Big Decorating Ideas for Small Living Rooms

Spacious Ideas to Make the Most of Your Small Living Room!

If your main living space feels space-challenged, there are a few sitting room decorating ideas and interior design tricks that can help you make the most of your smaller space. Often, living rooms serve as a modern-day parlor where you welcome guests, throw parties, and host special occasions. It is entertaining-central, so it is often the place we wish seemed to be a bit bigger. The good news is that a few decorating tips can help make your living room feel spacious and inviting. And remember to enjoy all the built-in positives of a smaller space – it’s more intimate, easier to keep uncluttered and takes fewer pieces of décor or furniture to make an impact. Embrace your small living room space!

Go On and On With Color

Want your space to have an expansive feel? Pick one shade and let it fill walls, trim and doors so that your eye flows from one space to the next without any visual interruption.

Think Tall

Give your room the illusion of height by hanging curtains or drapes significantly higher than the window frame. Also, try adding crown molding to the upper edges where your walls meet your ceiling. It adds an eye-catching interest that draws the eye upward. Adding decorative shelving near the ceiling draws the eye upward as well.

Make a Good Reflection

Mirrors often provide interior design magic, by reflecting light into a room. Use a wall mirror to your advantage in any living room space to create an open feeling. Try positioning a mirror next to a lamp or other light source to reflect the light. Or try adding one where it will reflect a window, giving the illusion of another window in the room.

Strike a Balance

A comfy oversized settee will find balance next to matching ottoman or side table. Finding those opportunities where you can complement with both color and pattern will make your room feel balanced and focused, and ultimately more inviting to the eye.

Find Your Center

It is easy to place all your furniture up against the walls, but instead try bringing everything away from the walls to create an illusion of spaciousness.

Show Some (Table) Leg

Furniture with exposed legs can add “air” to the room compared to pieces that have a solid line to the floor. Long, tapered table and soft legs provide vertical lines to stretch the room.

Hide It Away

Clear away any clutter and find ways to store it in plain sight with furniture that pulls double duty, such as ottomans and coffee tables that feature hidden storage.

How to arrange a small living room (when the dining room is right next to it!)

In small homes, the living room and dining room often share the same general space. This makes it difficult to define each area without making both feel snug on space. Here are a few tips to help stretch things out.

• A large area rug in your living room can help provide a visual cue about where that room begins and ends.
• Hang a set of sheer curtains significantly higher than your window frame to make the room feel taller and the sheer fabric feels light and airy, rather than heavy and confining.
• Let one large piece of artwork provide the visual focus for the room. Consider a bold or colorful canvas print positioned over the most significant piece of furniture, like your sofa.
• Add light to a dark corner with an attractive floor lamp, and consider anchoring your sofa with light on both sides.
• Place your conversation area so that when seated, your guests will look away from the dining area. We have even more ideas to make your space bigger.

Decorating small sitting rooms (so they still look stylish and inviting!)

Ever wondered how to arrange a small living room? A small space has plenty of opportunities to make a big impact. Try these easy decorating tips and living room layout ideas.

• Move furniture off the walls, and “float” your furniture in the center of the room. This gives the illusion that your room is bigger than it seems and can make it feel oasis-like.
• Anchor your conversation seating area with a large area rug topped off with an eye-catching storage coffee table that looks great and provides much-needed storage that a small space usually needs.
• Reinvent your space as quickly as you can throw a slipcover over your sofa. Try a lighter color to open up the mood of the room.
• Add reflective surfaces, such as a round mirror or a glass table. These let the light flow and reflect and give your room an airy quality.
• When your room’s footprint doesn’t allow for a traditional bookcase, utilize your wall space by hanging a cabinet or wall shelf.
• Open up the space with a new wall color idea. A fresh coat of paint in an airy shade of pale blue or creamy white and make the room feel larger than it is.

Done With Your Living Room and Now on to…

Need help with room decorating ideas for other rooms in your house? Check out our Home Decorating content for inspiration and decorating expertise for every room.

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