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9 Creative Ideas for Small Living Rooms
⏳ Reading time: approx. 3 minutes
With the right furnishings and some clever tricks, small living rooms can feel grand. It's not difficult to get more out of a rather confined living area: more visual spaciousness, more storage, and more cosiness. The following nine ideas for small living rooms will show you how to make the most of your space and what you should, conversely, avoid.
1. Create size with bright colours
There are good reasons why light tones are so popular in interior design. They immediately make the interior appear a touch more elegant and have a friendly, inviting effect on the viewer.
For small rooms, however, you can take advantage of another effect: light nuances visually expand the space. They reflect more light, thus creating the illusion of more spaciousness for the eye.
Therefore, neutral and light colours such as cream, beige, taupe or light grey, and of course clear white, make great base tones. However, this does not mean you have to completely forgo dark colours.
In fact, anthracite or black small furniture pieces like the Livitalia Box Lowboard can set strong accents and even create more depth. When in doubt, however, stick to the details and keep the large, dominant pieces, as well as walls, floors, and ceiling, rather light.
2. Warm up the living room with lighting ambience
More light can create space, as bright colours show us. But it's not just the quantity that matters. The type and distribution of your light sources also determine whether the living room appears spacious or rather cramped.
It's always a good idea to rely on various light islands. This works, by the way, for both very large and rather small rooms: with too much expanse, distributed lighting in the room provides more security and visually structures the area. Conversely, the living area immediately looks larger if it can accommodate several light islands.
How is this achieved? Use the large ceiling light only when needed or forgo it entirely. Instead, the following luminaires provide both flair and brightness:
- attractive floor and table lamps
- romantic candles - real or LED
- electric fireplace, for example, on a practical sideboard with extra storage space like the Livitalia Box Lowboard
- indirect lighting behind furniture or as light strips in room corners
3. Less decor means more space
Time-honoured maxims like the "less is more" principle sometimes have absolute merit. Whenever you furnish small living rooms, it's better to think twice about whether every additional decorative element is truly necessary.
Choose very deliberately instead. Opt for a few, but exquisite, decorations that are personal to you: such as your own photos or paintings, pieces with sentimental value, or those that reflect your special interests.
Otherwise, the room quickly appears cluttered and thus more cramped. Furniture should be designed to save space yet still be special, like the Livitalia Wohnwand C32. In this way, the furniture pieces embody storage and design elements in one.
Otherwise, ample internal storage space is important. Doors and drawers ensure a uniform appearance in the room. Many open, cluttered shelves, on the other hand, create visual clutter and thus a cramped feeling.
Tip:
If possible, simply leave an area of a wall or room corner free: no furniture, no decor. You'll be amazed at the expansive effect this small trick has on your living room.
4. Prefer a single colour
A monochrome interior is modern. It looks chic and is also uncomplicated: after all, you don't have to worry about which colours might match when buying new items.
Additionally, focusing on a single-colour scheme gives the room more size. It's a bit like choosing clothes: if we wear the same shade from head to toe, we appear elongated. Fewer visual interruptions create a clear line and thus a visually larger area.
It doesn't have to be exactly one colour; think in nuances instead. The black Livitalia Box Lowboard, for example, blends harmoniously into a living room predominantly featuring anthracite - and creates the same space-expanding effect.
5. Let the walls speak
One way to avoid having to place less decor in the room and take up space is to use a wall itself as decoration. This doesn't get in the way and doesn't gather dust. Nevertheless, it creates a great focal point.
It's best to opt for an accent wall. Including all walls in the living room could rather go in the opposite direction and appear overwhelming. Numerous possibilities are open for designing this wall, such as:
- a coat of paint in a bold colour
- applied borders or wall murals
- photo wallpaper
- wall panels for a special look, for example as a rough stone wall
To still retain storage space, you can install a small piece of furniture, like the practical Livitalia Box Lowboard, in the lower part of your accent wall. This looks particularly harmonious if the lowboard blends in colour with the wall.
6. Let the furniture float above the floor
Rooms appear visually larger the more free floor space is visible. Therefore, all furniture with delicate legs or a slightly elevated mounting helps you introduce more size into your living room.
When choosing tables or even large pieces like a sofa, make sure they don't rest directly on the floor but have small legs. This looks elegant and lifts them off the ground.
All wall-mounted furniture is also great. The Livitalia Wohnwand C101, for example, visually almost floats above the floor. This gives the interior a wonderful lightness - perfect for small living rooms.
7. Think vertically
If a room offers little floor space, then it's important to utilise everything you can get. This includes the walls. Especially in old buildings, rooms often go more in height than in width. Don't leave this space unused.
Besides a statement wall, you can incorporate the room's height into your decor in various ways: for example, install narrow wall shelves or attach hanging plants there. This way, the greenery isn't in the way but still enlivens the room.
Emphasised tall mirrors or a striking wall art also work excellently. Mirrors are even particularly helpful as they create the impression that the reflected surface extends the living area.
8. Showcase your windows
Windows open up every room not just in a practical sense. Their light makes them a focal point in the living room. So, be sure to showcase your window.
If your room is small but tall, floor-length curtains can provide a dignified frame. Designs in lighter colours further enhance the effect, making not only the living room but also the window area appear more spacious.
The area under the window doesn't have to remain unused either: place a small piece of furniture there for more storage space. The Livitalia Box Lowboard fits perfectly into this niche.
9. Large furniture for small rooms
It may seem surprising at first: but in a small living room, a few solid pieces of furniture are a better choice than numerous small ones. This gives the room a clear structure and prevents it from looking cluttered. Rather, the large furniture gives the impression that the available space can afford it.
So, feel free to venture for a ceiling-high wall unit or a stately sofa as the centrepiece in your living room. Furniture that not only offers size but also multiple functions is particularly suitable as ideas for small living rooms.
For example, the Prostoria Schlafsofa Fade can easily be folded out from an elegant seating furniture into a spacious sleeping area, without taking up space for an additional bed.
Conclusion
The feeling of sufficient free space is not a question of square metres. With the right colour choice and a conscious selection of furniture and decorations, you can make even the smallest living room feel grand. Moreover, small rooms inherently have a decisive advantage: it is significantly easier to make them cosy and comfortable with little effort. And that's precisely what an inviting living area is all about.
Mira Celini
Interior Designer at LivareaAs an interior designer at Livarea – since 2012 one of Germany's leading online shops for designer furniture – I help customers create their dream homes. My tips come straight from practice: honest, inspiring, and always with an eye for the extraordinary.
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