9 small living room ideas that make the space feel bigger

A small living room does not need less furniture so much as better-chosen furniture. These nine ideas are about making the room work harder and feel calmer, without knocking down walls.

1. Pull furniture off the walls

It sounds backwards, but pushing everything against the walls leaves an empty middle and makes the room feel like a waiting room. Moving the sofa 10–20 cm forward and grouping chairs closer creates a defined, cosy seating area, and the room around it reads as space.

2. Use a bigger rug, not a smaller one

A small rug floating in the middle chops the floor into pieces. A rug large enough for the front legs of all the seating to sit on ties the area together and makes the room look wider. In most small living rooms that means at least 160 × 230 cm, often 200 × 300 cm. See our rug size guide.

3. Choose furniture on legs

Sofas, sideboards and armchairs raised on slim legs let you see the floor underneath, and the more floor you see, the bigger the room feels. Bulky skirted pieces that sit on the floor do the opposite.

4. Pick a sofa with slim arms

Wide, padded arms can take 30–40 cm of width without adding a seat. A sofa with narrow arms gives you the same seating in a smaller footprint. Check the seat depth too: around 55–60 cm is comfortable without swallowing the room.

5. Light in layers

One ceiling light makes a small room flat and shadowy at the edges. Add at least two low light sources: a floor lamp beside the sofa and a table lamp on the opposite side. Lit corners push the walls outwards visually.

6. Paint walls and woodwork one colour

Painting skirting boards, doors and even the ceiling in the same shade as the walls (or one step lighter) removes the lines that break up a small room. Soft, warm whites, greige and pale green-greys all work well.

7. Hang curtains high and wide

Mount the curtain rail close to the ceiling and let it extend 15–25 cm past the window on each side. The window reads as taller and wider, and more daylight gets in when the curtains are open.

8. Use one large piece of art, not many small ones

A gallery wall of small frames can look busy in a tight space. One large print, or two hung together, gives the eye somewhere to rest.

9. Make storage do two jobs

A sideboard that is also a TV stand, an ottoman with storage inside, a bench under the window. In a small room every piece should earn its place.

Small rooms reward planning more than any others. If you would like a to-scale plan and the exact products that fit your room and budget, join the Gaudi waitlist.