8 Living Room Designs That Maximize Space

This is the perfect look for a small living room – clean, uncluttered with neutral colors and minimal furnishings. It’s elegant and understated without appearing boring, and still leaves room for personal touches.

 

Just because you have a small living room doesn’t mean that you can’t have a large sofa. Choosing a sofa with clean, simple lines in a light color, and keeping other furnishings at a minimum, are the keys to making a large sofa work in a small space.

 

When you have a small but open floor plan, like in a studio or loft apartment, “separating” your living space can actually make the room feel bigger. Use rugs and/or furniture arrangement to visually divide your living and dining spaces.

 

In small living rooms, it’s best to steer clear of dark furnishings, but there are ways to make dark furniture work. In this photo, lots of natural light mixed with light walls and flooring make the black furniture stand out without appearing too heavy. The calming color of blue also helps balance the harshness of the black.

 

In small living rooms, storage space is usually minimal or nonexistent. Make the most of your small living room by incorporating floor-to-ceiling wall storage, and adding coffee tables, end tables and ottomans that double as storage space.

 

It is possible to incorporate big color into your small living room, if you know how to use it. Stick to a maximum of two or three colors within the entire room, or choose one bold color to be your feature color. In this studio apartment, the furnishings and flooring incorporate clean lines and neutral colors to keep the bright orange walls from becoming too overwhelming.

 

In a small living room, it’s tempting to push furnishings against the wall, but this can sometimes make your space appear more cramped. Try pulling your furniture away from the wall and adding a narrow table, shelf or storage behind your sofa. Glass tables work well in small rooms and give the illusion of more space.

 

Just because you have a small living room doesn’t mean that it can’t be formal. Armless loveseats (which work wonders in small spaces and are easily found on a budget) and a classic color scheme impart elegance and beauty to this space. Seating flows around the the focal point of the room – the fireplace. Readymade wall cabinets look more expensive than they are.