Small living spaces are cozy, affordable and more often than not, completely adorable. But when it comes to designing your diminutive space to make it just right for you, challenges abound. You’ll need to filter every decision, from what furniture to buy, how to arrange it, and even what colors to use, through the lens of small-space living. But it’s worth the extra effort, because a well-designed living room can transform a little nook into a thoughtful gathering space for the whole household.
Your main living area may not be large, but there are tons of ways to create an inviting space that feels like home, all the while maximizing storage and placement of your favorite items. In this article, we’ve included some of our favorite small apartment living room ideas for you to browse for inspiration. Fortunately, the beauty of creative freedom — and the power of the internet — mean no matter how small your living room is, there are plenty of decor ideas and layouts that can serve as the perfect solution for your living situation.
Small Space Design Tips
When it comes to small spaces, a few clever design tips can help you configure your living room in a way that tricks your eye into feeling like it’s plenty spacious. Kathy Kuo, CEO and Founder of Kathy Kuo Home, shares some of her favorite small apartment living room ideas directly below. The 40 additional tips in this post are a mix of Kuo’s tips and tips gleaned from AT house tours.
Make smart choices with color: Use white paint on walls, trim, and the ceiling to make your room feel more spacious.
Make sure your rug fits your space well: Going too small will make the space feel more cramped.
Make use of reflective surfaces: Mirrors can make a room feel larger.
Curate your finishing touches: Aim for a well-edited collection of a few accessories; too many small pieces can make the room feel cluttered.
Prioritize furniture pieces that are multi-use: Borrow from the minimalist design philosophy: Any time you get several functions out of one item, you free up additional space and reduce clutter. Benches with hidden storage or nesting tables are a great way to save space and create versatility.
Small Living Room Layout
1. Use rugs to define spaces in a studio.
When you have a microscopic living room that isn’t quite defined in a studio apartment, rugs can help delineate a space. In this artsy New York studio, a large red rug sketches out the office space, which helps separate the small living area by the window.
2. Skip the coffee table in place of an ottoman or pouf.
This space in Cambridge, Massachusetts is by no means a small living room, but let’s pretend for a second that it is to learn a thing or two from it. These homeowners smartly used an ottoman in place of a coffee table — and opting for alternative seating like ottomans or poufs over larger furnishings is a smart way to still have a spot to place a drink or remote but be able to move things easily (and of course, create more seating).
3. Use the windowsills.
If you have windows in your tiny living room, put those windowsills to work holding books, plants and other decorative objects as in this sunny Brooklyn living room.
4. Use the power of the tuck.
The main goal of any small living space is always to use every area as efficiently as possible. And the area under your coffee table (considering yours doesn’t have shelving) can be prime real estate! Mimic the clever space from this wine country home, where poufs that serve as additional seating are tucked neatly beneath the coffee table.
5. Don’t be scared of quirky set ups.
Just because this area’s called a “living room” doesn’t mean it can’t serve a purpose beyond just lounging. The roommates in this Oakland apartment actually squeezed a washing machine in the corner of their living room. Although unexpected, the white unit almost blends into the space, since it’s close in color to the walls. It even features a fabric accent that matches the living room sofa.
6. Embrace a multipurpose room.
Not enough space for a separate dining room, living room, and breakfast nook? Follow the example of this dreamy, pink-walled Washington DC studio and carve those areas out of one room. With the right sized furniture, this decorating strategy can make a layout look more like a deliberately open floor plan — not just a one room apartment.
7. Elevate an alcove.
Even a tiny alcove, like in this New York apartment, can work as the perfect living room. Emphasize the coziness of a small footprint with soft textures and calming colors, both of which can make a tiny area feel intentionally small.
8. Utilize under-bench storage.
It’s not just the natural tones and abundant light that make this small living room seem much bigger; it’s also the skilled use of storage for excess items. The renters in this Toronto apartment have stowed several baskets under a small bench to keep clutter out of the way.
9. Go long.
Looking for small apartment living room ideas for a narrow room? Look to this sleek Brooklyn apartment for a layout that’s perfect. To cop a similar look, search for furniture with small dimensions and leggy, airy pieces that don’t have a lot of visual weight. Place key furnishings like your sofa and large bookcases against the wall to take advantage of every square inch of floor space.
Very Small Living Room Ideas
10. Use color to define spaces.
When you’re trying to carve a living room out of a smaller studio space, you can always use color blocking to your advantage. This Brooklyn renter anchored her sofa with a hunter green wall, which makes the space that also contains her bed look like two separate rooms. She kept the look as airy as possible by restricting her living room furniture to the bare minimum — just a couch, coffee table, and two pretty magenta pink stools.
