The living room is often the center of daily life and living. This is where family or friends gather to spend cozy hours together. Even alone, the living room is usually the ideal retreat to enjoy the end of the day and relax from the hectic pace of everyday life. A cozy design of this very central room is therefore particularly important so that the living room can become an oasis of relaxation.
The furnishing ideas for small living rooms are diverse and adapt to a wide variety of tastes and styles. Whether classic or modern, rustic or playful - whatever you like is allowed and even the most individual design ideas can find space in a living room. However, sometimes your own ideas about the perfect feel-good room are limited by spatial conditions. A living room does not always offer enough space to realize all ideas and wishes and, especially in very small rooms, ingenuity is required when it comes to accommodating all the necessary and desired furnishings. But small often also means cozy and so there are cozy and stylish furnishing ideas even for very small living rooms that turn the center of your own four walls into an oasis of well-being.
Furnishing ideas for small living rooms – simple tricks that work!
These furnishing tips for small living rooms turn every room, no matter how small, into a real space miracle:
The living room is long and narrow and the floor plan is more reminiscent of a hose? The room can be visually stretched if the largest piece of furniture, such as the couch or a wall of shelves, is placed on the long side of the room. If the piece of furniture is positioned largely centered, it becomes a visual center and distracts from the length of the room.
Instead of a large coffee table, small table elements can also be used to the right and left of the sofa (see for exampleDelife). There is space for small lights and decorative items and the table elements also offer enough storage space for a book, coffee mug or other utensils that should not be missing during a relaxing evening in the living room. The area in front of the couch remains free and there is enough freedom of movement even in narrow rooms.
Furnishing ideas for small living rooms – Use the available space wisely
It is not uncommon for the living room in smaller apartments to be a kind of connecting room, which therefore lacks the necessary comfort. Sliding doors can provide a useful solution here. They close off the room without taking up valuable space when opening and closing, providing the flexibility that a small walk-through room requires.
Niches, projections and slopes usually further restrict the available space. With tailor-made built-in shelves, this effect is reversed, as even the smallest storage space can be used optimally. With a matching color coat of paint, such built-in shelves or cabinets even blend in perfectly with the rest of the wall design.
With a fitted lamp system, even dark and unused corners become a comfortable space, which also provides the ideal frame for pictures and other decorations. If you highlight all the unused corners in this way, you can usually even do without additional shelves in the room itself and save a lot of space.
Choose the right furniture
In small rooms, flexibility and combination skills are key. This especially applies to choosing the right furniture. Bulky and large pieces of furniture not only have difficulty finding space, but also visually reduce a limited space. Smaller and convertible pieces of furniture, on the other hand, create an airy atmosphere and offer a lot of flexibility. A comfortable two- or three-seater with additional armchairs and stools is much easier to adapt to small spaces than a large corner couch. Individual pieces of furniture also offer sufficient seating space and can be adapted to current circumstances and requirements if necessary.
If there is not enough space for a large seat such as a couch, several comfortable armchairs can also create the right feel-good factor. Armchairs with a fold-up function are ideal here, as they also offer the highest level of comfort on cozy evenings.
It is not uncommon for a low but wide window sill to be converted into a comfortable seat. With a few cushions and pillows in matching colors, you can create a comfortable seat that doesn't take up any additional space in the room. Alternatively, plants can also be attached to visually appealing hanging devices to the right and left of the window. In this position they can even be a replacement forCurtains and curtainsthat could otherwise overwhelm the space.
Use the height of the room
A room is measured not only in terms of floor area but also in height. Rooms with a small floor area but a generous ceiling height can therefore still appear large. The color design can be used to create additional visual space. In small but high rooms, dark and strong colors should only be used in the lower area. The upper third of the room and the ceiling can create more space if they are kept in light tones. This design tactic can have an enormous effect, especially in old buildings.
High rooms also offer the advantage that the areas near the ceiling can offer enormous additional storage space thanks to built-in shelves and intermediate shelves. Extension ladders provide easy and flexible access to additional storage areas and hardly take up any additional space.
Color design for small living rooms
Small living spaces also require a certain degree of sensitivityColor designconcerns. The brighter a room is, the larger and airier it appears. Caution is therefore advised when using dark and overly strong colors in small living spaces. Light natural tones create comfort and warmth without visually overwhelming the room. This is especially true for the upper areas of the room and the ceiling. If you don't want to do without strong colors completely, you can design individual wall areas in a contrasting tone. Smaller niches or projections are ideal here. A matching border in a strong color or pattern can also create an attractive accent without overloading the room in terms of color and pattern.
Choosing the right lighting for the living room
Light creates space and a feeling of airiness. This effect can work wonders, especially in small living spaces. Dark corners should therefore be avoided in confined spaces. It is much better if even small niches and built-in shelves can be illuminated separately. Both tasteful small reading lamps and built-in ceiling spotlights can be used excellently here. Depending on the furnishing style you choose, they support the spatial flair and can add decorative accents.
Floor lamps can be placed particularly well in corners and under high shelves and, depending on the model, illuminate both the upper and lower areas of the room. In this way, individual areas of the room can be cleverly showcased and the room gains visual depth. Don't be afraid to turn on some niche lighting during the day when the weather is cloudy. So the living room is always homely and radiates a lot of comfort.
Small rooms don't necessarily have to feel cramped. With the right design, they radiate coziness and become the ideal retreat for relaxation and cozy hours. Anyone who is faced with the challenge of furnishing a living space with limited space can use a few simple tricks to make a virtue out of necessity. This means that even the smallest living room becomes a real oasis of well-being and combines the highest level of living comfort with the necessary storage space.
