The living room is usually the heart of the home – it’s the place where you gather and relax with your family and where you entertain your guests. So making this room look and feel the best it possibly can is high on the priority list. Even if your living space is a petite one, there are ways to make a small living room look expensive and elevated.
Very often, the best small living room ideas to perfect the space lie in the details, from the choice of lighting to the best small living room colour scheme. As our interior design experts make clear, it’s all about carefully considering every element and every corner to make a small living room work hard for your needs, while also looking luxurious and stylish of course.
How to make a small living room look expensive
‘A small space can look expensive and high-end if thoughtful and detailed design is applied,’ says Claire Garner, director of Claire Garner Interiors. ‘Sometimes, the smallest spaces require the most meticulous planning to maximise their full potential.’
Polly Aspinall and Emily Harrop-Griffiths, interior designers and co-founders of Oscar Wren Studios, agree, ‘When it comes to good design, size doesn’t matter, indeed sometimes the smallest rooms in the house can be the most interesting. The key elements are thoughtful and considered design choices that layer together to make an interesting space and unique details, to make the space feel finished and one-of-a-kind.’
And this is how you can achieve this in your own tiny living space.
1. Start with clever storage
Clutter never looks luxurious. Not to mention that it makes an already small space look even tinier. So giving a lot of thought to your living room storage space and clever solutions to hide and put the clutter away is key.
‘Clever storage is key in smaller spaces. Keeping potential clutter hidden and displaying styled objects can instantly elevate your room. Opt for a striped storage ottoman to add visual weight and a subtle pattern. Not only will it look beautiful, but it will also provide storage for items that might otherwise make the room feel cluttered,’ Claire says.
She continues, ‘Creating bespoke cabinetry to fit your items, including your TV, always adds a premium feel to your space. Custom built-ins can provide tailored storage solutions that blend seamlessly with the room's design.’ We know that this can become quite a pricey endeavour, however, if you or someone in your family or circle of friends is quite handy, it could be a fun DIY project.
2. Add a large rug
Should a small living room have a rug? The answer is yes. And it’s certainly a preferable flooring choice over traditional carpet. Just keep in mind the 18-inch rug rule of appropriately spacing the rug away from the walls.
‘For flooring, choose large rugs over wall-to-wall carpet. A well-chosen rug will anchor the space, define different areas, and make the room feel more cohesive. It adds a layer of warmth and texture and can create the illusion of a larger area by drawing the eye across the floor, adding depth. Opting for a lighter colour or a subtle pattern can further enhance this effect, ensuring the space feels open and airy rather than cluttered,’ Claire explains.
3. Layer your lighting
The best small living room lighting idea is to incorporate several sources of ambient lights and lamps which will also make the space look more luxurious.
‘Lighting plays a crucial role in creating a sensual and expensive ambience,’ says Olga Alexeeva, creative director of interior design studio Black & Milk. ‘Implementing multiple lighting schemes tailored for different occasions and times of the day can transform the space. Scattered floor and table lamps contribute to a welcoming and intimate atmosphere, imbuing the evening setting with an air of sophistication. The use of dimmable warm temperature light bulbs grants control over the ambience's intensity, allowing for a customizable luxury experience.’
4. Elevate artwork with high-quality framing
Including artwork on your living room’s feature wall is one of the most effective ways to make the space appear more expensive. But only as long as the artwork itself looks up to scratch. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is through chic framing.
‘We believe that the key with art is all in the framing. Adding a white mount inside the frame elevates the most basic print to something more special. Likewise, choosing the right frame will enhance the artwork as well. If you have a more minimalist scheme, a simple black or white frame with a mount can look very effective. Or, if you are more of a maximalist at heart, choosing a frame with some personality - whether that’s brightly coloured, an interesting shape or with a moulding detail, like a bobbin effect - will look really considered and instantly more high-end,’ Polly and Emily say.
They add, ‘Avoid common or famous artist’s prints and anything with a slogan – think “live, laugh, love”. No one will be fooled into thinking you have real Van Gogh’s Sunflowers on your walls.’
5. Opt for an elegant colour scheme
Some colours automatically look more polished and timeless and others. Not to mention, some shades also have the power to optically stretch a room. And those are exactly the living room colour schemes you need to be incorporating.
‘Embracing muted warm earthy tones with subtle darker accents can immediately infuse the space with an air of sophistication. To achieve this, quality materials and natural textiles with varying textures can be incorporated, adding depth and richness to the decor,’ Olga says.
Our top picks
Storage ottomans are the perfect addition to any small living room as they provide extra seating, as well as storage space and can be even used instead of a coffee table if space is really tight. And as Claire said, striped ottomans are both beautiful and great for adding subtle hint of pattern.
As Polly and Emily said, interesting frames can really elevate your artwork, no matter how much it's costed you. And we particularly love this wavy design which will also bring a sense of movement to your living space.
I recently got this beige-hued wall paint from Frenchic for my living room and I can't wait to cover my walls with it! It's perfectly in line with the elevated earthy colour palette and dark wood will really pop against it.
Layering sources of light looks amazing in any space, but especially so in a small living room. And utilising a corner of a room by filling it with a floor lamp like this one from M&S Home is highly recommended. But it doesn't necessarily have to be a wiggle lamp, you can also opt for a simpler design.
Rugs make a small living room feel both cosy and elevated. But it's best to stick to a bright colour palette and a pattern that's not too busy, for which a design classic like a Berber-style rug is ideal. And this La Redoute version is also reasonably priced.
Wall sconces just ooze the air of refined luxury. But what we've been seeing a lot of are more playfull shapes of wall lights with shell silhouettes in the lead. And this Pooky design in antique brass has us drooling.
Olga of Black & Milk concludes, ‘A small living room can be transformed into a space that exudes understated opulence and luxury, enveloping its inhabitants in a cocoon of refined elegance and warmth.’ We couldn’t have said it any better than that.
