Sourcing sofa ideas for small living rooms often relies on making a series of compromises, whether that's in relation to the size, comfort, or shape of your sofa. But the good news is that choosing a sofa for smaller spaces needn't require you to ever sacrifice on style. And we're here to show you how.
It's important that the room still functions as a social space, and the best sofas (even for smaller spaces) well help aid that. It needs to be big enough to cater to multiple people, but not so big that it overwhelms or clutters the space.
"As a room in which we spend time relaxing, socializing, and living, it's really important to plan it to make sure it's equally practical as it is stylish," says Emma Deterding, founder and creative director of Kelling Designs. The designer stresses the importance of considering who will use the space and how when choosing your sofa. "This will enable you to make easier decisions on elements like the size, other upholstery pieces such as armchairs and ottomans, as well as storage furniture."
And there are tricks to getting this right. To help guide you, we've asked design experts to share the best small living room ideas they've found when it comes to the sofa. Here's what they said.
10 Sofa Ideas for Small Living Rooms
1. Choose a Sofa Color That Blends with the Space
Choosing to color drench your room — and not just the walls and ceiling, but furniture choices too — often has the opposite effect to what you might imagine. For a smaller living room, it can work to blur the boundaries, and in turn, make the space feel larger.
In the small living room above, New York City-based designer David Frazier chose a sofa color that matched the walls and cabinetry in the space. "Upholstering the sofa in a rich velvet that monochromatically complements the charcoal-hued suede wallcovering, luxurious silk rug and glossy painted millwork creates a seamless and cohesive aesthetic that visually expands the room," he explains. "This thoughtfully coordinated palette not only enhances the sense of space but also evokes a feeling of warmth and intimacy, making the environment feel both enveloping and inviting."
2. Opt for a Sectional Sofa That Hugs the Space
If you want to fit as much seating as possible into a small living room, a sectional sofa is your answer. Though these pieces of furniture are larger than the average sofa, they make use of every inch of space, tucking into the corners, and often working best in awkward layouts.
"A sectional sofa plays a major role when your living area is a narrow one," says Noorein Kapoor, founder of NKD. "It can be easily placed in a small corner of your living area as it is a compact design that provides more seating space and can be built according to the size in consideration."
But the best thing about most living room sectional ideas is that they can be configured to work within nearly any layout. In small spaces, it can be placed against a wall, leaving room for circulation in the middle, while in a larger living room, they can be placed in the middle of the space to create subtle partitions and 'zones' between different areas.
Price: $2,939.99, Was: $3,535
Size: 31'' H X 79'' W X 42'' D
Configuration: Left- or right-facing available
Rating: 4.6/5-stars (683 reviews)
3. Opt for Multiple Armchairs Over One Sofa
Sometimes, and particularly for a smaller space, a traditional sofa set-up is not the best way to go. It's important to once again consider who is going to use the space and how, and devise your ideas accordingly.
"We envisioned the library lounge (shown above) as a cozy retreat off the larger, more expansive living room — an intimate space for quiet reading or enjoying cocktails after dinner," explains interior designer David Frazier. "The goal was to make it both comfortable and functional, ensuring it could easily accommodate four adults. Instead of opting for a shared sofa, we chose to give each person their own lounge chair, which not only adds a sense of luxury but also enhances the overall comfort and individual space within the room."
4. Go Custom to Find a Sofa that Fits Your Space Perfectly
When selecting small living room furniture, if budgets allow, a made-to-measure piece that fits perfectly and snugly in the room's specific dimensions is always a good way to go. While this idea might not work for renters or those on a tighter budget, for those who can, there's nothing like a sofa that fits like a glove.
Another advantage to customizing your sofa for your small living room is that it allows you to choose the best design, color, and upholstery, helping you ensure your sofa is not only highly functional, but also makes a style statement in the space.
5. Create the Illusion of More Space with a Lightweight Sofa
In a narrow living room, it may be a good idea to find a sofa that is small, compact, sleek, and straight-lined. A visually and physically lightweight piece will not only look neat and orderly inside a small living room but also make it look larger.
"Taking a lightweight sofa where the legs are exposed makes the living area look much bigger," says Noorein. "Centralizing the position of your sofa design for a small living room makes the room look wider. Taking into consideration the functionality of the sofa and the design of the piece, including color, proportion, weight, placement, shape, and style is also key."
In a design like the one shown above, the choice of seating doesn't offer the sumptuous comfort you'd necessarily want for a cozy snug, but for a small space, it's a compromise to consider, especially when packed out with comfy cushions.
Price: $162.99
Size: 29.5'' H X 66.1'' W X 33.1'' D
Rating: 4.5/6-stars (861 reviews)
6. Make the Space Flow Better with a Curved Sofa
There are many advantages of curved sofas — they help create a warm living room, are useful for defining an area, and break up long, narrow rooms. Design-wise, when you float furniture away from the wall, there is something so sculptural about a sweeping curved back that doesn't make the room feel stiff. Plus, a curving sofa can be placed within a curving niche or corner, making it look like it was made perfectly for the space.
This style of sofa can also offer more seating, as dwellers make use of the extra, rounded corners to perch or even stretch out on. "I think when you're using the sofa to sit on, rest or sleep on, there has to be a kind of softness and tactility to the piece," adds Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien, founders of international interior design brand Doshi Levien. "This doesn't mean the sofa needs to be strictly round but there is something about human beings inherently relating to curves. In any case, sharp corners on a sofa can make the seating experience a little uncomfortable."
7. Tuck Your Sofa Along the Walls
A sofa squeezed into a living room corner, next to a window, or along a wall can also be a great addition to a small space, as it provides seating in the room while maintaining circulation space in the middle.
"A corner sofa fit-to-size is often the go-to choice for a smaller space as people feel it provides cozy seating that doesn't take up too much room — however, going for a 3-seat and 2-seat sofa can be just as effective, providing enough seats while giving the illusion of space," says interior designer Emma Deterding of Kelling Designs. "Furniture pieces that are raised on legs will also help to create the illusion of space, helping to keep the floor clear."
Price: $439.99, Was: $899.99
Size: 33.46"D x 90.94"W x 32.28"H
Colors: Yellow, Navy, Gray, Beige
8. Avoid Large or Overwhelming Prints on Your Sofa
When it comes to sofa ideas for small living rooms, Emma says to avoid opting for a style that features large patterns or prints. "The chances are you'll grow sick of it in a few years and any changes you make to the overall space will clash — it'll limit the rest of your design choices as time goes on. Instead, opt for something comfortable, beautiful, and timeless."
She adds that many performance fabrics are "life-proof" and look beautiful. "Whether you go for a neutral linen or a bold and vivid velvet, this will create the perfect base for you to update and refresh with new paints, living room wallpaper or smaller accessories time and time again."
9. Complement Your Sofa with a Stylish Daybed
A daybed in the living room comes with plenty of advantages. The furniture piece is great for reclining or leaning on to read, playing video games, or working on a laptop. Many daybeds these days have chaise-like options that make them as good as a standard bed or like a lazy boy chair.
Some designs have side rails or armrests, so you can easily lean or lounge around in them. Plus, the bottom cushion on a daybed is a standard mattress, so plenty of comfort and support is guaranteed.
"A daybed is designed to fit in a small area," says Noorein. "It can be coupled with two armchairs, a pouf with a small center table to make it a whole set. It can also be switched into a bed to solve the purpose for a guest to spend a night at your place."
Price: $215, Was: $239
Size: 93.3"L x 41.8"D x 28.3"H
Rating: 3.7/5-stars (3 reviews)
10. Don't Restrict Yourself to a Standard Sofa
Sometimes a smaller space requires bigger design ideas to find a solution that really works. Where a structural column interrupts the layout in this smaller apartment, an innovative approach to a sofa idea reimagined how the homeowners could use the space, and allowed for a much larger sofa than they would have traditionally been able to fit.
The thoughtful pick of soft blue juxtaposes against the yellow flooring and while the square footage is small, the resulting room has a magical, colorful feel.
FAQs
What type of sofa is suitable for a small living room?
As you can see through the sofa ideas for small living rooms shared above, the type of sofa you choose can have a big impact on the overall function of your space. Livingetc's resident sofa expert, Brigid Kennedy, recently did a deep-dive into the best couches for small spaces, and the answer isn't straightforward; it depends on your specific layout and its limitations.
But more generally speaking, modular sectional sofas will work well in these spaces, as they can be shifted and shaped to the layout of the room, while sleeper sofas are also worth considering as they double down on function.
Which color sofa is best for a small living room?
Did you know that there are certain couch colors that make a room look bigger, and vice-versa? Once again, it depends on your space, its layout, how much natural light it gets, and what other furniture you have in it but, generally speaking, a lighter sofa is better for a smaller room.
But (and there is always a but), there are of course situations when this isn't the case, such as the color-drenched room shown above where a dark-colored sofa disappears into the background, giving the illusion of more space. So, of course, it depends on the room overall.
