10 Small But Perfectly Formed Living Rooms
These petite living spaces are big on style and comfort, thanks to thoughtful design and just the right size, style and amount of furniture
To help it function as somewhere to relax and socialise, a living room needs a good amount of comfortable seating, perhaps a small table and a mix of lighting. It’s not a huge ingredients list, and it applies to any size of living room, large or small.
If space is tight, though, paying attention to the style and size of seating will reap rewards, ensuring the room is comfortable, functional and attractive, too. These impressive schemes show how it’s done.
If space is tight, though, paying attention to the style and size of seating will reap rewards, ensuring the room is comfortable, functional and attractive, too. These impressive schemes show how it’s done.
Build in benches
Simple bench seating lines three walls in this living space. The house has lots of angles, a bit like a boat, so its owner used the traditional approach to furnishing floating living rooms as her inspiration, building in bench seating with lids that open to reveal storage below.
This is more space-efficient than individual armchairs would be if you need room for a crowd.
Simple bench seating lines three walls in this living space. The house has lots of angles, a bit like a boat, so its owner used the traditional approach to furnishing floating living rooms as her inspiration, building in bench seating with lids that open to reveal storage below.
This is more space-efficient than individual armchairs would be if you need room for a crowd.
Keep it simple
The small living area within this open-plan room features some classic space-efficient ideas. Shelves set high on the wall provide storage and make more of the underused top third of the room; folding chairs are stacked neatly against a wall, ready to be employed when friends drop in, and a simple palette of white with bursts of grey and red creates cohesion, which in turn creates a feeling of space.
The small living area within this open-plan room features some classic space-efficient ideas. Shelves set high on the wall provide storage and make more of the underused top third of the room; folding chairs are stacked neatly against a wall, ready to be employed when friends drop in, and a simple palette of white with bursts of grey and red creates cohesion, which in turn creates a feeling of space.
Make more of the corner
Corner sofas offer a huge, comfy slab of seating and, despite often featuring in large living rooms, they can also work beautifully in a small space. Fitting furniture into the corner makes use of this often dead area, and a sofa like this immediately ups the comfort factor in a small living room.
Corner sofas offer a huge, comfy slab of seating and, despite often featuring in large living rooms, they can also work beautifully in a small space. Fitting furniture into the corner makes use of this often dead area, and a sofa like this immediately ups the comfort factor in a small living room.
Draw the eye up
Make the most of soaring roof lines or exciting angles by painting tall walls and ceilings in arresting colours. Hang artwork, too. Anything that draws the eye up and away from a petite footprint will give a small living room a greater sense of space.
See 10 ways to grow and display air plants
Make the most of soaring roof lines or exciting angles by painting tall walls and ceilings in arresting colours. Hang artwork, too. Anything that draws the eye up and away from a petite footprint will give a small living room a greater sense of space.
See 10 ways to grow and display air plants
Scale down and look out for legs
The owners of this converted railway carriage, like the barge owner mentioned earlier, were careful to choose seating that sits on elegant, slim legs. Unlike a solid sofa or chunky armchair, this style of wooden-framed furniture creates a light silhouette and allows you to see under and beyond each piece, which boosts the sense of space. The more floor you can see, the bigger the room will feel!
The sofa and armchairs here are midcentury pieces, which were typically made to a smaller scale than today’s generous seating.
The owners of this converted railway carriage, like the barge owner mentioned earlier, were careful to choose seating that sits on elegant, slim legs. Unlike a solid sofa or chunky armchair, this style of wooden-framed furniture creates a light silhouette and allows you to see under and beyond each piece, which boosts the sense of space. The more floor you can see, the bigger the room will feel!
The sofa and armchairs here are midcentury pieces, which were typically made to a smaller scale than today’s generous seating.
Combine built-in and freestanding
This renovated shepherd’s hut is a lesson in compact living and uses a mixture of freestanding pieces and built-in furniture to best effect. A bench-style sofa makes the most of every bit of space, fitting snugly against a wall. This is supplemented by small armchairs, which provide flexible additional seating without cluttering up the area.
This renovated shepherd’s hut is a lesson in compact living and uses a mixture of freestanding pieces and built-in furniture to best effect. A bench-style sofa makes the most of every bit of space, fitting snugly against a wall. This is supplemented by small armchairs, which provide flexible additional seating without cluttering up the area.
Think lofty thoughts
The pitched roof above this living area gives it a tremendous sense of space, even though its actual footprint is not large. Adding height is a good way to make a small room feel more liveable, even if that vertical space cannot be used for anything practical, such as storage.
The pitched roof above this living area gives it a tremendous sense of space, even though its actual footprint is not large. Adding height is a good way to make a small room feel more liveable, even if that vertical space cannot be used for anything practical, such as storage.
Have fun
Received wisdom says that a simple palette of pale colours best suits a small space, but this fun living area in a converted shipping container begs to differ! It contains upcycled storage, prettily painted Ercol seating and a hand-decorated feature wall, complete with recessed shelves.
A huge set of glass doors can be pulled completely open, dramatically boosting the feeling of space, but this scheme feels cosy and inviting whether the doors are open or not.
See inside the rest of this tiny home, which belongs to TV upcycler Max McMurdo
Received wisdom says that a simple palette of pale colours best suits a small space, but this fun living area in a converted shipping container begs to differ! It contains upcycled storage, prettily painted Ercol seating and a hand-decorated feature wall, complete with recessed shelves.
A huge set of glass doors can be pulled completely open, dramatically boosting the feeling of space, but this scheme feels cosy and inviting whether the doors are open or not.
See inside the rest of this tiny home, which belongs to TV upcycler Max McMurdo
Employ mirrors
This small studio apartment is cleverly kitted out with a pull-down bed that fits over the sofa and a wall of storage hidden behind mirrored doors. The mirrors seem to double the size of the apartment, thanks to the full reflection they offer. They also reflect light from the window back into the space, helping it to feel bright and pleasant.
Do you have any tips for arranging a small living room? Please share them in the Comments below.
This small studio apartment is cleverly kitted out with a pull-down bed that fits over the sofa and a wall of storage hidden behind mirrored doors. The mirrors seem to double the size of the apartment, thanks to the full reflection they offer. They also reflect light from the window back into the space, helping it to feel bright and pleasant.
Do you have any tips for arranging a small living room? Please share them in the Comments below.
This living area on a barge features a vintage Danish sofa. The owner resisted the usual small-space logic of building everything in, including seating, and opted instead for elegant pieces on slender legs that cut a light silhouette. That said, building in can work beautifully, too – and you don’t need a living room on a boat to do it, as the next space shows…