A guide to compact living room design: from efficient layout to proper lighting.

Layout

Before you start renovating and organizing the surrounding space, you should pay attention to all the planning nuances of a small room.

The layout of a small square living room is quite symmetrical and harmonious. In such a room, any furniture can be conveniently placed along the walls or in the center.

The layout of a small rectangular living room is less proportional. Light curtains with a horizontal pattern will help to correct the shortcomings of the narrow shape. Short walls can be finished with brickwork or you can install racks with long shelves near them.

For wide walls, it is better to use a mirror, glossy design or paste wallpaper with vertical stripes to expand the space. It is advisable to lay the flooring in a parallel direction relative to the narrow walls.

The photo shows a modern design of a small rectangular living room.

Designing a non-standard shaped living room involves installing semi-circular furniture, unusually shaped coffee tables and cabinets with beveled corners. Such a room should have high-quality lighting that penetrates into all areas of the room.

The photo shows the interior design of a square living room combined with a balcony.

For a small corner living room, you can use the usual furniture arrangement scheme. The space near the long wall can be furnished with a sofa with armchairs and a table. A neat corner sofa, a chest of drawers or a TV stand will fit perfectly into the corner between the two windows.

An effective way to increase a small area is to add a loggia. A small room, partially or fully combined with a balcony not only becomes much more spacious, but is also filled with additional light.

The photo shows a non-standard layout of a small living room with a semi-bay window.

Color

The interior design of a small living room should be maintained in 2 or 3 neutral and muted light shades. A dark palette is sometimes found in flooring, individual furniture or decorative elements. A more restrained color scheme without contrasting and too bright inclusions will create a stylish design and a calm atmosphere in the hall.

White will be an ideal background for a cramped room. Whitish tones will add light and space to the environment, and will also create wonderful combinations with other shades.

A living room in an apartment with a northern orientation can be done in rich yellow colors, increasing the space and filling the interior with positive energy.

A living room design in cold shades will look interesting. For example, a green-blue duet will add freshness to the atmosphere. Gray tones are also suitable for the design of a small room. To prevent such a design from giving a detached and uninhabited look, the room is complemented with warm accents.

Monochrome color scheme is considered a very original design technique. For the interior of a small room, it will be appropriate to use a black and white palette with colorful elements.

The photo shows a modern design of a small living room in warm brown tones.

Furniture

For a small living room, it is better to choose functional and modular furniture that does not take up useful space. A compact straight or corner sofa with a glass coffee table is suitable for organizing a recreation area.

The photo shows a white TV stand and a small corner sofa in the interior of the living room.

Due to the use of glass shelves and tabletops, the furnishings will look less cluttered and more airy and elegant.

Decor and textiles

In a small interior, it is better to avoid a large number of paintings, photographs and other decorative details that clutter the room.

The walls of the living room can be decorated with a couple of large canvases with three-dimensional images or mirrors in simple frames. Live plants or flowers in vases are ideal for decorating the hall. It is advisable to place moderate decor on the shelves in the form of books, figurines or interior candles.

The photo shows a windowsill with a typewriter and books.

The window in the living room is decorated with thin tulle curtains, Japanese, roller or Roman blinds. To visually raise the ceiling in the room, you should hang curtains on a ceiling cornice the width of the entire wall. It is not recommended to decorate the window opening with too pompous curtain ensembles and heavy curtains.

Sofa cushions will significantly embellish the interior. In a small living room, it is advisable to use plain products of regular geometric shapes. A rug with a geometric pattern will add warmth and coziness to a cramped space.

Finishing and materials

For a harmonious and at the same time effective look, choose high-quality cladding, which is distinguished by its special aesthetics.

• Floor In a small living room, it is better to lay out laminate, natural parquet or carpet. For a more extravagant design, stone, tiles, porcelain stoneware or self-leveling floors with a glossy surface are used.
• The walls can be covered with a single-color paint, pasted over with seamless wallpaper, laid with brick or finished with PVC panels. Achieving a real expansion of a small space will be possible due to panoramic photo wallpaper with a 3D image.
• A white glossy stretch fabric is suitable for finishing the ceiling in a small living room. A ceiling that is too low can be decorated with white paint or whitewash.

In the photo, the walls in the interior of a small and narrow living room are painted white and a wardrobe with tinted mirror fronts visually expands the space.

Not only mirrored walls and a ceiling, but also lightweight through or glass partitions used for zoning the room will visually add a few useful meters to the living room.

Lighting

In a small room, you should install one ceiling chandelier with a powerful light flux. It is not recommended to choose too massive and pretentious models if the living room in a Khrushchev-era building has a fairly low ceiling.

The perimeter of the room can be decorated with neat spotlights, the walls can be complemented with laconic sconces and shelves or individual interior items can be decorated with flexible LED strip.

The photo shows the ceiling lighting design of a small elongated hall in the English style.

The design of a small living room, decorated with stylized lanterns, garlands or fluorescent elements, looks very original.

Options for different styles

To decorate the interior of a small living room, people now choose a design in a modern style with functional and neat accessories. Straight lines and ultra-fashionable finishes create a comfortable interior without unnecessary details. This laconic setting can always be diluted with home accessories – bright pillows, blankets or indoor plants.

Scandinavian style design will help expand the spatial boundaries of a small room, fill it with freshness and natural light. This trend is characterized by snow-white, beige, light gray colors with rich splashes.

The photo shows a small living room in loft style with panoramic windows.

Since the loft style design involves bare walls and panoramic windows, the industrial concept blends harmoniously into the small living room. In such a room, in order to harmoniously arrange the interior, a small sofa, a couple of ottomans or frameless chairs, light open shelves or racks will be enough.

The photo shows the Scandinavian style in the interior of a small living room.

For very small living rooms, you should very carefully select the decor and furniture so as not to overload the space even more. You can install a compact sofa that will fit as close to the wall as possible, one or two chairs with high legs and a horizontal rack with an open facade.

For a fashionable, effective design and visual correction of the geometry of the room, one of the walls is highlighted with photo wallpaper with a three-dimensional pattern. If the small room is covered with printed wallpaper, the curtains and furniture upholstery should be of a single color.

A tiny hall in a country house is often combined with a kitchen area. To avoid the interior looking cluttered, stick to a minimalist design and decor in calm tones. Natural finishes combined with airy curtains on the windows will create a peaceful atmosphere in the interior of a small living room.