50 Decorating ideas for small living rooms – simple tricks that work!
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The importance of the living room is inarguable. It is the stage of our daily life and activities. It is the place where we gather with friends and family and spend time together. It is also the place for a quiet evening after a long day and this is why we need to take care of the design of this room. There are numerous decorating ideas for small living rooms, various styles and designs and you need to think of an individual approach for the interior of your tiny living room. Classic, modern, rustic , playful – get the chance to express yourself and create your personal relaxing space. It is true – quite often, especially in urban dwellings, we have a limited space and most often living rooms are not as big and spacious as we would wish. This is when creativity and imagination and come to aid as well as helpful decoration ideas for small living rooms and the limited space can be designed in a way to make you feel cozy.
Decorating ideas for small living rooms – basic rules for space saving furniture
There are a few simple rules for the decoration ideas for small living rooms and you can take advantage of space saving furniture which will provide all you need to feel comfortable and yet the room will not look cluttered. Long and narrow living rooms will look even longer and narrower if you arranged a large piece of furniture, like a sofa or a wall shelving system, on the long side of the room. It is recommended that such pieces of furniture are placed in the center of the room as this will create an optical illusion for a more compact space. When furnishing and decorating tiny living rooms try to avoid massive furniture pieces. It is better to use smaller pieces which combine several functions so that you have enough free space to manoeuvre around the furniture. For example, a two leveled coffee table can be used as storage space.
Decorating ideas for small living rooms – how to use the available space creatively
It happens that sometimes the living room is a transition room and people find it difficult to create a cozy and welcoming atmosphere. In addition, slope ceilings or niches limit the available space even more. In such cases, sliding doors will be a very good idea to close the tiny living room from the rest of the home. First, you will have the feeling of coziness, the place shall be separated from the rest of the home, so visitors will not be able to walk around if you do not want them to, and second – with a sliding door you will save a valuable space in the room. Niches can be transformed into shelves where you can display family photos or beautiful decorative pieces.
Try to avoid dark colors as they narrow the space optically. Light, natural tones create comfort and warmth as well as a relaxed atmosphere. Light blue shades, green tones, pale gray or neutral colors will do the trick. If you are a fan of bold colors but you have a small living room, you still may experiment. A large floral, stripes, matching strong colors from same palette – it is all up to your individual taste. Remember that horizontal stripes visually widen a tiny and narrow room and vertical stripes will make a low ceiling seem taller.
Use the walls in a creative way. Except for displaying art, you can use them for storage and they will provide more storage space than you think. Walls are perfect for shelves or built-in cabinets. Be flexible and remember that bulky and large pieces of furniture are not only hard to place, but also optically limit the space. It is worth remembering that less is more, especially when we talk about a tiny living room.
Make the best of your windows and choose window treatments which will let natural light in. Use mirrors – they will double the light and enlarge the space visually. Use the corners for floor lamps and add recessed lighting under the shelves. Spotlights are another excellent option.
Minimalist interiors are quite suitable for a small living space. The fact that the number of furniture pieces is minimal this style successfully can hide the lack of space. Designers advise that you choose multi-functional furniture, for example a sofa bed or a transforming table which you can use as a coffee table. Comfortable wall furniture will give you maximum comfort it as it does not take much space and can combine various functions – chest of drawers, wardrobe, mini bar, shelves for souvenirs and photos.