large side table or console, Jayson Home's Devin Kirk kept a low profile in his family's Chicago apartment with a short wooden stool. Because the emphasis is on the marbled sectional, he needed to balance the proportions of the other items in the room. Mission stylishly accomplished.
Float the Furniture
Designer Sarah Solis wanted this Los Angeles family's den to feel restful but still be functional for homework time. Cue: a floating desk. Because the thin surface seemingly levitates, it takes up much less visual square footage than a clunky desk with legs might, making it perfect for this small space. The backless stool also keeps keep things looking streamlined.
Accentuate the Curves
Low, curved, or angled ceilings can make a living room seem smaller than it actually is. Working with it rather than against it, as designer Patrick Gallagher did here in his apartment in Rome's Palazzo Taverna, can have the opposite effect. He used subtle, diamond-patterned wallpaper to visually heighten the barrel-vaulted ceiling and create the illusion of more space.
Try Tonal Colors
In this small living room by Amity Worrel, beige is far from boring. The monochrome decorating palette (with pops of red) was inspired by old-fashioned European skiing chalets, and keeps it from feeling too busy or cluttered. Plus, the warm tones imbue the room with the coziness you get only in small spaces.
Accessorize With Care
Rather than adorn the walls of the living room in House Beautiful's 2023 Whole Home with eye-catching art (which we also love, don't get us wrong), Caitlin Wilson opted for delicate framed intaglios (reproductions of incised art made popular by travelers in the 18th and 19th centuries) from Statuette instead. Not only does the choice soften the room, but it also lets your eye settle on what's important: the people around you.
Buy Small
In a study by Los Angeles–based designer Alexandra Loew, a small loveseat sits nestled against the windows. It was chosen to be proportionate to the family's small children, but it's cozy enough for adults to lounge on as well.
Look Up
Pet ownership comes with a lot of accoutrements: feeding bowls, toys, scratching posts. But in the living room of Tammer Hijazi, cofounder and design director of Bower Studios, Cleo the cat gets free reign of the space, including the walls. A stack of Ikea Lack shelves creates a streamlined climbing system that doesn't intrude on the seating area below.
Don't Think Too Hard
In photographer Bjorn Wallander's New York City studio apartment, no inch is wasted. Rather than take up valuable space with a bookshelf or display tables, he piles his beloved coffee table books and knick-knacks on every windowsill and open bit of floor, which gives the apartment a true artistic flair.
Make Furniture Play Double Duty
In a tight apartment, rooms often have to do double duty. Regan Baker exercised genius space planning when creating this library, which could just as easily function as a small living room slash dining room. Dining chairs like these could function as guest seating when a dinner party turns into a game night.
Use Paneling
Just like in fashion, the right stripes can make a silhouette work to your advantage. If you're not into the circus stripe trend, take a note from Jeffrey Alan Marks instead. Horizontal wood paneling visually widens his California living room, making its small size a nonissue.
Raise the Shelves
Storage is essential in a small living room. If you don't have enough floor space for a bookshelf, look to your walls as designer John Wooden did in this bungalow. These high-up shelves offer plenty of flat surface area without taking up any of the valuable square footage down below.
Wallpaper the Ceiling
In a small space, lots of colors and patterns can feel dizzying. Instead of wallpapering the walls, opt for a ceiling design instead as Brooklinteriors designer Alicia Hassen did in this East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, apartment. It draws eyes up and leaves the rest of the space feeling wide open.
Ditch the Coffee Table
In this minimalist sitting area by Raji Radhakrishnan, a traditional coffee table was replaced with a low, bite-sized cocktail table. While it's not large enough to put your feet up (that's what the loveseat is for), it's perfect for a coffee and your current read.
Work in Twos
Sometimes smaller spaces actually allow for bolder color and pattern experiments. Here, Katie Rosenfeld worked in pairs. She used the same floral pattern on the sofa and drapes, corresponding (and wilder!) cheetah prints on the carpet and throw pillow, and then coupled the springy green paint with the striped ottoman. If you love this look but prefer something a touch more modern, use Rosenfeld's formula but swap the traditional fabric for an edgy one and modern photography or an abstract painting for the botanical prints.
Separate Zones With Lighting
David Frazier managed to carve out formal sitting and dining areas in his small New York City apartment. A statement pendant over the pedestal table helps separate the dining zone, and the stackable dining chairs can double as extra seating in the living room. Pops of dark yellow speak to the warm antique wood pieces and break up the neutral color scheme, while a dark curtain rod mounted high on the light-colored wall adds height to the space.
Plan for Company
Ditch the sofa altogether if you'd rather use the living room as a place to catch up and chat with others as opposed to lounging horizontally. Four blue-painted rattan chairs are oriented toward each other for visits, but they're comfy enough to recline and stretch out on during life's quieter moments in this small living room by Avery Cox.
Play Up Period Details
In a Parisian apartment by Lichelle Silvestry, luxe, warm, and texture-rich velvet seating further enhances the elaborate period elements. "I adore using materials that add character and authenticity to my interiors," Silvestry says. "It's a sensory feast."
Use Refreshing Colors
In this small bungalow living room by Another Human, a contemporary linen-covered loveseat gets the bohemian treatment surrounded by granny-chic accents and '70s details. A surprising and rejuvenating shade of purple (Benjamin Moore Grape Ice) keeps things fresh and exciting.
Hang Plants
Moroccan rug dealer Amber El-Amin worked around an odd overhang above the sofa in the small living room of her home in Virginia by hanging a plant from it. The greenery enlivens the nook and brings a touch of unexpected whimsy. She didn't forget about light here, either: The two vintage lamps are strategically placed to brighten the tonal and laid-back yet upscale space.
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