Small Living Room Design Ideas

If you have a small living room, chances are you also have small furniture and fixtures to match. But this doesn't have to be your final resort if you do have a small living room. Designing a small living room may be a challenge, but it is quite fulfilling when you see the finished product of a small living room design that fits your small space and lifestyle.

1. Use lighter shades of green, blue and yellow for your walls. These lighter colors or pastels help open up the room and give it a more airy feel. If you want a cozier feel to your living room, use darker shades of red, blue and brown.

2. To help further open up the room, use mirrors and glass table tops. Mirrors reflect light and give the illusion of a larger room. Make sure that the mirror reflects a view or an ornamental item to enhance the room. Use glass table tops to give your small living room an open feel, rather than using hard wood table that further shrinks the room.

3. Avoid using heavily printed upholstery for your seating and sofa. Use light, monochromatic colors that match. Avoid mix and match of colors as well, as it makes the room look smaller and tight.

4. Use light gauzy and filmy fabrics for your window treatments. These fabrics let natural light pass through and adds more personality to your living room. Do not overdo and avoid using heavily printed fabrics in a small living room design.

5. If you want to accessorize your small living room, choose the items that will compliment your furniture and fixture. And make sure these items are also functional to help you keep the room spacey and clutter-free.

6. Choose the right-sized fixtures and accessories. Do not over-decorate your small living room; instead, look for items that will help make the room look bigger. Choose reflective items such as a good-sized glass-top coffee table, a wall mirror and a few functional items that add style and class to your small living room design.

Using these four designer secrets and small living room decorating ideas can make all the difference between feeling cozy or feeling cramped in your space.

When you have only one room where you relax, watch TV, read and entertain it can be quite challenging to decorate to maximize the space and accomplish all these goals.

There's great news for you. When you use these decorating solutions you won't need a lot of space to create a functional and stylish room. The trick is to enlarge your small room by using design techniques that fool the eyes.

#1: Furniture Arrangement

Multipurpose furniture designed to fit the space helps you maximize the limited square footage.

Sleeper sofa sectionals are more practical than a sofa and a bed when your small living room is in a studio apartment. You get a stylish living area by day and a comfortable bedroom at night...all in one room.

Furniture elevated on slender legs and armless sectionals and chairs help make your space feel more open and airy.

#2: Color Ideas

Outfitting your room with furnishings in a color similar to the wall color makes the space feel larger. Adding colorful and textured accessories creates a sense of breadth.

Borrow space from an adjoining room by visually connecting the rooms with similar materials. Using one flooring material or wall color creates flow from room to room and makes your living room feel more spacious.

#3: Lighting Ideas

Use light creatively to make your small room feel more expansive.

Hang colorful curtains on the windows or create wall cutouts into other rooms to draw the eye outside the living room.

Add materials such as mirrors, glass and metals that reflect light to give the illusion of more space.

Make the room appear taller by painting the ceiling a very light shade of blue reminiscent of the sky or paint the ceiling with high gloss paint to give the impression of height.

Add a skylight to create a sense of depth or install recessed lighting to bring more light into the room without taking up a lot of space.