How to Arrange Furniture & Boost Space in a Small Living Room
Don't let your tiny drawing room get you down – these clever tricks will help you decorate, live and socialise happily
When carefully planned and designed, a small living room can be an attractive, welcoming and fun space. All it requires are clever furniture pieces, ample lighting, a congenial layout and a few space-boosting tricks. Take a look at these essential points and borrow ideas as you go along.
Backless sofa
In case you already have a sofa, a second couch can gobble up considerable floor and visual space. In case you really need or are keen on a second large sofa, consider a backless one. These don’t look as bulky and can be a chic alternative to a large sofa, and can even act as a subtle divider in an open-plan space.
Tip: A small living room can also do without sofa. If space is tight, consider using loose chairs, pouffes, daybeds or armchairs, with a coffee table in the centre. This way, the loose seaters can be moved around anywhere in the house, as and when needed.
Check out 40 small living rooms from around the world
In case you already have a sofa, a second couch can gobble up considerable floor and visual space. In case you really need or are keen on a second large sofa, consider a backless one. These don’t look as bulky and can be a chic alternative to a large sofa, and can even act as a subtle divider in an open-plan space.
Tip: A small living room can also do without sofa. If space is tight, consider using loose chairs, pouffes, daybeds or armchairs, with a coffee table in the centre. This way, the loose seaters can be moved around anywhere in the house, as and when needed.
Check out 40 small living rooms from around the world
Invisible furniture
Do consider acrylic and glass furniture pieces because they take up little visual space and can almost merge into the background. In this example, the coffee table top and the two chairs on the right keep the living room looking light and spacious.
Do consider acrylic and glass furniture pieces because they take up little visual space and can almost merge into the background. In this example, the coffee table top and the two chairs on the right keep the living room looking light and spacious.
Coffee table or no?
Are you keen on getting a coffee table only because you need that extra surface to place glasses and snack trays? A space-saving alternative would be an armrest tray, as it requires no additional floor space in the living room and can be simply attached to the arm of a sofa.
If you still feel you need a coffee table, consider space-saving options like small storage ottomans, folding tables, nesting acrylic tables or a martini side table.
Are you keen on getting a coffee table only because you need that extra surface to place glasses and snack trays? A space-saving alternative would be an armrest tray, as it requires no additional floor space in the living room and can be simply attached to the arm of a sofa.
If you still feel you need a coffee table, consider space-saving options like small storage ottomans, folding tables, nesting acrylic tables or a martini side table.
Experiment with different furniture arrangements
Keep the largest couch against the wall – it’s best to keep the bulky pieces away from the centre of the room, as they tend to block foot traffic. If this is also the feature piece of your room, align the rest of the furniture such that they are all facing that piece.
See these seating arrangements for small living rooms
Keep the largest couch against the wall – it’s best to keep the bulky pieces away from the centre of the room, as they tend to block foot traffic. If this is also the feature piece of your room, align the rest of the furniture such that they are all facing that piece.
See these seating arrangements for small living rooms
A TV, a bookcase, a beautiful painting or a large window can be made the focal point of the room too – and this is where all the furniture can point to.
Tip: In a small living room, consider placing the TV on the wall or inside a media unit, so it doesn’t eat into the floor space.
Tip: In a small living room, consider placing the TV on the wall or inside a media unit, so it doesn’t eat into the floor space.
Here, all three seaters are pushed against the walls, opening up space in the middle and allowing ample scope for movement.
Another useful idea for small living room furniture layout is to arrange the sofas in a way that they create a conversation niche. This can be done by grouping sofas and chairs in a circle and away from the wall, leaving space behind.
Tip: Extract more out of your 1-BHK flat by bringing in a sofa-cum-bed into your living room.
Tip: Extract more out of your 1-BHK flat by bringing in a sofa-cum-bed into your living room.
Ensure a well-lit interior
The right lighting can make a big impact on a small space. A well-lit space looks big and more welcoming; a dark space looks small and gloomy. Make the most of natural lighting – if you have the advantage of large windows, open them up by swapping heavy drapery for sheer white curtains, so light can easily filter in. Along with spotlights, pendant lights, too, are a good way to add more illumination, as these do not take up floor space and are able to light up an entire stretch of wall and the ground area.
The right lighting can make a big impact on a small space. A well-lit space looks big and more welcoming; a dark space looks small and gloomy. Make the most of natural lighting – if you have the advantage of large windows, open them up by swapping heavy drapery for sheer white curtains, so light can easily filter in. Along with spotlights, pendant lights, too, are a good way to add more illumination, as these do not take up floor space and are able to light up an entire stretch of wall and the ground area.
Try a multitude of space-boosting tricks
1. Along with added aesthetic value, mirrors also create the illusion of extended space. In a small living room, consider placing a mirror in a way that it reflects a passageway or a large furniture piece, so as to create a visual depth.
2. Decorate in a way that the eyes are drawn towards the height of the room, thereby creating the illusion of a larger space. Floor-to-ceiling drapes, a vertically plates, long cascading pendants or chandeliers are all stylish ways to accomplish this goal. You can also choose low seaters that make the walls look tall.
3. Instead of several individual storage units (bookshelves, cabinets, dressers) that take up space, bite the bullet and devote one entire wall to storage. Consider a floor-to-ceiling, built-in storage wall to store all the clutter. Have it painted the same hue as the walls, so it merges into the background.
4. Light hues reflect maximum light and can make a space look bright, welcoming and large. They also make the room look brighter.
5. Paint the cornices and coving the same colour as the ceiling, and in the absence of mouldings, paint about 8 to 10 inches of the tops of the walls the same hues as the ceiling. This trick will make the ceiling look higher, and the room appear bigger.
Read more:
Fool-Proof Tricks to Make a Small Living Room Look Bigger
Tell us:
What space-boosting tricks and furniture arrangement ideas have you used to make your small living room look bigger? Share them with us in Comments below.
1. Along with added aesthetic value, mirrors also create the illusion of extended space. In a small living room, consider placing a mirror in a way that it reflects a passageway or a large furniture piece, so as to create a visual depth.
2. Decorate in a way that the eyes are drawn towards the height of the room, thereby creating the illusion of a larger space. Floor-to-ceiling drapes, a vertically plates, long cascading pendants or chandeliers are all stylish ways to accomplish this goal. You can also choose low seaters that make the walls look tall.
3. Instead of several individual storage units (bookshelves, cabinets, dressers) that take up space, bite the bullet and devote one entire wall to storage. Consider a floor-to-ceiling, built-in storage wall to store all the clutter. Have it painted the same hue as the walls, so it merges into the background.
4. Light hues reflect maximum light and can make a space look bright, welcoming and large. They also make the room look brighter.
5. Paint the cornices and coving the same colour as the ceiling, and in the absence of mouldings, paint about 8 to 10 inches of the tops of the walls the same hues as the ceiling. This trick will make the ceiling look higher, and the room appear bigger.
Read more:
Fool-Proof Tricks to Make a Small Living Room Look Bigger
Tell us:
What space-boosting tricks and furniture arrangement ideas have you used to make your small living room look bigger? Share them with us in Comments below.
Small sofas or sectionals
In small living room interiors, where space is at a premium, it’s advisable to not crowd the area with too many elements, even if it means skimping on the furniture pieces. After all, bulky furniture pieces can make the room seem even smaller and more crowded.
Consider love seats, a petite sofa or a sectional. Choose seaters with clean lines, so they look visually light and make the room seem airy.
Tip: One good way of selecting furniture for a tiny living room is by analysing how each piece can earn its keep in the room (read: multipurpose furniture pieces). For instance, ottomans can double as coffee tables or extra seating, nesting side tables can be used for seating or placing curios, a settee can hold storage inside, and so on.