Living Room Decor Ideas for Small Apartment Spaces
An apartment living room has to be a lounge, a guest room, a dining spot and sometimes an office, usually in a space smaller than a suburban bedroom. The living room decor ideas below are built for that: they make the room look larger, keep it cozy at night, and avoid anything a lease would forbid. The 12 ideas follow the order in which the decisions are best made, from layout to the last pillow.
Layout and furniture
1. Let a rug define the living area
In a studio or an open plan, the living room is wherever the rug is. Choose one large enough for the front legs of the sofa and every chair to rest on it. A rug that floats in the middle with no furniture touching it makes the room look like a waiting area.
What to look for: a 5×8 rug for a loveseat setup or a 6×9 for a full sofa, in a low pile that chair legs slide over.
2. Choose a sofa with visible legs
A sofa that sits flat on the floor reads as a solid block. One raised on legs shows floor underneath, and the eye takes that visible floor as extra space. Apartment-size sofas and loveseats give the same seat depth in less width.
Common mistake: buying a deep sectional because it looked right in a large showroom. Measure the wall, the doorway and the stairwell before you order.
3. Swap the coffee table for nesting tables or an ottoman
A full coffee table is often the largest obstacle in a small living room. Two nesting tables pull apart when guests come and tuck together afterward. A storage ottoman with a tray on top works as a table, a footrest and a place for blankets.
What to look for: rounded corners if the walkway is tight, and a top that sits level with the sofa seat or slightly lower.
4. Leave one clear path through the room
Decide how people walk from the door to the sofa and to the window, then keep that line free. A room with a clear path feels calm even when it is full, and a room without one feels cluttered even when it is tidy.
Budget tip: this one is free. Move the furniture for a weekend before you buy anything new.
Light
5. Use three light sources at three heights
One ceiling fixture flattens a room and leaves the corners dark. A floor lamp beside the sofa, a table lamp on a shelf and a plug-in sconce on the wall put light at standing, sitting and eye level. At night, turn the ceiling light off and the room looks deeper.
What to look for: warm white bulbs around 2700K in all three, so the light matches from lamp to lamp.
6. Hang sheer curtains from near the ceiling
Apartment windows are often the only source of daylight, so do not cover them with heavy fabric. Sheer panels hung close to the ceiling and wider than the frame soften the view and keep the light. Add a blackout roller blind behind them if the room doubles as a guest room.
Renter note: a tension rod or adhesive hooks hold light sheers without screws, though they will not carry lined curtains.
7. Place a mirror across from the window
Set a large mirror where it reflects the window and the room gains a second source of daylight. Over a sofa, hang it sideways; on a narrow wall, lean a tall one against the wall.
Walls and height
8. Hang one large piece of art in place of many small ones
A grid of small frames adds visual noise to a small wall. One large print or canvas over the sofa, about two-thirds of the sofa’s width, looks calmer and makes the wall seem wider.
Renter note: adhesive picture strips hold light frames on smooth painted walls. Check the weight rating on the pack, and lean heavier pieces on a shelf.
9. Take storage up the wall
Floor area is scarce and wall height is usually unused. A tall, narrow bookcase or two long floating shelves hold books, plants and baskets while drawing the eye upward, which makes the ceiling seem higher.
Common mistake: filling every shelf. Leave about a third of each shelf empty so the wall does not feel heavy.
10. Pick a media console that hides things
The television wall collects routers, remotes, cables and game controllers. A low console with doors or drawers keeps them out of sight, and a cord cover along the baseboard tidies what remains.
What to look for: a console a little wider than the television, with closed storage and a cutout at the back for cables.
Cozy layers
11. Add pillows and one throw, then stop
Two pairs of pillows in two sizes and a single textured throw are enough for a loveseat or a small sofa. Keep them within the three colors already in the room. A basket beside the sofa gives the throw a place to go.
12. Bring in one tall plant
A single plant about waist height or taller does more for a small room than six pots on the windowsill. It fills an empty corner, softens the lines of the furniture and adds the one color most neutral rooms lack. A good faux plant is a fair choice for a corner with little light.
Pairs well with: the floor lamp from idea 5. Set the two in the same corner and the leaves throw soft shadows on the wall at night.
Size guide for a small living room
These are common rules of thumb, not fixed rules. Use them as a starting point and adjust to your room.
| Item | Rule of thumb |
|---|---|
| Rug | Front legs of all seating on the rug; 5×8 with a loveseat, 6×9 with a sofa |
| Sofa to coffee table | About 14 to 18 inches |
| Coffee table length | About two-thirds of the sofa’s length |
| Walkway | At least 24 inches clear, 30 if you can |
| Art over the sofa | About two-thirds of the sofa’s width, hung 6 to 10 inches above the back |
| Curtain rod | Close to the ceiling, extending 6 to 10 inches past the frame on each side |
| Media console | A few inches wider than the television on each side |
Frequently asked questions
How do I decorate a small apartment living room?
Settle the layout first: one rug to mark the area, a sofa on legs and a clear path through the room. Then add light at three heights, take storage up the wall, and finish with a few pillows and a plant.
How can I make a small living room look bigger?
Show more floor and more light. Furniture on legs, a mirror across from the window, sheer curtains hung high and one large piece of art all make the room read as larger than it is.
What can renters do without losing the deposit?
Rugs, lamps, plug-in sconces, leaning mirrors, freestanding shelves and furniture changes need no permission. For anything that goes into the wall, read the lease or ask the landlord first.
Where to start
Begin with idea 4 and rearrange what you already own. Buy the rug next, because its size fixes where everything else goes. Lighting comes third. Leave art, pillows and plants until the furniture has stayed in place for a week or two.
For the next room, see our 15 cozy bedroom decor ideas for small rooms.