There’s no space cozier than a small cottage, but less square footage does, of course, equal less living space. But not to fear! The right decor can make any room live larger, and we’ve got plenty of tips for you when it comes to the room you likely spend the most time in (after your kitchen, of course): the living room. For one, the right paint color can go a long way toward making your living room feel open and airy, but our tips don’t stop there.
Whether you are looking to buy a new sofa or style your collections in a fresh way, there are countless ways to breathe new life into your living space of any size. Here, we share seven easy ways to make a small living room feel twice as big.
Rethink Your Coffee Table
Every living room needs a coffee table, of course, but in a small space, it’s good to rethink how it can wear multiple hats. In this 1,143-square-foot ranch-style house in California, two X-style upholstered benches act as not only coffee tables but also footstools and extra seats. Nearby, a floor-to-ceiling storage nook is a space-saver for keeping books, blankets, and firewood at the ready.
Lean Into a Bright and Airy Look
A bright and airy approach to decor can make any space feel bigger, and starting by painting a room’s walls and ceiling a light color is a great first step to get you there. In Bambi Costanzo’s 1920s two-bed, one-bath bungalow, she chose a soft white in an eggshell finish for the ceiling to bounce light around the room, then carried the hue through to the room’s slipcovered sectional. Layers of blue-and-white textiles on the sectional bring color and vibrant patterns to the space.
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Hunt for Functional Vintage Decor
We all know how fun it is to hunt down the just-right vintage pieces for your home, but the biggest winners for your small space might be pieces that are as functional as they are chic. Case in point: vintage lamp tables do double duty as both a light and a surface for setting down a drink or book. In this 700-square-foot Cape Cod cottage, a blue lamp table coordinates with a cheerful gingham sofa, slipcovered in a practical performance fabric, and a blue-and-white ticking fabric on vintage wicker chairs.
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Opt for Furniture with Open Bases
Another secret to creating an airy open look in a room with limited floor space? Chairs with legs, not skirts. In this 1,200-square-foot North Carolina farmhouse, a pair of leggy modern armchairs has a lighter, less cluttered sensibility than skirted options, and they also create flexible, pull-up-to-the-coffee-table seating. The homeowners also left the living room’s low ceiling rafters exposed for an open feel overhead and skipped heavy draperies to let in plenty of natural light and keep the view to the outdoors clear.
Maximize Seating with an L-Shaped Sectional
What’s the best way to maximize seating with limited space? An L-shaped sofa! It makes for lots of pile-in cozy seating and pairs well with a single chair—or pair of chairs. In this 1,300-square-foot California cottage, a dark blue sectional was selected with the homeowner’s four dogs in mind (a white couch was not in the cards!) to complement white seven-inch-wide shiplap on the walls. Collected items incorporate pops of patina that add character without visual clutter.
Create Distinct Seating Zones
Even without a lot of floor space, you can create distinct seating zones that will make your room live larger, especially when you choose smaller pieces of furniture. In the petite living room, the homeowner chose a settee instead of a sofa and a slim vintage trunk instead of a coffee table for the zone on the right. He also purposefully used layers of white, like Benjamin Moore’s White Dove for the walls and white slipcovers, to make the room look larger.
Fill Your Whole Wall with Art
When wall space is limited in a small home, be sure to take advantage of all you have, running art not just at eye level but filling the whole wall. In this 1,000-square-foot charmer of a home on Long Island, New York, the living room wall showcases found favorites, including seascapes, still lifes, and oil portraits. A neutral Belgian linen sofa allows the art above it to shine, while a slim task light takes up minimal space.
