Decorating small living rooms
Looking for ideas on how to decorate your little one's living room? We've selected inspiring ideas, tips and tricks for you.
There's nothing more welcoming than a well-decorated living room that invites you to snuggle up and stay a while. This is one of the most used spaces in your home, so being functional, well-organized and beautiful is extremely important when it comes to a cramped environment.
The last thing you want is a visually cluttered environment. Small pieces of furniture are the first thing that spring to mind, but they're not the only means of extending space.
Built-in or dual-purpose pieces can be very useful for keeping things organized and out of the way.
Color is a powerful way to create a mood in any home, one that aligns with how you want to feel while spending time in that particular room.
And a few well-chosen and positioned elements work wonders.
See the tips, tricks and ideas for decorating a small room
Unexpected layout
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Arranging the sofa in a different position than you expect can enlarge the space, try new possibilities
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Add interesting pieces in different layouts.
Symmetry
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Arranging pieces symmetrically is the classic way of composing a space. The idea is always to mirror the pieces. Our minds see symmetry as harmonious and beautiful.
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Mirrored chairs, for example, can work in a small space
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Patterns and neutral tones
One of the complaints about not using neutrals is the visual monotony that some people dislike. A clever way to use neutral colors while still having a lot of visual interest is to use various patterns in different shades of the same color.
Natural light
A bright, easily ventilated room will prevent you from feeling cramped in any space, so if the sun is not a problem for you, don't cover your windows and make the most of the light.
Art
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A well highlighted focal point is a strategy to attract the eye and create depth.
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Scale is also important, a single large piece is better than a few small ones, if you are going to use small ones, make sure you group them together to form a single whole to avoid visual clutter.
Mirrors
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An old and effective trick, add mirrors and instantly gain visual space. In the image above, the mirror on the ceiling gains height and the illusion of double height.
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On the wall, mirrors can act as art and a focal point, while at the same time enlarging the room.
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Behind the sofa adds depth to the room
Decorative elements
The fear of using decorative elements to avoid weighing down small spaces can be overcome by using a single color for everything
Panels
When using panels, prefer whole pieces or ones that cover the wall, this avoids visual breaks and promotes continuity, which is what we want in small spaces
Hollowed out
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Solid pieces occupy visual spaces, while hollowed-out pieces release your gaze through the structure, like these metal shelves above
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Like these Bertoia chairs
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And those ottomans and high-backed sofas
Strategic position
Some living rooms are too narrow to fit a sofa and a bench without squeezing, so change the place using the back of the sofa.
Sofas
1 Corner
Many people don't like it, but if that's not your thing, the corner sofa really is a good option for small living rooms
2 Low back
Choosing low backrests is another trick to free up space
3 Sofa bed
Lots of cushions and a good blanket can do a lot for your living room
Urban Jungle
Personal preferences vary, and many people like to have more things in a room so that it doesn't feel empty. Plants are perfect as decorative items for small rooms for the same reason as open-plan furniture: they fill the room without obstructing the view.
You can set up your Urban Jungle little by little and practicing gardening, which has been proven to be a de-stressing therapy.
Organic shapes
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It's been a trend for some time now and is perfect for small spaces. The organic shapes help the eyes to flow without democratically interrupting the view, more or less like this: it doesn't begin or end.
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Dual role
Making the most of every corner of a small space is crucial to maintaining organization, but instead of adding a desk and a rack, use a single continuous piece and you'll enlarge the space.
Shelves
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The use of shelves, rather than adding yellowing space, is actually a trick of optical illusion: you add two continuous lines that draw the eye in a longitudinal direction, it is important that they are continuous and not small sections.
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Draw the eye upwards
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Drawing the eye upwards with a beautiful pendant helps to give the impression of more height and thus avoids the feeling of tightness, adding interest and elegance to any style
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It could be a skylight or a niche in the ceiling with lighting to attract the eye.
Colors
1 Dark colors
You'll read around that you should only use a light color because it's better, and indeed it is, for more airiness, but that doesn't stop you from using a dark color if that's part of your wish list, the caution is that if you're going to use dark colors in a small room try to do it on all the walls, the trick for these spaces is to erase the corners by using the same color on everything
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3. Light colors
If your intention is to air out the room and at the same time you want to use colors, feel free to choose any color in the palette, using a shade with less saturation
4 The neutrals
The combination of neutral and natural colors, without contrasts gains a lot of visual magnification
5 White
Whites are responsible for more airiness, you can vary them with ices and off whites
Texture
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Finishing with fabrics with varied textures adds visual interest to monochrome styles
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Natural textures create a cozy feeling
Wood
Although the first impression of wooden pieces is their visual weight, you can easily use them without fear by choosing vase models with high legs. The advantage of wooden pieces is undoubtedly the coziness and visual warmth they bring
Balance
We're talking about enlarging a small room, and there's nothing better than providing visual comfort through the balance of shapes. If you've chosen straight lines and well-defined angles, add one or more circular pieces to break up the angular rigidity.
The opposite is also true, everything too curved or circular, or organic? Add one or more straight, structured pieces to balance and achieve visual harmony.
