51 Small Living Room Ideas for a Cozy Common Area

Patterns on furniture upholstery can do a good job of adding visual interest too. “I love a sofa or lounge chair in an unexpected print that plays off the overall color scheme and provides some contrast,” McDonald says. “It creates conversation and invites your guests in to get comfy.”

How to style a small living room that has lots of furniture

Embrace the chaos by leaning into the maximalist motifs, as long as you do so in a clever way. “When a space is too sparse, it can feel disconnected or unfinished,” Moore says. “But when it’s thoughtfully layered with furnishings that suit the scale, it feels complete and lived-in.”

The trick to styling a small living room that’s filled with furniture mostly comes down to breaking the space up into subsections. After all, living spaces are often used for all types of activities—hosting a group, relaxing with a book, crafting, gaming, and, let’s be honest, dining. Defining these areas, even if subtly, can help create a sense of overall cohesion and comfort.

Should you feel overwhelmed, consider the sentimental value of each item to decide which furniture pieces deserve to take up extra square footage and which can be retired to the curb. Even if cluttercore is your jam, aim for furnishings that serve a dual purpose. For instance, you can replace dining chairs with a storage bench that will open up the room and give you a place to stash those throws.

How to decorate a small living room on a budget?

Ideally, you should invest in one showpiece or decor accent when designing a small space and then work around it. If a new sectional is not in your budget, consider updating what you have with a statement slip cover or a collection of pillows that will draw the eye to a center point of the room.

You can also completely change the mood of a small space by dousing it in a new paint color—you can snag a gallon for around $50, but the effect will be so much more than that. And don’t underestimate the power of accessorizing. Curating a coffee table surface or styling a bookshelf, especially if you add plants, can make a huge difference. Thrift stores and yard sales can be treasure troves for unexpected design gems.

What are some design tricks to make the most out of a small living room?

“Challenge the idea that a small space limits your ability to display art, possessions, or personal artifacts,” says Cunningham. “In fact, smaller spaces offer even greater opportunities to showcase what you love—through creative and efficient display methods like shelves, hanging pieces, or gallery walls.” To build a unified and intimate atmosphere in a small living room, embrace your personal style with collected pieces that tell a story. Sticking to a theme can give a compact living area some narrative.

When you don’t have too much floor space, custom-built-ins offer a storage solution designed for your specific area—plus, hiding not-so-pretty items is always a bonus. “Since the pandemic, people have spent significantly more time in their homes, and those spaces are now expected to do more than ever,” says Challie Stillman, vice president of creative at Resource Furniture, which offers shelving with fold-down desks and custom wall beds. “Work, wellness, entertainment, sleep, and storage all have to coexist within the same square footage. That shift has made multifunctional furniture less of a novelty and more of a requirement in modern home design.”