Inventive Ways to Make a Compact Living Room Look Big
Give the cosiest room in the house a space boost with these easy decorating tricks
Jennifer Louise Ebert
16 March 2017
Houzz contributor and UK-based freelance journalist with more than 5 years experience of writing for interiors and lifestyle publications.
Houzz contributor and UK-based freelance journalist with more than 5 years experience... More
Many of us have solved the problem of a small kitchen by knocking through or building out to create a kitchen-diner, but our living rooms are often still quite compact. Whether you use yours for reading, entertaining or simply putting your feet up and watching TV, make the most of it by utilising wall space, employing light-enhancing tricks or simply celebrating its cosiness. Browse these ideas to get the ball rolling.
Create a cocoon
Maximise the qualities of a small living room by creating a cocoon-like feel. Using rich, cosy colours, snug seating and ambient lighting will turn the space into a welcoming retreat, perfect for relaxed gatherings or peaceful evenings. A coffee table or ottoman in the middle of the seating will shift the focus to the centre of the room and enhance the sense of intimacy.
Maximise the qualities of a small living room by creating a cocoon-like feel. Using rich, cosy colours, snug seating and ambient lighting will turn the space into a welcoming retreat, perfect for relaxed gatherings or peaceful evenings. A coffee table or ottoman in the middle of the seating will shift the focus to the centre of the room and enhance the sense of intimacy.
Elevate the TV
Ask yourself, can I mount my TV on the wall? If you can, you’ll be able to do away with a bulky TV unit, which will instantly free up floor space. Here, a sideboard provides storage space for DVDs and devices, but these could easily be stacked on shelves to open up the space further.
Check out these top tips for positioning your TV
Ask yourself, can I mount my TV on the wall? If you can, you’ll be able to do away with a bulky TV unit, which will instantly free up floor space. Here, a sideboard provides storage space for DVDs and devices, but these could easily be stacked on shelves to open up the space further.
Check out these top tips for positioning your TV
Choose one big sofa
You may think an L-shaped sofa would make your living room feel cramped, but because it’s a single piece of furniture, it’s actually a great option for a confined space. Pushed to the edge of the room, it will keep all your seating confined to one area, with plenty of room for family and friends without the need for space-hungry armchairs. Here, neat side tables can double as stools if necessary and can easily be tucked out of the way when required.
You may think an L-shaped sofa would make your living room feel cramped, but because it’s a single piece of furniture, it’s actually a great option for a confined space. Pushed to the edge of the room, it will keep all your seating confined to one area, with plenty of room for family and friends without the need for space-hungry armchairs. Here, neat side tables can double as stools if necessary and can easily be tucked out of the way when required.
Make use of a storage wall
The space around your TV is often overlooked, but a built-in unit like this can tuck everything from a DVD player to books and lighting out of the way in a relatively narrow space. Include doors in some sections if you plan to store less attractive tech, and paint the whole unit in the same colour as the walls to knock it back and reduce its impact. The owners of this room have hung just one piece of art in the room so the plain walls can counter any busyness.
The space around your TV is often overlooked, but a built-in unit like this can tuck everything from a DVD player to books and lighting out of the way in a relatively narrow space. Include doors in some sections if you plan to store less attractive tech, and paint the whole unit in the same colour as the walls to knock it back and reduce its impact. The owners of this room have hung just one piece of art in the room so the plain walls can counter any busyness.
Lighten up with visual tricks
There are several visual tricks in this living room that make it feel very open for its size. Besides the classic trick of glass doors, the coffee table has a glass top and spindly form, making it disappear into the scheme, the shelves are actually very shallow, so they do a decorative job without protruding into the room, the armchairs have thin legs so the eye can still see much of the floor, and the plain white pendant light couldn’t be more unobtrusive.
There are several visual tricks in this living room that make it feel very open for its size. Besides the classic trick of glass doors, the coffee table has a glass top and spindly form, making it disappear into the scheme, the shelves are actually very shallow, so they do a decorative job without protruding into the room, the armchairs have thin legs so the eye can still see much of the floor, and the plain white pendant light couldn’t be more unobtrusive.
Play to the room’s proportions
In a narrow room, decorating the end walls in darker shades will help to pull them into the scheme. This wooden wall is the focal point, helping to even out the proportions of the room. The coffee table links with it, further pulling the wall forwards. The sofa is not only long and narrow, offering plenty of seating without taking up too much width, it’s the same colour as the wall, which helps it to blend in.
Read more about small space living
In a narrow room, decorating the end walls in darker shades will help to pull them into the scheme. This wooden wall is the focal point, helping to even out the proportions of the room. The coffee table links with it, further pulling the wall forwards. The sofa is not only long and narrow, offering plenty of seating without taking up too much width, it’s the same colour as the wall, which helps it to blend in.
Read more about small space living
Banish floor lamps
Soft lighting in a living room is essential if it’s going to be a relaxing space. That’s usually where lamps come in, but they can take up a surprising amount of valuable room. Why not borrow a trick from the kitchen-diner and hang a row of pendants low down? They will give you a lamp-lit mood without taking up a single inch.
Read more:
5 Ways to Live Large on a Small Balcony
7 Steps to a Kitchen Garden in a Small Apartment
Tell us:Have you decorated a small living room? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
Soft lighting in a living room is essential if it’s going to be a relaxing space. That’s usually where lamps come in, but they can take up a surprising amount of valuable room. Why not borrow a trick from the kitchen-diner and hang a row of pendants low down? They will give you a lamp-lit mood without taking up a single inch.
Read more:
5 Ways to Live Large on a Small Balcony
7 Steps to a Kitchen Garden in a Small Apartment
Tell us:Have you decorated a small living room? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below.
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Stud Wall giving me my much wanted Hall Way and small but cosy living room ...
Brave move Valerie! it paid off - looks lovely, probably configured like the original layout?
Thank you! as far as I know the house would of originally had a hallway most of the houses on the road have had the hallway taken away! giving them a larger living room but not by that much 12ftx13ft I just could not live with the front door opening into my living space! and the stud wall was done within half a day! :)