Don’t want to sacrifice space for looks? Here are 17 life-changing ideas on small apartment living room design to not only make your home feel bigger, but to make it look good as well!
Feeling overwhelmed & helpless designing your small apartment living room? It’s totally understandable! Just know that you’re not alone & won’t be left alone if you keep reading!
Small spaces can really discourage home owners. To create a harmonious outcome that’s just as good for the soul, as for the eyes, you must know all basic principles of small apartment interior design. You’ll also need some seriously good, trustworthy tips & tricks!
But with the lack of resources made specifically for small apartment owners, it’s a real struggle to tailor a small living room to your need! Let alone make it look appealing AND also make sure you have enough living & storage space while doing so!
This guide will teach you 17 life-changing ideas on small apartment living room design, that’ll make sure you don’t have to sacrifice space for an effective, beautiful room.
SMALL APARTMENT LIVING ROOM DESIGN : THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE
01. Develop a contemporary style
There’s no other interior design style that could suit your small apartment than contemporary! With its clean lines, sophisticated textures, abstract & geometric shapes, a love for curves, and a contrasting color palette featuring neutral tones it’s guaranteed to make your space feel much bigger & airier!
So you should definitely consider furnishing & decorating your small apartment living room keeping its key principles in mind!
That is, get an area rug with abstract shapes, a nice brown leather sofa, white upholstered armchairs, a wood side table & coffee table. This will create a very simplistic foundation to work with.
To establish an eventful, but still clean outcome, you’ll want to introduce geometric shapes through your throw pillows & printable wall art. Prioritize white, black & shades of brown here!
02. Structure your living room – but keep it open
Giving a strong structure for your living room is essential in making any small space seem large. Although an open layout is highly recommended in a small apartment, that doesn’t mean the different “rooms” have to blend in together!
Rather, try to create clear boundaries for each room – within the constraints of an open layout naturally! This means no room dividers, no walls, no bookshelves, no sliding doors & no glass panels!
So what can you do to structure your space? You can effortlessly do it with the right furniture layout!
Get two accent chairs & either place both of them perpendicularly to your sofa, or diagonally, rotated in a 45 degree angle on each side. You can also get the same room divider effect if you place only one armchair in a corner where your areas meet, or in one of the top corners of your area rug.
A console table placed behind your sofa is also a great way of dividing your living room from your dining room.
03. Don’t be shy to add textures
Incorporating lots of textures into your small apartment living room design is one of the most important ideas you’ll ever come across! Textured items alone serve as focal points, but when paired with other intriguing textures, they instantly transform your space into some real eye candy!
And we know that the most exciting a small space design is, the less the eyes focus on the size of it!
So grab the attention & enlarge your space with hollow wicker, textured wool, hammered metal, weathered wood, soft cotton or handmade leather furniture. A fringed area rug, 3D wall panels or 3D metal wall art, textured canvas art & a textured throw pillow set will enhance your already gorgeous design.
04. Draw the eyes in with a statement chandelier
A statement chandelier should be a part of every small apartment living room! Whether you want a mid-century light fixture, a multiple light globe chandelier or a modern crystal chandelier, you’ll be able to bring so much life into your design!
Such an extravagant choice of lighting will instantly become an attraction in your home! No one will be able to take their eyes off of it! And this is exactly what you want, because this will make you forget about the size of your space, visually enlarging it!
For best results, put up a mirror right behind your statement chandelier to “double it”! This simple trick will further create the illusion of a bigger space & will also provide more depth in your design!
05. Utilize every corner
If you think you simply can’t create something useful from a tiny corner in your apartment, here’s your reminder that you totally can!
In a small apartment living room, every inch of space is of high value. You just have to find the perfect purpose for each nook & corner! Here are a few simple ideas to maximize space in your corners!
Place a ladder shelf into a corner & rotate it towards the sofa for easier access & more storage space! Get a tiered corner cabinet & use it simultaneously as a side table & storage!
Have a DVD tower from those nostalgic times? Put it in a tiny corner & use it as a bookshelf instead!
However, the most useful solution out there for small space corners is undoubtedly a tiered rotating storage rack! You can use the top tier as a side table, while the lower ones will hide your clutter nicely!
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06. Disguise your TV
That black TV screen is such a mood ruiner! Especially if your accent wall features it! However, there’s a simple solution that’ll help transform your small apartment living room design! And that is to display some suitable art on your TV screen!
Match the colors, style & patterns of your chosen piece of art to the rest of the composition. And that’s how you can turn your TV into something of high aesthetical value easily!
07. Make your living room face other areas
Want your whole apartment to feel more inviting & cozy? Then you’ll love this idea: make your living room face your other areas!
If you open up your small apartment layout this way, you’ll be able to achieve a warmer ambience without trying too hard. Especially when you have guests over, will you feel the advantages of such a layout!
You’ll feel more connected to the other areas in your home, compared to a layout where the living room is turned away & divided from them. So if you’d love to open up your areas to each other a bit more, definitely try this hack!
08. Patterns never hurt nobody -as long as they have something in common!
If you’ve been researching small apartment living room design ideas diligently, you might have come across an article that discourages you from using patterns. But here’s your confirmation: you shouldn’t be afraid of them!
Patterns provide more tiny focal points for your design. When incorporated into your decor (wall art, throw pillow covers, armchairs) properly, they’ll do more good than harm. And there’s only one thing to keep in mind here: as long as those patterns all have something in common, you’ll be good!
Even if their style is similar & they work work the same shapes, it’s highly recommended that you focus on color more though! If you introduce lots of colors alongside the patterns, it’s going to look tacky & could even visually narrow down your space!
So keep a consistent color theme when introducing patterns, try to find patterned items in a similar style & design, and nothing will go wrong!
09. Fill it up with life
Filling your space up with life will add so much to your small apartment living room design! Plants are not only beneficial for your well-being, but they can also enhance & pull together your small apartment decor!
They energise your space & contribute to an airy design! So grab your favourite potted plants & flowers in decorative vases and place them all over your apartment! On your shelves, your coffee table, kitchen island & window sills!
10. Create an accented backdrop
You already know how important accents are in a small apartment, so here’s another great accent idea: create an accented backdrop to your living room!
No matter if you go with a textured 3D wall panel, peel and stick wallpaper with intricate pattern or you have your walls painted or upholstered, the outcome is not going to disappoint!
As for the ideal placement of your new attraction, it would be best to create it behind your sofa. This will let you have more creative freedom: you’ll be able to contrast the color of your sofa with the color of your accent wall. And we know that contrast cause a space to seem larger!
However, the wall opposite of your sofa can be just as good for this purpose, so the decision is yours!
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11. Install an along-the-wall shelf
Not only is an along-the-wall shelf an exceptional storage solution, but it also lends your small apartment living room such a streamlined look!
You’ll definitely need one if you’re looking for a fun, unique way to display your decorative items! Those regular shelves just ain’t it, right? Well, you can’t say the same about an along-the-wall shelf, that’s for sure! Such an attention-drawing element in your home will make you instantly focus less on how small it is, contributing to the feeling of more space!
However, if you have lots of clutter laying around, go with regular storage solutions that offer to hide your unused items. You’ll be better off with them!
12. Set up your living room where natural light is present abundantly
Can’t find the absolute best spot to create your living room in? To achieve the perfect small apartment living room design ever, you’ll need to set up your living room where there’s no scarcity of natural light!
But why is natural light so important in small spaces? Because they energise your space, create a warm ambience that evokes positive feelings & these are huge advantages you could use in a small, otherwise depressing space. And natural light also brings out textures & colors well, helping you perceive it as it is!
All in all, when there’s enough natural light, the size of your space is the last thing you’ll pay attention to!
Try to set up your living room right next to a balcony, tall windows or glass doors! It’s even better if you amplify all that natural light with mirrors & reflective surfaces!
13. Complementary colors create focal points elegantly
If you haven’t heard about complementary colors, it’s time that you do! Complementary colors are colors that sit opposite of each other on the color wheel. Some examples are yellow & purple, blue & green and pink & green.
These colors are super eye-cathing when used together, so you’ll face no problems bringing new focal points to life with them. However, to achieve a room enlarging effect, you’ll want to pay attention to HOW you incorporate them into your design.
First, you’ll need a super minimal foundation: white walls, basic wood flooring, simplistic coffee & side tables.
Then, you’ll want to choose one of the complementary colors as a “main color”. You’ll incorporate this color into your design through your furniture, like your sofa. The other one will be used for smaller pieces of furniture, like your armchairs or vases.
If you’re feeling brave, choose another complementary of your sofa’s color to introduce into your design. You’ll do it through purely decorative details!
For a green sofa like in this illustration, that will be pink & blue! See how the artist chose an area rug that has all three colors? You’ll want to do the exact same thing in your small apartment living room, so feel free to copy!
14. Opt for built-in storage
Built-in storage is so much better for small spaces than regular storage solutions! They offer just as much space, but they do so with the promise to take the spotlight off of your stored items.
The fact that built-in shelves & a built-in closet is sunken into the walls means that anything you put on them will be away from the eyes, helping one perceive less of it. If those items are decorative, they’ll still provide a nice backdrop for your living room. However, if it’s mainly clutter you put up there, it won’t be too striking!
And this lets you focus on your small living room design, rather than the size of the space, making it feel less crowded!
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15. Bring in shapes modestly
Small spaces love shapes! But if you don’t have the space, don’t try to mismatch huge pieces of furniture with versatile shapes! For an elegantly eventful small apartment living room design, you’ll want to introduce different shapes modestly!
But what does that mean exactly?
If you’re not very familiar with interior design principles, you’ll probably want to avoid weidly-shaped pieces of furniture in your small home. Don’t pair a curved sofa with a rectangular coffee table, for example. This is only going to make your space feel much smaller & unintentional!
Rather, introduce contrasting shapes through purely decorative items! Small sculptures, table lamps, abstract figurines & statues, throw pillows, vases or candles! These will instantly draw the eyes in, no matter how small they are! These tiny, yet mighty details have the ability to pull together your whole design, so no need to go overboard!
16. Your rug choice matters more than you’d think!
Did you know your rug choice could basically make or break the look? Well, better sooner than later!
An area rug that’s disproportionally small for your small apartment living room layout, you’ll achieve a super awkward look. It also condenses your whole living room into one tiny point, so if you don’t want to narrow down your space, definitely don’t go with a small rug!
However, if it’s too large for your furniture layout, you’ll be left with a small apartment living room design that enlarges that rug even more & dwarfs your space!
So you’ll have to be really attentive to details when deciding on an area rug for your living room! The beauty of your whole design & a positive perception of space are at stake!
If you’d like to know how to find the perfect size rug, read this guide by Style By Emily Henderson!
17. Prioritize glass & metallic surfaces
If you’ve ever wondered how to easily make your space seem bigger, here’s your answer: you only need reflective surfaces!
Prioritize a glass & metal coffee table, a narrow silver & glass bookcase, a mirrored tray for your coffee table, clear glass vases, a floor lamp with glassware shade & chrome table lamps!
These reflective materials make you perceive double the decor, visually enlarging your space. So you’ll definitely want to swap out some of your furniture for their shinier counterparts!
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