A small living room can present a challenge when decorating. It’s the room you spend most of your time in and use to entertain guests. Achieving a balance between creating a spacious feel and furnishing the room with ample seating can be difficult. However, with careful planning and consideration of your lifestyle, you can transform your small living room into an aesthetically pleasing space that is both functional and stylish. The use of color, light and spatial arrangement can make your living room appear more spacious while simultaneously adding interest to the décor. In addition, space saving strategies such as using a flat screen TV or replacing your desk top computer with a lap top will help minimize clutter. The following are some small living room ideas to help you make the most of your space.
1. Choose Light and Neutral Color Schemes
Choose neutral colors that visually expand the space in your living room such as white or beige. Pastel furnishings with white walls will produce a light, airy feeling. Soft hues reflect light and make the room appear brighter. Cool colors such as blue and green also make the room appear larger, and they coordinate well with neutral colors. You’ll find that shades of blue and green help produce a relaxing atmosphere as well. Use splashes of vibrant color and patterns on rugs and throw pillows to brighten up a room consisting primarily of neutral tones. A bare wood floor in light tones will introduce an orderly flow between the elements of the room. Try to limit the number of colors in a small living room to three or fewer to avoid producing a crowded appearance.
2. Streamline Furnishings
Use furniture with simple lines and a lightweight appearance to visually create space. Avoid chairs with skirting and choose those with legs. This provides and unobstructed view of the floor and makes the room appear more open. A glass, acrylic or lucite coffee table also takes up less space visually. Scale furniture to the size of your living room. Replace a sofa with a love seat or settee. Pull furnishings away from the wall and into a central space. The area beyond the furniture will add volume to your living room. Incorporate furnishings with a dual purpose. Chairs and tables with hidden storage can help minimize clutter. Ottomans are quite versatile and can be used for seating or a table. They can also be pushed out of the way when additional space is needed.
3. Make Use of Wall Space
Emphasize the vertical space in your living room with arrangements that draw the eye up to make your living room appear larger. Use the space directly below the ceiling to enhance the décor. One technique you can use to create this effect is to install picture-rail molding near the top your living room walls approximately 18 inches below the ceiling. Then paint the area above the molding in a coordinating color. You can also extend an arrangement of art or photographs up to the ceiling or hang a full length painting. Hang floor to ceiling draperies just beneath the ceiling. Wallpaper a single wall or use a stencil to paint on an eye catching design to give your living room more volume.
4. Balance the Space with Area Rugs
An area rug can be used to define spaces as well as tie contrasting colors together. They are ideal for delineating a furniture grouping in a small living room. Use rugs with patterns and designs to add color and texture to the room. Bold patterns such as large flowers and abstract designs can make your living room appear larger. Dark flooring can make a room feel smaller. Add a light colored area rug to soften the colors and expand the space. You can also layer area rugs on carpet or larger area rugs to create depth and texture. The area rug should be no more than two feet from the wall. Choosing a rug that is too small can make the room appear even smaller.
5. Be Bright with Lighting
Proper lighting can help enlarge the space in your living room. Use sheer window treatments or tie back draperies to allow natural light to fill the room. In the evening, use layered lighting to illuminate each part of your living room. Floor or table lamps are great choices for brightening up dark corners. Lighting that can be hung from the ceiling or attached to the wall saves floor space. Wall sconces, for example, take up little space and accentuate specific areas of the living room. Accent lighting provides an additional layer of brightness to place emphasis on artwork or other focal points in the room. You can add a dimmer switch to ceiling lights to create mood with lighting.
6. Add Depth with Accessories
A lot of small items in a small space can make it appear even smaller. Grouping small display items together creates more space around them. Oversized wall art can create the illusion of more space. Decorate your small living room with mirrors to add depth. Position a large mirror in a central location to provide a focal point. Try to place it behind a pendant light or candle so that it reflects the light to create a pleasant ambiance. You can also hang it near a window to create the illusion of another window. Another way to add depth to your living room is to decorate with lush, green plants. They make it appear as though there is more space than there actually is.
2 Point Highlight
However, with careful planning and consideration of your lifestyle, you can transform your small living room into an aesthetically pleasing space that is both functional and stylish.
The use of color, light and spatial arrangement can make your living room appear more spacious while simultaneously adding interest to the décor.
