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How do I Choose the Best Furniture for a Small Living Room?

By Laura Evans
Updated May 17, 2024
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The trick to choosing furniture for a small living room is to maximize space while minimizing the impact the furnishings have on the room. This means that instead of stuffing in an oversized couch and a love seat, the room might only have a love seat and a smaller side chair for sitting. In addition, side tables should be enclosed so that they can be used for storage, and bric-a-brac should be kept to a minimum.

When a home has a small living room, every inch counts. The furniture for a small living room should be scaled down to size. If a living room is overcrowded with furniture, the room will feel even smaller. Picking out scaled-down furniture that leaves as much open space on the floor as possible is essential when choosing furniture for any small room. Any floor decorations, such as large vases or potted plants, should be pulled from the floor, placed on shelves, put in another room, or donated to a favorite charity.

Furniture for a small living room can include small tables. The best bet is to purchase tables that can also be used to store books or magazines. In addition to enclosed living room tables, one should choose an entertainment center that not only has doors so that CDs and DVDs can be stored inside, but is designed to sit in a corner rather in the middle of a wall. This will give much-needed storage space, and this type of entertainment center will give the room an airier feel.

Even if the furniture for a small living room is scaled to size, the colors that are used on the walls and furniture, as well as the lighting used, can affect the feeling of a room. Dark colors and brightly colored, patterned wallpaper tend to make a room feel smaller than it really is. In addition, a room that is not brightly lit may feel a tad claustrophobic. Another idea is to use sheer curtains over windows to admit as much natural light as possible.

An empty wall can be a bonanza for a small living room. A strategically placed large mirror in a small living room can add more light and give the room more of a feeling of depth and space. The mirror can also be used to reflect an attractive feature of the room such as a pretty garden view through the window or a favorite piece of artwork.

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Discussion Comments

By Raynbow — On Aug 03, 2014

You don't need a complete set of living room furniture if your room is small. Try using just one end table instead of two, or skip the coffee table. Use lamps that are small, or place one floor lamp in a corner instead of having bulky lamps setting on limited surface spaces.

A pretty throw rug is also a nice addition in a small living room, because it can create the feeling of spaciousness. Place a round rug with bright prints directly in the center of your small living room to open it up and make it look bigger than it actually is.

By Rundocuri — On Aug 03, 2014

Here is a neat trick for a small living room that also has short windows.

Instead of getting curtains that fit the exact window length, use full-length curtains that almost touch the floor. This will create the perception of large size and depth, and make your living room feel as if it has more space.

By Ocelot60 — On Aug 02, 2014

A coffee table and end tables with drawers make great furniture pieces for a small living room. This extra storage space will come in handy when it comes to keeping items in your room yet out of sight. Magazines, newspapers, remote controls, and nick knacks will all fit nicely into these drawers. After all, any extra clutter in a small living room will take up space and make it look even smaller.

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