Aside from the bedroom, people spend most of their home time in the small space of the living room. It’s a living area place to unwind, host get-togethers, and cuddle up with a good book. As such, you’ll want the smaller space to look its best. But if you live in a small college apartment or a studio near the office, your living room is probably in a smaller space, making no room for personal storage.
You know what they say, though: good things can come in small packages.
For living rooms that are less on the roomy side, we have all the best apartment living room decor ideas right here.
Find Multi-Purpose Furniture
Anytime tiny apartment space is an issue, your first instinct may be to prioritize function over form. The trick to decorating a small living room is to find appealing living area furniture that’s also practical.
How? Two words: multi-purpose furniture.
Seek out a coffee table with our storage size chart to make for storage space underneath or a fold-out couch for when guests stay the night. As tiny homes and small-space living take off, these multifaceted pieces have become more attractive and easier to find for furniture pieces.
Choose Your Chair
In a relatively small apartment living room, chances are you’ll only have room for a couch or loveseat and one additional chair. With that in mind, you’ll want to choose that furniture piece wisely.
Here are a few options for a small house that are both functional and visually pleasing:
- Pouf – Think of poufs as adult bean bag chairs. They’re comfortable, low to the ground, and come in a wide array of patterns. They’re also easy to stow away when you need the extra space.
- Accent chair – If you have a neutral-colored couch, stay away from the matching chair. Instead, make a bold color or pattern choice. Accent chairs can add contrast to a floor space without being overwhelming.
- Ottoman – It’s a footrest when you’re alone and an extra chair when your friend brings their buddy along. Talk about versatility! Even better, some ottomans come with built-in storage.
Change With the Seasons
Looking for small apartment decorating ideas on a budget? Nothing says “I’m serious about decorating” like seasonal decor. Displaying accessories that match the time of year shows that you’re constantly updating the look of your living room.
Best of all, you don’t need to go overboard and turn your apartment into a theme park. A touch of the season here and there is enough to demonstrate that you’re an interior design pro.
Here are a few examples to start you off on the right foot.
Fall
You don’t need to be a pumpkin spice fan to spice up your living room in autumn. Details like candles, wicker baskets, and tiny pumpkins and squashes add a cozy fall feeling to your living space.
Winter
For some people, Christmas starts the day after Thanksgiving. If you like to wait (or you don’t celebrate Christmas), try playing with white lights and pinecones in winter. Evergreen boughs and wreaths are a fun seasonal way to mix in some greenery.
Summer
Hopefully, you’ll be spending most of your summer in the park or on the patio. Still, a living room set that complements the season is always welcome. Look for brightly colored accessories and all things citrus and flowers.
Buy a Bar Cart
Social media has been awash with bar carts lately. The narrow profile and built-in wheels make it an ideal side table for even the smallest living room. You can move a bar cart around when you need to make space, and it adds a layer of sophistication to your home.
Best of all? No more running into the kitchen mid-party for a new drink.
Don’t Leave the Walls Bare
Need some small apartment decorating ideas? It’s rule number one of decorating. Clean white walls are fine if you’re running a photo studio, but otherwise, let’s decorate. Try adding one or more of the following to your living room:
- Gallery Wall – A gallery wall is a tight-knit collage of art and photos centered around one wall. It’s much bolder than a smattering of pictures here and there. See our blog on how to hang pictures on a wall.
- Mirrors – A mirror outside of the bedroom or bathroom? It’s more common than you think, and it makes for a perfect accent piece. A strategically placed mirror will help make your living room look larger, too.
- Tapestries – If you have one large wall in your living room, you can hang a mid-sized tapestry. It’s an inexpensive way to cover a lot of space at once.
Look for Fun Fabrics
Colorful couches make a statement, but they might not match your next apartment. To add patterns to an apartment living room, opt for smaller fabric pieces instead.
Rugs make a space feel homey, and bold shapes and colors can accent a neutral living nicely. Similarly, placing patterned throw pillows and blankets on a beige or grey couch is an inexpensive way to add personality.
Store Your Extra Stuff for Later
Once you start designing your dream living room, you can end up with more stuff than you have room for. But if you plan to one day move into a bigger place, you’ll want to keep it all.
Whether you’re looking for a place to stash your fall decorations in the spring or you’re hanging onto your favorite recliner, Price Self Storage can help. With locations all across California, we have a nearby facility ready to serve you.
Design a spacious, well-decorated living room in your apartment, and leave the rest with us.
Sources:
Moving Home Advice. Revealed – Which Room Of The House Gives The Best Value For Money? https://movinghomeadvice.com/featured/revealed-which-room-of-the-house-gives-the-best-value-for-money/