Our living rooms can seem cramped and not enough, even if they are actually big. As needs change, so must the spaces be beautiful and adaptable to the evolving times and needs. This can be even harder when the space of your living room is small. For people worldwide, anything under 200 square feet is typically a small living room. It may not always be small, but it’s still a small space that needs to be planned and designed for optimal visual appeal.
While there are plenty of ways ranging from multi-tasking furniture to sliding glass doors to create an ‘actually larger’ living room, today we focus on ways to create a visually larger space. A small living room doesn’t have to be stuffy. It definitely doesn’t have to sacrifice style and colour for the best look. When it comes to making a small living room look as pleasing as a larger one, cozy, inventive, and always fun to decorate, they can be as attractive as any other size. Here are some of the best ideas for tricks and tips to make a small living room not only look bigger but appear more inviting and cheerful.
1. Embrace a Timeless Neutral Color Palette
This one is quite likely to be the first one that you will go to when you feel the small living room looks dull. In many ways, neutral colors are ideal for the small living room. First, they shine brighter and make for brightness. This works particularly well in houses that are poorly lit or get little or no daylight for most of the year.
Neutrals are not an exclusive list of grey tones. There are lots of fashionable, warm grey ideas which are ideal for the contemporary living room. Soft pinks, soothing creams and lovely pastel hues are also excellent choices for these rooms. If bright colors are desired, be sure to use colors that complement the reflective design of the room. In a neutral room, a colourful accent wall is the perfect option. Minimize the amount of color used and try to use only two or three colors to prevent visual clutter here.
2. Smart Layout Choices for a Spacious Feel
One of our favorite ways to make our living room look bigger is this one. The living area is opened up to the space around it, thereby introducing spaciousness. This gives a lighter and brighter interior, and the method by which you do this will depend on your personal taste and floor plan. The concept of an open plan living area is a great notion, and may ensure that even a modest living room feels bigger and more welcoming with a kitchen and dining room.
There’s also another great idea to increase the square footage of the living room with the help of sliding or foldable glass doors and open it up to the outdoors. Whether it’s a small urban garden, a small balcony, a large backyard, or just a view outside, bringing the outside in has more advantages than it has disadvantages.
3. The Secret to Spacious Rooms: More Light
A small living room would look completely different with and without natural lighting. If it’s a small window, which is a window in the corner, even if it can only be opened a little, open it way more often, and use the light that is provided. With a small living room, 80% of the job is making the lighting work. Clerestory windows, floor-to-ceiling glass doors, and skylights are all excellent ways to make your home healthier and happier. If that’s not possible, opt for smart recessed lights and add pendants and sconce lights for a more even layer of lighting without the dull corners.
4. The Beauty of Monochromatic Design Harmony
Earlier we discussed a small living room, but it does help if you’re monochromatic with the background in here. A tone-on-tone treatment can always be used to give a bit of contrast. However, having one background colour and even the ceiling, your fifth wall, painted the same colour helps to create a sense of spaciousness.
5. How Well-Sized Décor Enhances Room Functionality
One of the most important things is to incorporate scale and scale their living room décor. In most of these rooms, a low ceiling accentuates the idea of a confined area. Have low-slung furniture, eliminate any unnecessary décor, and make the couch and coffee table the center of the show. With the sofa not touching the wall, simply step it slightly away to give the illusion of a bigger room.
6. Polished, Mirrored Finishes
The general advice with decorating small rooms is to add as many possible surfaces that reflect light as possible. We DO realize, however, that not everyone is looking for a large mirror hanging on their wall in their living room. However, experiment with furniture that is mirrored or polished to brighten it up. Be it a side table that has mirrored doors or a coffee table with a glassy sheen, there are plenty of trendy options around.
7. How Decluttering Improves Room Functionality
A Living room is a space that cannot be cluttered with clutter, and even more so in a small Living room; it is no. Don’t go impulse shopping without a plan of where you are going to place the new furniture that you purchase. Don’t add more items to the room with every season, and if you’re looking to bring in modern furniture items, remove all of the old ones. How can organizing and cleaning create additional living room space? Amazing!
8. Multi-tasking Decor and Storage
Sometimes you want to take out all the crap from the living room, but it just can’t be done. Consider disappearing smart shelves, tables that have storage as well, nesting side tables that take up minimal space, and a sofa that transforms into a day bed when necessary. There is a lack of light and visual space in the tiny living room, which is further minimized by acrylic tables and glass furniture.
9. Bringing Freshness Indoors With Sheer Drapes
A clever idea that instantly transforms the visual of most living rooms in one quick shot. Just change your darker and heavier drapes for those that are lighter and in neutral hues. They can still contribute a sort of pattern without disrupting the color scheme or the background. These breezy drapes and sheer curtains also allow a ton more light in.
10. Less Artwork, More Visual Space
There are two opinions on that, and we’ll leave that to you to decide which one you prefer more. One way is to refrain from big paintings or gallery walls in the living room and opt for a neutral background to maximize decorating choices. Design one wall in the small space to be a gallery wall. Choose the style you prefer the most and don’t combine both methods in the already constrained area.