How to furnish a small living room: ideas and tips for optimising your space

Furnishing a small living room may appear tricky and problematic but with the right strategies it can turn into an opportunity to adopt your own personal and original solutions. Small spaces shouldn’t been seen as limiting; on the contrary, they can stimulate your creativity and lead to interior projects that make the most of every available centimetre.

Whether it is your home or a holiday home at the seaside or in the mountains, the goal is to make your living room a comfortable and well-organised environment that doesn’t compromise on style and design. Having looked at how to furnish a small bedroom and trends and ideas for a modern living room, in this article we will reveal a few little tricks for optimising your space: how to choose the right furniture and what colours and lighting to use to make the room seem bigger.

The importance of making the most of the available space

There are two things no living room can do without, no matter how big it is: a sofa and a TV unit or composition. Thanks to the wide choice of Santalucia Mobili modular furniture, you can create wall compositions of any size. The first rule is to choose furniture that is in proportion with the space in which it will be used.

The wall-mounted composition is 3.5 metres long and aesthetically very light: it leaves the floor free and is enriched with back-lit open metal compartments that also become a valuable light source together with the wall lamp.

The floor composition is 2.7 metres long and is distinctive for its back panel with chunky wall-mounted TV shelf.

For those that want to maximise the vertical space, the wood and coloured composition with TV base unit and large wall cabinets with fluted finish occupies just 2.4 metres but takes full advantage of the vertical height.

Meanwhile, a couple of on-trend solutions for those that don’t want to furnish their wall with a modular composition are the Urban slim bookcase, which adapts to all walls and also functions as a room divider, and the sideboard, a single storage unit, available in lots of models and finishes, that furnishes the space on its own without any need to add other elements, other than the sofa.

With its curved lines and wide scope for customisation, the Tulipa sideboard adapts to all interior design styles, from modern to classic.

The Inside sideboard is also perfect as a TV stand and, in tandem with the multifunctional Combo coffee table, which conceals a practical storage compartment, is all you need to furnish a small space with maximum functionality.

This sideboard comes in different floor versions and also a wall-mounted variant for those looking for a compact and even lighter solution.

To complete modular compositions and single sideboards without overloading the wall, you can add wall-mounted bookcases or shelves, which, as well as providing useful storage space, are also very decorative.

Practical example for furnishing a small open space living room

Particularly in modern homes, living rooms increasingly form part of an open-plan design that also includes the kitchen. In these cases, it is even more important to carefully plan and organise your spaces, clearly defining the different areas and ensuring the harmony between the living and the dining room.

Below is the project for a 60 m² one-bedroom apartment in which the living room forms part of a single rectangular open space together with the kitchen. The functional layout of the furniture has been studied to exploit every corner and furnish the space without cluttering.

The Gunter extendable table is the connection between the kitchen and the living room. Here, the compact two-seater Evan sofa has been positioned opposite the wall furnished with TV stand and is covered with the same fabric as the chairs to guarantee visual continuity. The rug helps to mark off the living room space.

The 3-metre long wall has been furnished with a floor base unit with TV module, a wall-mounted storage unit and geometric shelves.

The sofa is integrated with a desk: a barrier-free divider that separates the living room from the entrance corridor and creates a very useful study area in a restricted space. The surface is in the same finish as the wall unit and the panel comes in the marble-effect finish of the table to create a connection between the various elements in the room and a sense of visual fluidity. For the lighting, a designer wall lamp was chosen that doesn’t clutter and doesn’t impact on the overall aesthetic.

In summary, thanks to these strategic solutions, this compact living room is transformed into a multifunctional space.

Colours and lighting to make the space seem bigger

The choice of colours plays a key role in making a small living room appear more spacious. Light and neutral tones, like white, beige or pale greys, are better at reflecting natural light and making the room seem bigger.

Transparent or reflective surfaces, like glass or mirrors, are another valuable ally and can add depth to the room without making it heavy.

Lighting should also be carefully studied: as well as the main light, it is a good idea to create additional light sources with wall lamps or LED lights to avoid darker areas and make the space as welcoming as possible.

The living room in the photo below perfectly combines all of these tips for making the space seem bigger: light colours, glass doors and diffused lighting (in this case from the glass cabinets).

Decorative ideas for a small but welcoming living room

A few little tweaks is all it takes to make a small living room a really welcoming environment: the key is to choose elements that enhance the space without weighing it down.

Soft decorative cushions, for example, can add a touch of personality to the sofa without taking up too much space, while a light rug helps to mark off the living room area while adding to the sense of comfort. Pale-coloured curtains in light fabrics, meanwhile, can help let in natural light and create a luminous and airy atmosphere. The walls can be embellished with discreet pictures and minimalist prints or compositions of large decorative mirrors that reflect the light and add depth to the room.

And don’t forget a few natural elements: indoor plants, maybe a little sansevieria or a hanging pothos, can add a touch of freshness and vitality.

Mistakes to avoid when furnishing a small living room

Below is a rundown of the most common mistakes to avoid when furnishing a small living room. Follow these recommendations and you can put into practice the tips suggested in the previous paragraphs, creating a functional and balanced space:

• Filling the space with lots of furniture and overdoing the decorations: less is more! A few well-chosen items is preferable to a chaotic and cluttered living room.
• Choosing excessively large and unwieldy furniture: it is always preferable to opt for compact, save-spacing solutions in proportion with the room.
• Using overly dark colours: if you love intense colours, use them in moderation on details and accessories.
• Insufficient lighting: a well-lit room appears larger and more welcoming.
• Forgetting about organisation: shelves, storage units and furniture with hidden compartments help keep the room tidy without reneging on style.
• Not exploiting vertical space: the walls are an excellent way of gaining space without occupying the floor.

Having a compact living room doesn’t mean you have to compromise on style or comfort. With the right furnishings, pale colours and effective lighting, you can transform even the smallest spaces into welcoming and functional environments. By avoiding basic errors, such as disproportionately sized furniture and visual disorder, you can create a harmonious layout.

For more inspiration check out the solutions in the Homy Giorno Modules and Homy Giorno Details catalogues and design a custom living room that reflects your personality. Because, regardless of its size, you can turn your little living room into a haven of great design.