Not all homes are built to include a large and spacious living room. Many space-challenged apartments and houses even have to double the living room as the dining area or the home office. But, with proper planning and space-enhancing techniques, small living rooms can be just as beautiful, organised and welcoming as larger ones. Here are small living room ideas and designs that can turn a cramped room into one that is cosy and inviting, the crowded space into roomy and delightful.  See if you can find one for your next upgrade;

1.       One Sofa Living Room

This small living room comes big in style. Its main feature is the classic light brown leather sofa. To complement the sophisticated look are the diamond patterned rug, vintage standing lamp and the sleek centre table. The minimalist glass pane divider gives the space a contemporary look.

2.       Rustic Meets Mediterranean

The light and airy Mediterranean look is subdued with a touch of rustic. The white and azure blue interiors is bright, welcoming and creates an illusion of space. But the character of the room is centred on the vintage brass chandelier and the stripped wood panel feature.

3.       Light Tones Monochrome

Using light monochrome helps smaller rooms look larger. This living room uses shades of dusky greys and light tans with pops of deep blues. The large uncurtained windows let the light in, while the minimalist centre table saves space and accommodates extra seats.

4.       Wall Entertainment Centre

Do not waste the vertical space of your walls. When pressed for space, use a wall for the entertainment centre. Installing a couple of floating shelves will provide enough storage and display space. Go for a sleek, wall-installed TV for space efficiency and modern look.

5.       Clear Windows

Opening small rooms will extend the vision and create an illusion of bigger space. This living room converted an entire wall into one large window and painted the room in white. The large window lets in maximum lighting. The light blue-grey seating and the gold standing lamp break the monotony and give the room its posh and comfy vibe.

6.       Corner Set

This space-challenged living room makes the best of what’s available by going for a corner seating arrangement. Using one corner saves traffic space. The open glass window and the mirror wall feature both help the room to look larger. While it is small, this living room packs in style with interesting accents – black cube centre table, colourful throw pillows and the glass dome lighting.

7.       White Efficiency

The most commonly used trick to make small living room ideas and designs look larger is by painting the walls and ceiling white. This room lets in the light thru the open glass window and keeps it consistent with white comfortable sofa. One wall is installed with shelves for storage, effectively saving up floor space.

8.       Corner Floating Shelves

The living room often doubles as the display or gallery area, most especially in smaller homes and apartments. These corner floating shelves provide enough space for your bric-a-brac, pictures and other stuff. Its minimalist design makes the shelves blend with the wall, which helps avoid the cramped space look.

9.       Blue Minimalist

Blue is bright, cool and pleasant. Mixing the right blue tones with complementary shades, it is a great colour option for the living room. The light grey walls are complemented with a cobalt rug and matching throw pillows. The minimalist wood and silver centre table affords continuity of sight, while the blue ocean inspired wall art is fascinating and provides an interesting aspect to the room.

10.   Seascape

The seascape theme of this living room makes you forget its small and stripped, furnished with only the essentials – a small sectional sofa, a round centre table and a futon. A bright sea blue rug adds colour, while the shaggy futon and shell wall decors provide a charming and eccentric touch to the space.

11.   Pops of Yellow

Bright, beautiful and charming! The prominently white living room looks larger than it is. It’s because of the overall light tones of the room. The grey sectional looks inviting, while the fluffy rug and blanket and the gold-accented decors give the room opulence. But, it is the pops of sunshine yellow that lifts the room from okay to enchanting.

12.   Open Ended

It is important to manage traffic when you have limited space. For smaller living rooms that are usually heavy on foot traffic, keep the flow of light and traffic free by having both ends open, where people can move freely from one end to the other. This living room has a large window at one end and an open space at the other, with bulky items kept against the wall and out of the way.

13.   Functional Side Tables

Multi-functional furniture can save you much space and money. This storage and side table is designed for small spaces. Its slim built will easily fit into cramped spaces. Its top box and undershelf also serve as storage for living room items like magazines and remote controls.

14.   Patterned Monochrome

Monochrome palettes are common to small living room ideas and designs. To give bland living rooms depth and character, you can always add interesting accents and patterns. This white and cream living room injected a lot of intricate patterns and metal accents to give it a rich and classy mood.

15.   Latticed Partition

Defining the space will help make the room look complete and put-together. When you have ample space and prefer the open floor plan, the trick to separate rooms is to leave spaces in between. But, when you’re limited on space, go with dividers and separators. This streamlined lattice partition effectively defines the room without cutting the line of vision or cramping the room.

16.   Marvellous Mauve

You can go chic and fabulous without the space. This amazing mauve living room packs on style! This room is a collection of beautiful and precious personal pieces. The unique colour tone of the sofa is charming and is the perfect backdrop to the fab accents of the room – fuzzy rug, textured throw pillows, gold accents and the ornate wall feature.

17.   Striped Rug

Lines are used to direct the eye and to create illusion of space, length or height. This living room uses the bold stripes of its rug to lead the eye towards the window, lengthening the room and making it more spacious than it really is. The floor-length curtains also help make the ceiling look higher. Also, the white interiors brighten the room making it look larger than its actual size.

18.   Eclectic Collection

This is a fun and informal living room, that is also cool and stylish. The mismatched seats, throw pillows, patterns and diverse collection of frames give the room a relaxed and light mood. But the complementary shades of blues and greys keep it composed and put-together.

19.   Cosy Pinks and Greys

What this cosy living room lack in space makes it up with comfort and style. The matching pink and grey tones are easy on the eyes. Small details including the miniature wall rack, patterned pillows and framed accents add character. While the large wall mirror and wide-open window extends the room to make it look bigger that is really is.

20.   Stow Away Stools

You can keep additional seats without hampering space. These bright and handy stools can be kept under the centre table when not in use, turning the plain glass tabletop into a colourful patterned spot. The bleached denim patterned rug is an amazing addition to any living room.

21.   Discreet Shelves

Another tip to create space in small living room ideas and designs is by adding hidden shelves. Shelves and storage spaces are important to any room in the house. They keep the room neat and organised. Use this slim and discreet shelf behind the sofa and against the wall to hold accents and other living room items.

22.   Sunny Nook

Find the sunniest part of the house and use it as your living room. This smallish living room looks big because of the glass wall, the light curtains that let in enough light and because of the minimal furnishings of the room – one sofa, one comfy chair and a stool. The miniature nesting tables that serve as the centre table are movable. Styling points to the bright grey and yellow theme that is perky, optimistic and fun!

23.   Mid-Century Chic

This streamlined mid-century styled living room is also current, efficient and gorgeous. The design skipped the fluff and bright accents. It used comfortable seating, sensible rug and practical tables. Clean white walls, minimalist art frames and the books as accents. The twig arrangement adds a touch of whimsy to the down-to-earth design.

24.   Ashy Aquamarine

Cool, modern, beautiful. This Scandinavian living room is a comfortable minimalist. The unique ashy shade of aquamarine is light enough to brighten the room, without the blinding effect of start whites. Interesting accents include the aquamarine dome light matched with a silver dome stand lamp. Space is maximised with the use of scaled-down furnishings.

25.   Colourful Mediterranean

A predominantly light monochrome colour theme helps a room look bigger. This small living room uses a lot of whites and greys to achieve that effect. And for character and warmth, a bright patterned rug and golden poufs are added. Colourful and fun!

26.   Skylights

Convert a small and dark living room into an inviting, bright and beautiful spot with a skylight! A skylight in the living room will not only let ample lighting in, it will also extend the vision and make the room look bigger. Intricate patterns and skylight designs will make yours an amazing and exciting conversation starter.

27.   Glass Centre Table

One trick to make small rooms appear larger is to keep the centre open and the line of vision uninterrupted. Using glass centre tables will achieve this effect in small living rooms. The unique round wall feature and the silver ball accent add shine and light into the room.

28.   Concrete Greys

Modern, minimalist and refreshingly uncomplicated. The simplicity and straightforward styling achieves an efficient and contemporary look that is also elegant and beautiful. Walls and floors are left bare, windows open and accents minimal. But the sofa is comfortable and inviting.

29.   Wall of Frames

When your living room space is only enough for few seats and a table, make use your wall space. Your living room walls can double as your gallery to showcase framed images of special moments, works of art and family portraits.

30.   Stripped Floor

Leaving your living room bare is contemporary, trendy and sensible. This ultramodern living room features cool grey walls, stripped hardwood floor and black furnishings. Bright floor pillow seats are added for comfortable seating and pops of colour.

31.   Hide Away Shelves

Rooms in smaller homes are often multipurpose. The living room usually doubles are the dining room, the study area or the home office. Keep your living room neat and organised with the help of some hidden shelves. These built-in shelves will provide ample storage and easily hide the clutter when necessary.

32.   Scandinavian Pastels

Pretty, clean and delightful. Scandinavian interiors are notable for its efficiency, minimalism and cool colours. The light interiors of this living room use a lot of whites and pastel shades. The hardwood flooring is left bare and exposed, in keeping with the streamlined design.

33.   Round Centre Table

Do away with corners and facilitate foot traffic with a round centre table. This small and unconventional living room features space-enhancing white walls, wide windows and light curtains. A collection of dissimilar seats, white patterned rug and dainty accents add a dose of cheery charm.

34.   Gold and Preppy

Streamlined, comfortable and posh. This elemental living room has all the essentials, nothing more. A sofa, a centre table, functional lamps and a side table. What the room lack in flounces are made up with tasteful and classy pieces – gold accents, bright patterned rug and ornate wall art piece. Elegant and smart!

35.   Mirrored Wall

Easily extend the illusion of space by adding a mirror wall. This technique is common to small living room ideas and designs. This wood framed mirror wall feature instantly makes the living room appear larger and adds a good dose of rustic charm to the space.

36.   Wheeled Centre Table

Bring in the garden into your living room! This wheelbarrow inspired centre table is fascinating, gorgeous and practical. The live plants, interesting accents and bright throw pillows add colours and perky vibe to the room. And the wheeled centre table can be easily moved as needed.

37.   Classic Hamptons

Before huge minimalist living rooms become trendy, cosy and comfortable living rooms were in fashion. Go back to the classics with these elegant Hamptons style living room. White walls, black accents and striped throw pillows bring back old-fashioned indulgence. The reed floor rug and baskets infuse a touch of pastoral charm.

38.   Black to White

The interior colours of this living are white, black and all shades in between. So modern, streamlined and stunning! Except for the round accent rug, frills and flounces are skipped, keeping the walls and floors stripped and bare. The sofa is large and luxurious, while the rest of the room is functional, efficient and sensible.

39.   Wall Shelves

Make a small living room appear bigger by clearing its centre. This small living room appears spacious despite its minuscule size. All storage and stuff – frames and knickknacks are placed against the walls, keeping the centre of the room open. The homogenous and clean walls and floors keep the room from looking messy and cluttered.  

40.   Creative Mod

Colourful, perky and cute! This tiny living room is big on style. Pops of bright colour dot the room – on the wall and the sofa. A tiny footstool serves as the centre table. The light and bare walls and floor serve as the perfect backdrop to the fun prints and colourful artworks.

41.   Floor Cushions

The sofa and other living room chairs are usually bulky and take a lot of space. This minimalist living room limits the furnishings to a three-seater, a chair and a low centre table. Additional seating is provided by the floor cushions. With its glass wall and colourful cushions, this room is bright, spacious and inviting.

42.   Multi-Purpose Centre Table

Need a home office but don’t have much room for a desk? Multi-purpose items are popular additions to small living room ideas and designs. This sensible living room centre table also serves as a computer or writing desk, a storage for odd stuff and an even as a footstool. The clean minimalist design and stripped wood and metal construction adds a touch of industrial vibe into the room.

43.   Brick Wall

The rough brick wall of this one-sofa living room gives the impression of being outside, in the garden, in an open space. Ample lighting and light colour tones complements the outdoorsy vibe. Plant accents and fun prints give the space a refreshing fun look.

44.   Bohemian Chic

Artistic, rebel, cool! Strike away bland minimalism with this comfortable and welcoming living room. Tufted leather sofa, gypsy prints, shaggy rug and accents and cactus plants are all surprising elements put together. But the truly noteworthy and rebellious piece in the room is the upcycled pallet centre table. 

45.   Farmhouse Delight

Bluebells and daffodils. This charming blue and yellow living room evokes the beauty and idyllic serenity of a garden. The reed mat and basket magazine holder, low centre table and teacup accents are charming reminders of pastoral living. The white siding walls and open glass wall keep the small room from looking cramped and crowded.

46.   Rustic Mallorca

Modern rustic vibe with the warmth and simplicity of Mallorca interiors. The stone walls and floor are left bare except for the grey rug to define the space. A lot of natural wood tones and stone accents conjure the warm Spanish air.

47.   Candy Colours

Bright, entertaining and stimulating! The fusion of candy pastels against the white wall gives this living a lift from the ordinary and boring to the fun and exciting. Add in a lot of funky patterns and prints to complete the look. Nobody will notice how small this living room is!

48.   Edgy Industrial

Edgy and darkly modish, this space has a lot of personality. Befitting someone with a similar temperament – decisive, mentally strong and confident. Not one for frills, the walls are left bare and the floor features a grey industrial carpet and lots of black metal accents. The only piece of indulgence and comfort is the luxurious brown leather sofa.

49.   Shabby Coastal Chic

This living is light, clean and comfy. The grey and white plush sofa is welcoming and comforting. The light grey interiors are complemented with pops of teal and turquoise. The driftwood ladder accent, the reed basket, seagrass rug and the celeste chest centre table all bring the cool coastal atmosphere into the room.

50.   Romantic Industrial

Chic, pretty and modern. The edgy industrial vibe is softened by inflections of pink – sofa, stand lamp and huge bloom accent. This is a smart and strong woman’s living room. Comfortable, beautiful, trendy and sensible.

Do you have any elegant, stunning, and beautiful small living room ideas and designs to add? Why not discuss it on our RenoForum!