14 Modern Small Living Room Ideas
A small living room can come off as cozy and chic in the right circumstances or cluttered and uninviting in others. For a relaxing, refreshing space that maximizes the charm of a small space, everything from how you arrange your living room furniture to what décor you select matters. You must be creative and plan to furnish and decorate a living room with limited square footage.
Here are some modern small living room ideas you can put to use.
Idea #1: Think Vertically
Horizontally, you might not have much to work with. Calculating your space vertically, you may discover areas to put shelves, hang artwork, and even a place to mount a TV. Using your available vertical square footage, the room will feel bigger.
Idea #2: Emphasize Height
Just like you want to think vertically, try to get décor that extends upwards rather than in width. Tall art. Stripes. Thin, tall curtains. Try to draw the eye up. This will, again, make the room feel bigger without you having to do anything else.
Idea #3: Thin, Unobtrusive Lighting
A small living room is not the place to put big bulky table lamps and freestanding lamps. For modern living rooms, keep it sleek and trendy with pot lights, wall-mounted lighting, and light fixtures that are not in the way.
Idea #4: Light Colors
Darker colours can keep a small space feeling tiny and closed-in, while lighter colours help to open up a room. A white, beige, light blue or any neutral will do. Try to keep it light in your furniture, décor, and how the walls are painted. Lighter colours also reflect light.
Idea #5: Use Mirrors
A large mirror bounces light around the room. Mirrors also give a visual trick of making it seem like you’re looking through a window into another room. It draws the eye away from the minimal square footage and blurs the line between perceived and actual areas.
Idea #5: Furniture with a Small Profile
No oversized furniture. Your furniture will make or break a living room. A couch that’s too large sabotages your ability to have a well-functioning, attractive living room. Avoid anything thick, chunky, and big. Browse the furniture store carefully for the appropriately sized items.
Idea #7: Floor Layout Lines Clean
No fluid or elaborate shapes in your layout or furniture. Try to keep sleek lines everywhere. A room that’s tight on space can’t afford to give up inches here and there to accommodate the unnecessary curves of a sofa.
Idea #8: Textures Create Interest
In addition to shapes in a small room, you can use textures to add interest. Do this by varying the materials you use for your living room furniture and décor, i.e. wood, metal, fabric, glass, stone, etc. A mix of textures will add depth. Best of all, they don’t have to take up any extra space.
Idea #9: Rugs Add Personality
An area rug can add a textile to your living room without taking up space. A rug like this can define the room. Even if you have a beautiful floor that you want to show off, a patterned area rug will trick the eye into grounding all your big furniture and give a room-inside-a-room effect that makes a small living room feel bigger than it is.
Idea #10: Mount Your Flat-Screen
No ifs, and, or buts. Mount your TV. If you decide to have a flat screen in your living room, you’ll save lots of space by mounting it. You can also easily mount a speaker system or Bluetooth soundbar and have the best entertainment amenities while saving on space.
Idea #11: Less Is More
Unless you’re a true maximalist and do not want to buy into the modern-minimalism trend, the phrase ‘Less is more’ applies here. The last thing you want is to overcrowd a small living room with too much furniture and décor.
Idea #12: Side Tables Over Coffee Tables
Even a small coffee table can still be quite a bit big. Many people are trying to maximize a small living room layout and reach for side tables instead. They can be quite small, easy to nestle around your seating, and generally more affordable than a coffee table.
Idea #13: Add Lively Plants To Your Room
Vibrant greenery brings life to a modern small living room. If you love plants, here’s an excuse to equip yourself with amazing houseplants. For people who don’t have a green thumb, succulents and air plants are very small and low-maintenance, yet they will help add excitement to your living room.
Idea #14: Multifunctional Living Room Furniture
Use multifunctional furniture to make the most of your space without sacrificing utility. A coffee table with storage space underneath. A couch that can be folded out into a guest bed. Modern hidden storage. You get the most from your living room with furniture that serves a dual purpose.
