How To Decorate A Small Living Room
We’ve all been there. Maybe it was (or is) your first place out in the real world, maybe a NYC loft. Or a basement where you rent a room while you’re waiting to get promoted and make some real (decent) money. We’ve all had to or known someone who’s had teeny, tiny space to work with and live in. Suddenly all the “valuable” stuff you’ve collected over the years starts getting in your way and you’re realizing you don’t need, want or have a place to store it You do one of 2 things. You toss it (my personal agenda) or you rent a storage unit until you find a bigger place to live. Now that the extraneous stuff is gone, you can focus on the actual problem. Your small room FEELS small. Bummer. Cramped quarters are no fun. Never fear my friends! There are some surefire ways to help a space feel bigger, even if nothing about the space, other than the stuff in it, changes. Yes, it’s possible. And I’m here to tell you how. I’m also here because this is my BLOG and if I weren’t things might get dull. The only thing worse than feeling cramped is being bored.
How To Decorate A Small Living Room - 1. Get Rid Of Some Stuff
Seriously. People think that a room looks bigger when there’s a ton of stuff in it because…DUH…look how much stuff fits in there! BUT, believe it or not, the opposite is true. The more stuff in a space, the smaller it feels. Indeed the first place I would start is by scaling back the “must have’s”. I actually just finished reading a fascinating book by Marie Kondo called “The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Decluttering and Organizing”. It’s whole theory is to keep only things that bring you joy. So instead of throwing out what you don’t want, only keep what you do LOVE. Fascinating. When you live in a small space, you have to prioritize your must have’s. Get a digital picture frame, scan some images and lose some of your old frames. Donate or sell the things you can live without!
How To Decorate A Small Living Room - 2. Lighten Up
Heavy, chunky furniture is a small room’s enemy. Choose furnishings with glass tops, skinny legs, open back or criss-cross bases. Mirrored & metal furniture is a great way to bounce some light and help a space feel bigger than it is. Dark wood picture frames and heavy wood based lamps are not going to help your cause either. Heavy, dark stuff makes a room feel well, heavy and dark. Period. Being able to see through and behind a piece of furniture creates the illusion of more space. The same theory applies to color. Heavy, dark colors while beautiful, aren’t going to help a small space feel bigger. Dark color tends to draw more shadows and doesn’t reflect nearly as much light. That doesn’t mean you can rock a fun, dark color! Just keep in mind the feeling you’re going to get is cozy and not light & fresh.
How To Decorate A Small Living Room - #3 Mirror, Mirror On the Wall..or the Floor
Yep it’s true. A mirror will INSTANTLY make a room feel bigger. Now, we’re not talking the 80’s floor to ceiling mirrors at the entry. Decorative mirrors over a buffet or behind a nightstand create the illusion of additional space by reflecting the space that’s already there. Don’t believe me? Take down a wall to wall mirror in a bathroom or from over a fireplace and see how quickly the room feels smaller. Apartment Therapy has a great article on how to use mirrors in different spaces in your home to create a feeling of more space. Check it out here - 10 Ways To Use Mirrors
How To Decorate A Small Living Room - #4 Scale Down
Buy furniture on the slightly smaller side when you can. A large, overstuffed sectional is NOT going to feel appropriate in a small space. Scale plays a big role in whether a piece of furniture works in a room. Choosing smaller, more compact pieces will complement the space while serving a purpose.
How To Decorate A Small Living Room - #5 Use the Vertical Space
Don’t forget to make use of every inch of your teeny tiny space. People often overlook wall space when looking for storage. You don’t necessarily need a piece of furniture to serve as storage. You could just as easily mount wall shelves for items like books, files and display space. More often than not, the wall space above 5′-6′ is blank. What a waste! Make it work for you!
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