Love Your Living Room: Upsize a Small Space
Learn clever decorating tricks for giving your living room a more spacious feel and a bigger personality
A small living room can work just as hard or harder as a large space. Once you have all of your key living room furniture pulled together, try using one or more of these space-changing ideas. Done right, they can help upsize the personality and functionality of your living room.
Add extra seating. Stools or ottomans work wonderfully in small spaces. Easy to move in, out and around your living room, these multitasking pieces will never be out of work in a small living room.
Tip: If you can afford to, hire a decorator to design a custom-made ottoman. Ask for an ottoman that is soft enough to put your feet on but sturdy enough to hold a tray, and can also store books or blankets and tuck into a corner when necessary.
If you prefer to purchase off the floor, darker leather, vinyl and rattan are durable material choices. Make sure the height of the ottoman doesn't exceed the height of your existing sofa or chair seat cushions.
Tip: If you can afford to, hire a decorator to design a custom-made ottoman. Ask for an ottoman that is soft enough to put your feet on but sturdy enough to hold a tray, and can also store books or blankets and tuck into a corner when necessary.
If you prefer to purchase off the floor, darker leather, vinyl and rattan are durable material choices. Make sure the height of the ottoman doesn't exceed the height of your existing sofa or chair seat cushions.
Wallpaper your walls. A bold wallpaper in a small living room draws attention away from the size of the room and injects instant personality.
Tip: Wallpaper has come a long way in design and application. Removable wallpapers are easy to find — but do your homework, as some work better than others.
Applying two different wallpapers on adjacent walls can help make a room look bigger, too. Make sure the two papers are similar in color or pattern so the look doesn't feel too disjointed. Wallpapering just the ceiling is another clever visual trick, although you may want professional help for that.
Tip: Wallpaper has come a long way in design and application. Removable wallpapers are easy to find — but do your homework, as some work better than others.
Applying two different wallpapers on adjacent walls can help make a room look bigger, too. Make sure the two papers are similar in color or pattern so the look doesn't feel too disjointed. Wallpapering just the ceiling is another clever visual trick, although you may want professional help for that.
Change up your chair style. Instead of cramming a gigantic sofa into your living room, try combining a smaller seat with a couple of upholstered armless chairs. These take up less room than your standard lounge chair, and moving them around is easy.
Tip: If you have a small living room with space for just one sofa, bring chairs in from other rooms when you have guests — the armless slipper chair in your bedroom or a plush dining chair will work just fine, even if they spill into an adjacent room.
Tip: If you have a small living room with space for just one sofa, bring chairs in from other rooms when you have guests — the armless slipper chair in your bedroom or a plush dining chair will work just fine, even if they spill into an adjacent room.
Design a window seat. Extra seating is a bonus in any living room. If you have a window, you can maximize the view and the space with a window seat — even if you don't have a bay window.
Extra storage under the seat cushion is especially helpful in small spaces. Don't forget to use a good-quality insert in your seat cushion — your friends and family will thank you.
Tip: If cost is a factor and you have the space, a freestanding bench seat or love seat can give you a similar effect. Often backless, these furniture pieces don't take up as much room as a built-in. Add a few cushions and you'll have plenty of additional seating.
Extra storage under the seat cushion is especially helpful in small spaces. Don't forget to use a good-quality insert in your seat cushion — your friends and family will thank you.
Tip: If cost is a factor and you have the space, a freestanding bench seat or love seat can give you a similar effect. Often backless, these furniture pieces don't take up as much room as a built-in. Add a few cushions and you'll have plenty of additional seating.
Take your curtains to the ceiling. Whether you prefer curtains, draperies or blinds, window treatments can make a room appear larger. Position the curtain rods just under the cornice, as with the drapes in this inviting living room, to imply a larger sense of space.
Tip: Use a vertical striped fabric to accentuate the height of your ceilings. Don't use a stripe that's too thin, or it will lose its effect.
More:
The Narrowest House in the World?
Get ideas from beautiful small homes
Tip: Use a vertical striped fabric to accentuate the height of your ceilings. Don't use a stripe that's too thin, or it will lose its effect.
More:
The Narrowest House in the World?
Get ideas from beautiful small homes
To counterbalance a dark wall color, use lighter pieces of furniture and introduce metal and reflective surfaces, like the coffee table and light fixture in this room.
Tip: Getting just the right black can be tricky. Experiment with colors on one wall first. If you love one, paint the others in that color too. Keep in mind that cooler blacks tend to recede more than warmer blacks, and satin or low-sheen paints are more forgiving than semigloss paints. Your local paint shop is a terrific resource, so ask for help.
Houzz guides to working with black