1. BRING IN PIECES WITH A DUAL PURPOSE
When picking furniture for any small space, making sure it brings as much bang for your buck as possible is a money-savvy idea. “In a small living room, I recommend bringing in pieces to serve dual purposes, especially when it comes to seating,” says Kathy Kuo, interior design expert and CEO of Kathy Kuo Home.
2. CHOOSE THE RIGHT FABRICS
Imagine sinking onto a soft seat at the end of the day, tea in hand, ready to chill. If this sounds dreamy to you, make sure to look at the fabric when mulling over seating ideas for small living rooms.
3. BE MINDFUL OF LAYOUT
As well as choosing where you put your seating, the placement of this furniture item in your small living room is pivotal for creating a relaxing vibe all can enjoy. “One of my top tips is considering a layout cleverly arranged to promote conversation,” says Artem Kropovinsky, interior designer and founder of Arsight.
4. CREATE THE ILLUSION OF SPACE
We love finding clever tricks to make small rooms look bigger here at Minimalism, which is why we’re loving this tip. “Seating like the sofa in this room I styled, with clean lines and narrow arms, creates the illusion of a bigger piece of furniture and leaves more space for the seat cushion,” says Laura Stein, interior designer at Laura Stein Interiors.
5. GIVE EXISTING SEATS NEW LIFE
You don’t even need to buy anything new when changing up the seating in your small living room — if you’re willing to use a bit of elbow grease. “In this living room, we painted and upholstered these vintage dining chairs and flanked an antique drop-leaf table for added seating when needed,” explains Gaia Guidi Filippi, principal designer at Gaia G Interiors.
6. PLACE DOWN FLOOR CUSHIONS
For speedy small living room seating solutions, Kathy says, “Floor pillows can add coziness and be easily moved around.” She adds that they’re a fun way to add extra seating to a small space, creating a relaxed feel for guests to sit around and chat. Talk about a smart boho small living room idea. If you’re in a pinch, you can even just use throw pillows you already have elsewhere in the home.