40 Small Apartment Living Room Ideas to Maximize Space and Style

Go Bold With a Gallery Wall

To pack a punch of personality into your small space, go big and bold with a wall-to-wall gallery wall.

“You’ll want to pick one really large piece that paves the way for the surrounding pieces and build out around it,” Yoselin Castro, senior interior designer at Mackenzie Collier Interiors, says “One of my favorite things when it comes to building gallery walls is filling in the small gaps with textural decor—think a clock, macrame hanging, or metal links.”

Devise a Spot to Work From Home

With working from home a new part of our routines, including a desk in your small living room may seem like an unrealistic dream. Take it from this Studio London Co.-designed living room in New York City: it's not.

Nestled between the couch and the window is a barely-there but incredibly useful desk. The desk's slim silhouette is spacious enough to spread out during the work day, but blends into the background once you close your laptop.

Hang a Standout Light Fixture

If you'd prefer to keep your walls bare, take a risk with an eye-catching light fixture, like Mary Patton did in this living room. It's a sculptural standout, drawing the eye up, so you can keep the rest of the room on the simpler side.

Layer a Rug Over Carpet

Most of us have been there, stuck in an apartment with less-than-ideal carpeting. If you're renting, pulling it up and refinishing the floors isn't an option, but covering much of it up with a rug is.

This living room from K Shan Design is a perfect example of how to layer a rug over carpet. Not only would a rug hide most of the carpet in your living room, but it'll muffle sound between you and your downstairs neighbor and add an extra soft landing for your feet too.

Add Lots of Versatile Seating Options

You may not have the space for an oversized sectional, but there are plenty of other ways to include seating options in your small living room. Loveseats are always a great idea, and so are stools that can be moved around (or out of) the space, depending on your entertaining needs.

Make it Monochromatic

To create an airy apartment living room, no matter how big or small it is, keeping everything (from wall color to furniture to window treatments) in shades of white will always make it feel roomier than the square footage suggests.

Paint the Ceiling

It may seem risky to paint the ceiling in a small space. Won't that make it look smaller? That depends on the color. This icy blue, painted both on the walls and ceiling by Joshua Smith Inc., bounces around this petite living room thanks to the sunshine streaming through the windows, making for a cohesive space.

Embrace the Space With a Dark and Moody Feel

When designing your small apartment living room, you have to start with one question. Do you want a light and bright space or a dark and moody one? If you opt for the latter, a cozy alternative to an airy living room, take notes from this JF Gardemal Designs space: textured eggplant wallpaper and blackout curtains are the keys to creating this mood.

Use Muted Tones

Clean lines, natural materials, and muted tones—that's the recipe for this living room's zen vibe. It's part of a San Francisco condo designed by Cathie Hong Interiors, who used smart storage (like that wall-mounted Danish midcentury bookshelf and freestanding book tower) to make the most of every inch. The results are enviable and inspiring.

Lean Into Parisian Vibes

Oh-so-chic Parisians have lived with small living rooms for centuries. When in doubt, take in this Anastasia Casey-designed space, which we could imagine in Le Marias, and ask yourself: what would a Parisian do?

Arrange Art on Floating Shelves

Hanging art is great. Leaning art, some may say, is even better. Casually leaning matching frames on slim floating shelves, like in this living room designed by Curated Nest Interiors, makes for a cohesive look that is far from cluttered.

Take a Chance on an Adventurous Color

Never thought you'd own a pink couch? The confines of a small apartment living room just may be the perfect space to stretch your design comfort zone. Take this Scandinavian living room from Fantastic Frank as inspiration.

The rosy hue, used in the plump (and petite) loveseat and accented in the artwork, are anything but juvenile-feeling. Instead, the unexpected color warms up the modern touches, like the geometric pendant light and the stone coffee table.

Opt for a Sofa Sleeper

Just because your apartment living room is on the smaller side doesn't mean you need to forego hosting guests. Take it from this apartment designed by Christina Loucks. It features a great sleeper sofa that easily turns the couch into a bed your guests would happily crash on.

Create a Seamless Open Concept Space

If your living room is also your dining room, make the most of the combined space with a cohesive design that doesn't visually chop up the already tight quarters. Here, BHDM Design kept the couch, dining room table, and all the furniture in between in the same sleek color family, creating a seamless open concept look.

Paint it Black

Feeling brave? A small apartment living room is a golden opportunity to make bold design decisions—like painting the entire room black. That's what Louis Duncan-He Designs did for this living room. The matte black paint creates a cool and dramatic backdrop for equally-as-exciting furnishings, like a rust-colored couch and a feathery floor lamp.

Integrate Vintage Furniture

Is there anything more satisfying than responding, "Oh, it's vintage" to a guest fawning over your you-name-it? Investing in vintage furniture and art, like the extra special pieces in this London apartment from Emilie Fournet Interiors, takes some scouting, but brings a je ne sais quoi to any space—especially a small living room.

Hang Uniform Art

Small apartment living rooms can look cluttered fast. That's not the case with this clean, airy space by BHDM Design. Partially to thank for that is the neatly hung art, uniform and perfectly in place.

Embrace Awkward Angles

Look at a triangular footprint, like the one featured in this Manhattan apartment, as a welcome challenge. It forces you to be intentional about your furnishings, creating a cozy conversation corner that doesn't detract from the stunning city views.

Go for Gauzy Window Treatments

Instead of heavy drapery, which could make a small space feel even smaller, Mary Patton Design kept the window treatments in this apartment living room light and airy. They filter sunlight, provide privacy, and inspire a grand feeling in the space.

Prioritize the View

Who cares about the size of your apartment living room when you have a view like this? BHDM Design kept the furnishings and flourishes in this space minimal, so nothing distracts from that view.

​​Add a Pair of Matching Loveseats

A small apartment living room won't allow you to indulge in an oversized sectional. Instead, invest in matching loveseats, which you can arrange to face one another for optimal conversation and cuddling.

Keep Furnishings Minimal

If you're afraid of overwhelming your small apartment living room, start with minimal furnishings: a couch, a coffee table, a lamp, and a plant. From there you can build on until you feel like the space is properly furnished without cluttering the space.

Mix and Match Bold Patterns

For a serious jolt of personality in your living room, put a pattern to work. Then maybe another pattern too. Take this Travis Londons / Studio London-designed space as inspiration. The oh-so-fun zigzag wallpaper creates a statement wall behind the couch, with the pattern elongating the look of the room, while the diamond-patterned rug complements it with a similar-but-different feel.

Trade a Couch for a Daybed

Couches can be clunky, especially when placed in a small apartment living room. That's not the case with this sleek and understated daybed in this bright, airy Swedish apartment from Fantastic Frank. Outfitted with cushions and linens, it serves double duty as a couch and as a spot for guests to crash.

Add Storage With Book Shelves

Bless bookshelves. Not only do they provide storage for books (of course), but they are also a genius use of space to house framed photos, plants, and knick-knacks—all without taking up too much precious space.

Incorporate (Lots of) Plants

No matter how small your living room is, there's always room for a plant, or two, or 10. Plants add much-needed life to spaces of all sizes, just like this London apartment living room from Emilie Fournet Interiors. If you're short on square footage, look up. Hanging plants draw the eye up while saving you precious floor space.

Camouflage the TV in a Gallery Wall

With just a quick glance at this gallery wall, your eyes will barely register that the TV is placed in the middle of it. What a smart way to blend a TV in your design. That's what this living area of this Brooklyn studio apartment that blogger Annie Diamond of Most Lovely Things helped design for her daughter Madeline does. Use the television as the anchor, then arrange wall art of various (but slightly smaller) sizes around it.

Connect Spaces With a Large Area Rug

A rug is a must for any apartment living room, not only for aesthetic purposes, but also to muffle the sounds of your footsteps for your downstairs neighbor. Here, BHDM Design outfitted the entire floor, from the living room through the dining area, with one oversized rug, which makes the space seem bigger than it is.

Work With—Not Against—Slanted Walls

If your apartment is tucked into the top floor of a house, you may be working within the confines of slanted walls. The key? Work with them, not against them. Low-profile furniture is your friend; it'll neatly tuck into the part with the shorter ceiling.

There are plenty more design tips to take from this Nantucket living room from interior designer Kara Mann too, from the graphic black-and-white rug to the natural wood accents and the overall relaxed vibe—perfect for winding down and cozying up.

Be Aware Of Your Windows' Height

Get your tape measure out. The last thing you want to do in a small living room is block any of the windows—they are key to making a room feel bigger. This Fantastic Frank-designed living room handles the window with serious grace, tucking the sofa (with the exact height and length dimensions needed for this room) perfectly underneath.

Paint Halfway Up The Walls

Leave it to interior designer extraordinaire Leanne Ford Interiors to add an unexpected twist to the walls of this living room. By painting a warm beige tone two-thirds of the way up the walls, the space is immediately modernized and made to feel bigger than it truly is. The results are refreshing, effortlessly working to ground the seating area while simultaneously making the ceilings feel taller. Win/win.

Reconsider Wood Paneling

Forget everything you think you know about wood paneling. The living room of this Scandinavian country house from Fantastic Frank will surely change your mind. It doesn't have to look dated or cheap, and it doesn't have to make a room feel smaller either. With light, bright, wide wooden boards and plenty of sunlight streaming in from the windows, this small living room feels fresh, tranquil, and nothing like the wood paneled basements of yesteryear.

Consider Scale

Playing with scale in a small apartment living room is a delicate balance. You don't want to overwhelm the room, but you don't want to solely feature dainty pieces either. A good place to start: an oversized light fixture, like this pendant in this living room from Fantastic Frank.

Have Fun

No one says you have to take interior design seriously. Have fun designing your small apartment living room. Go ahead, hang colorful art! Show off a funky pattern! Encourage guests to sit on a knotted velvet pouf, like the one in this New York City living room designed by Alvin Wayne. Your living room, no matter its size, is meant to be enjoyed.

Choose the Largest Sofa Possible

While you want to choose furniture that correctly suits the scale of your living room, that doesn't mean choosing the smallest sofa on the market. A tiny sofa can have a dollhouse effect, while choosing the largest sofa that works within your space can actually make your room seem bigger, especially if it's a light and airy white.

Add Built-Ins

Storage is typically hard to come by in small spaces, but you can create an entire wall of storage without taking major square footage. Use bookshelves to create faux built-ins or install real built-ins. You'll only lose a few inches from the wall but you'll gain major storage space.

Choose an Armless Sofa

Not only do you need to select a sofa that's the right scale for your space, but also the right silhouette. An armless sofa can make your space feel more airy and avoid disrupting the flow in your room.

Echo Textures Throughout the Room

An intentional small space will feel sophisticated and styled. One way to do that is to echo the same fabrics and textures throughout the space. In this room, a cognac leather sofa coordinates with the cognac leather ottoman next to the accent chair. This helps the small living room feel cohesive rather than thrown together.

Balance Hard and Soft

Leggy wood and metal furniture feels light and airy, which is why it's used so often in small living rooms. But too much of it can create a cold look. Balance those harder materials with soft, cozy textures, including blankets, sheepskin throws, and drapery.

Incorporate Chairs Into Your Layout

Even in the smallest of spaces, a seating option beyond the sofa will make a room feel more welcoming and comfortable. Try petite accent chairs or ottomans that can double as storage or seating.