IDEAS For Small Living Spaces
Hi friends.
If you haven’t noticed, I’ve been thinking a lot about my living room and making some changes. That’s why I’ve been talking all about my lust for a new sofa, then my decision to keep the brown sofa. Now I’ve moved onto another challenge, space. Space has always been an issue for me. No matter the home, I think it’s just part of the rental game. Small living spaces can be tough to decorate because often times you don’t have many choices when it comes to furniture layout. I’ve been really struggling with this for the past few weeks. All because of the layout. We have a ginormous sectional in a small space, which equals, one layout option.
Since I can’t change the size of the space I just have to work with what I’ve got.
Here are some great ideas that really pull off beautiful decor in small living spaces!
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Cozy and colorful. This small space brings in tons of bright color and keeps your eye moving about the space. That coupled with the adequate seating makes it very inviting.
The sectional against the wall allows for more floor space and keeps the room open.
Try different seating options such as a sofa and chairs instead of two sofas or a sofa and love seat. This allows for a more roomy space without giving up seating.
Maximize your small space by using all of it. Placing seating around each side of the coffee table and using the dresser as the focal point give the room a more spacious feel.
If a sofa may crowd your space try a loveseat instead. Couple it with an ottoman or a cozy accent chair.
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Using a bookshelf to divide a space is a great way to make two rooms out of one.
Try different layouts. Working in a small living space you have to get creative.
I seriously love each of these looks! I’m so impressed with how each of these small living spaces accomplish a comfortable look, not cramped at all. This is what I’m dying for!
Do you have a small living space? How do you manage to create a spacious yet cozy feel? Any tips? I’d love to hear! Thanks for your help!! Â Have a great day, friends!
For more decorating tips be sure to check out:
I have lived in smaller spaces than what we have now and we used to always have a loveseat and couch. We lived in a tiny apartment when we moved here and started off with a couch and a chair. Now we have a larger place and the room for more, but I like the idea of a small loveseat/large chair in case our next place is smaller. We also could’ve accommodated the largest Expedit, but I knew 3 matching bookcases would live longer, you don’t always have the space for such a large piece! This way, we can break up the bookcases into different rooms if they can’t all live together!
I feel your pain!
i just loved this post. Such great ideas. I can not wait to implement them in my move next year to SoCal! We are downsizing from 1400 sq ft to probably around 700! Yikes! But it will all be worth it! Thanks for the tips!
Christine
Any chance you’d be willing to share where you got the black and white patterned curtains in the living room photo? Top left?
Hi Leah, that’s not my project. If you click the link below the photo that will take you to the blog post that features that space.
Love those ideas!
Hi Chelsea!
Super beautiful blog!! And I love this post! My husband and I currently live in a town home that isn’t super small but small enough where we always love seeking out new ideas for space conservation! Thanks for sharing all these great ideas. I just started a blog myself – would love for you to check it out. I am doing a post coming up about making best use of a small patio space 🙂
relentlessatheart.com
Thanks, Natalie
wow i fnd your blog on pinterest!! and i love it!!
xoxo
Living in a small space, I’ve avoided the temptation to push furniture up against the wall. I keep clutter to a minimum, our coffee table doubles as a ottoman and extra seating. No matter how small the space, I don’t go without a living plant and a few books.
CUTE post 🙂 I found your page via Pinterest and im now following dear.
Check out my Swedish decor blog Inredningsvis 🙂
LOVE Maria Inredning – it’s Swedish for decor
We had long coffee table before, between sofa and TV but in our last 2 apartments, we omit the coffee table, using a shelf right next to it to place beverage and now we use a small, foldable table which can be moved around where needed and folded away when not. Furnitures which has legs around 10cm high makes the space look bigger. We found light colours make the space looks bigger. Open shelves, maybe glass fronted shelves/cabinet- have yet to try this.
I could not stop laughing in regard to your military freebe,true,so true. I am a milspouse and most of my friends have oversized furniture,including me?. If you have noticed,the cheapest buy is the oversized and on most bases furniture store.
Our dilema is always 2 sets of living room furniture. One stored in the garage and one too small in the new place. ? and trying to do living dining combo,ugh!! Sometimes it is just a train wreck!
Any hidden secret tips ya got? I will definetely need them.
Hi! I have a small apartment, and I enjoyed reading your tips and seeing the pictures. To create a cozy but not cramped style here, I definitely kept multi purpose furniture in mind. My end tables are solid wood cubes my mom asked her carpenter friend to make years ago, and they could be used as coffee tables. They store extra books, extra pillow covers, decor, extra throws. I love them! I use them as end tables, but they could be nightstands or coffee tables, too.
I always think ahead about furniture, not what will be perfect for a current apartment , but for a future apartment and a future house. I don’t buy “placeholder items.” I get what I LOVE. I can find that at a great price if I keep my eyes open to thrift stores and consignment stores. My coffee table is worth $600 and I got it for $30 at a thrift store.
I also don’t always use a furniture piece or item as what it is designed for. I am using a drop leaF dining table as my tv stand, and a desk as a dining table in this current apartment. The desk fit the space better for dining than the round dining table did, and the dining table looks nice holding the tv, with its leaves down. I am using a wine bottle holder that is a small metal bicycle as a pencil cup.
I enjoy painting and drawing, so I have my own art out and about. That makes it cheap to have art around, and it makes the apartment more personal. I think that adds a cozy feeling.
I love this! Love your style. The 3 pictures in a row above the couch are beautiful. How did you do those? Are they just in frames with rounded edges? (The 3rd picture up from the bottom) thanks!
Nevermind sorry just realized it was a link. Thanks for all the great tips!! 🙂
Hi, so I live in a small self contain room that has a bathroom, wardrobe space and a kitchen. I would really love decorating ideas on a low budget. I live in Nigeria.