How to decorate a small living room, tips and tricks

Decor

Planning a small living room doesn't have so to be difficult, in fact, it can be an opportunity to exercise your creativity. All you need is a few clever design tips and tricks to discover that size isn't everything.

In a small space, the first thing you have to decide on is the arrangement of the basic pieces, I mean, organizing the furniture, where will the sofa be; a rack or a bookcase; a single sofa or a sofa and armchairs? Will it be a conversation room? Or TV? Or both? This organization is what we call layout.

The right layout can make a space look bigger than it really is. The first tip is to know and follow the layout plan of the architectural project. If your property was designed by a professional, you'll have one of these.

If you don't have a floor plan, you can sketch it out very simply on graph paper to identify the measurements of your space. Don't have the drawing skills? Write down, for example: the sofa wall is 3.00m long; the width in front of the sofa wall is 3; and so on. This helps to avoid buying a piece that is too big or small for the space.

Keep everything cohesive

To ensure the room is harmonious, another recommendation is to take a photo of the pieces you want to buy, create or set up a design board.

When you see everything side by side, it makes it easier to see if there is balance and conversation between the items you want. Don't forget to add the colors of the floors and walls.

When working on small living room ideas, try to keep your colors cohesive when it comes to furniture, accessories and wall colors too. A cohesive color palette increases light, creating a tranquil and comfortable feeling.

Sticking to two or three key colors means that everything fits together perfectly and nothing will pop out too much, making it dominate the room.

Use the living room painting ideas to divide up the spaces within the room and add lots of plants to bring a sense of life to the room.

Here are some basic tricks

1. Go big with a rug

Many people think that in a small room the carpet should be small, and this is perhaps the worst design mistake you can make. Avoid a rug that sits like an island between your furniture, it will only make the space seem smaller.

But calm down, it's not a good idea to think that bigger is better. You need to ensure that the rug can accommodate the pieces of furniture, with an overlap of at least 15cm.

2. Embrace the washed-out color trend

Think of a pastel canvas, you have a lot of color, but all diluted. The washed-out color trend is a good idea for those who want to use many colors without weighing down a small room.

3. Go neutral

Another good trick is to paint everything in one color - a soft neutral, it will work in all lighting conditions and create a good backdrop to show your personality through fabrics, pictures and furniture

Not only soft neutrals, dark grays and navies can also look great in a small living room.

Neutral tones help a small room look bigger. Light-colored carpets, walls and furniture are a great way to keep a space bright and airy, regardless of the size of the room.

4. Contrast

Even small living room ideas can benefit from the power of contrast for a bit of interest and depth in the room.

Small inserts with contrasting colors in neutral spaces break up what for many is monotony.

5. No arms sofa

While choosing the best sofa may be a conventional furniture choice, if you're working with small living room sofas, it may be worth considering a lounger, sofa bed, armless sofa or cozy seat instead of small living room sofa ideas.

When choosing seating, think about how the space will be used, by whom and at what times of day.

6. Blinds

In a small space, it can be a smart move to change the window curtains and consider giving up the usual ideas. Instead, blinds can be a smart option to open up the space.

Changing the accessories in your living room can make a huge difference. Although curtains add an element of luxury to your relaxing space, if your living room is small, it may be worth swapping them for blinds

By freeing up wall space blinds make a room appear taller, this visually enlarges it

7. Color ceilings

Well, let's agree, this technique works well if you have high ceilings, otherwise I don't recommend it.

Paint the walls and skirting boards the same color so that your eyes aren't drawn to the corners of the room, which will create a sense of space.

8. Slender feet

Choosing a sofa or armchair supported by slender, open feet will help bring a feeling of light and space, to make even the smallest living rooms seem airy. When more of the floor is visible, the room looks bigger.

This trick lends itself well to any style of decor, from classic to boho, as many of the best sofas and armchairs are finished with beautiful turned wooden legs. The same idea works for sideboards, tea or coffee table, and cupboards, leaving the floor exposed.

9. Gallery wall

Frame photos, prints, wallpaper samples and pressed flowers to create something that brings personality.

The visual interest created by a set will draw attention away from the fact that the room is small and anchor the space.

10. Unfocused corners

The mind gets confused when the eye can see around corners, so it can't identify the end of the wall and doesn't know exactly how big the room is.

Tall floor plans or even having a table lamp in the corner of a room to distract the eye from the perimeter of the room.

121. Go big

A large piece of art can prevent the space from looking cluttered and busy while the rest of the space is kept bright and minimalist.

12. Light curtain

Try to maximize the use of natural light with floating, transparent and light curtains, rather than having something too heavy, and this will make the area around the window look more spacious.

13. Soft edges

Look for furniture with curved edges to compensate for any harsh angles. An oval or round coffee table softens the appearance of this small

14. Multifunction

Multifunctionality is the number one rule for making the most of a small living room. Furniture with more than one function is welcome.

15. Dark?

It's a common misconception that dark colors aren't suitable for a small room

In fact, it has the opposite effect. Painting the walls and ceilings of your living room dark gives a cozy feeling and helps to create an illusion similar to looking at the night sky, deceiving the eyes. The secret is to paint everything in the same color, "erasing the corners".

Only question is about the light, if you have little amount of natural light should think twice.

16. Mirror

It's the oldest trick, but it really works. The illusion of more space is instantaneous. When the mirror is large enough, as in this image, it simply doubles the space visually

17. Open the wall

A simple rectangle cut between the living room and the kitchen, or another space, will make them both look bigger without having to commit to an open-plan living room layout. What's more, you can still use the space for its intended purpose,

This is a trick that isn't for everyone, so before you go sledgehammering, find out what kind of structure is holding up your wall and roof.

There are apartments that cannot be cut. In the case of self-supporting masonry houses (weight-bearing walls) you need to call in a professional to do the job safely.

18. Masonry

A single piece along the entire length of the wall to receive the seat is an interesting strategy for lengthening the wall.

19. Sofa corner

Choosing sofas corner is the perfect way to prevent small living rooms from becoming too narrow, as well as providing an open and cozy space for entertaining.

20. Statement light

We've already mentioned that attracting the eye upwards by avoiding the corners being contemplated on first impression deceives your vision and enlarges the space. It is also very tasteful.