10 ideas for designing a small living room

The role of the living room in the apartment is changing, so the approach to its design is changing. Previously, this room was a gathering place for relatives and friends about all the celebrations and holidays. Now, when is the celebration of many events transferred to cafes and restaurants, the living room becomes more individual, homely and cozy space. Here you can decorate everything so that you are comfortable spending time there with your family, and not emphasize your status. Unfortunately, the living room in many apartments does not differ in large area, so on modest square meters you have to equip a recreation area, and often also a work area. Can choose absolutely any style of interior, but when arranging a small living room, remember several rules, due to which the boundaries of space are magically moved apart, and the living room becomes a quite spacious and functional room.

Many designers are well acquainted with the problem of small living rooms, and have already accumulated many ideas and solutions. Everyone will be able to take effective advice, and as a result, in place of their small and cramped living room, get a high spacious bright room, where there is a place for all necessary furniture and for free movement.

No. 1. Right color

To organize the space of a small living room it is better to use light shadesthat erase the boundaries of the walls. An ideal option would be painting in white, beige, sand, cream, peach colors, as well as all light and pastel shades. You can also use light wallpaper in small drawing, a large bright picture in this case is contraindicated - it will only emphasize the limited space.

Using only light shades can turn the living room into a rather boring space, so bright accents just necessary. So, you can one paint the wall in contrast color, use bright pillows for a sofa or plaids, hang a bright picture, etc.

Create contrast wall using paint or wallpaper of a slightly different shade, photo wallpaper etc. You can choose a very different color, and work within the same color.

Ceiling and floor should also be as light as possible shades: suitable for the floor sand, yellow or gray, and the ceiling is better to make white. In this regard, it is justified to organize glossy stretch ceilings, in which the room will be reflected and, accordingly, doubled.

Living room floors are often decorated with small rugs that cover only a specific area. Carpet it is better to choose in light shades, and so that it does not get dirty so quickly, pay attention to lint-free options.

No. 2. Ample lighting

The more light in the room, the more the living room will appear. That is why you need to use the maximum daylight, and do not clutter the windows with heavy curtains and curtains, the best option is light tulle, roman or roller blinds.

Artificial lighting should not be limited to only one chandelier in the center of the ceiling, otherwise individual areas will be very poorly lit, which means that the corners will show clear boundaries of the room. Lush use area lighting in combination with a central one, therefore, a recreation area, a working area, some cabinets can be highlighted separately using floor lamps, lamps or sconces. You can use LED strips that will highlight the area with a TV, some kind of picture or photo wallpaper. Photowall-paper, especially with a bright perspective, is another great way to visually increase the living room space.

As known, the mirror is able to reflect light, therefore, will make the room visually more spacious. A mirror is able to double the space of a room, so its presence in a small living room becomes a necessity. The size of the mirror surface can be different: it can be an oval or rectangular mirror in the frame, it can be several mirrors hanging on one wall, it can even be a mirror wall, a mirrored wardrobe, a mirror ceiling, etc. Properly placed mirror surface creates an unrealistically believable feeling of additional space.

No. 3. Compact furniture

Probably, one should not explain for a long time that in a small space it is better to use compact furniture, which with its functionality will occupy as little space as possible. That is why it is better to give preference to a double sofa and compositions from small soft poufs, rather than a huge soft corner. Worth sticking to minimalism, and choose furniture with simple, simple formswithout any elaborate elements. The number of pieces of furniture should also be minimal. Pay attention to the options that simultaneously execute several functions. For example, sofas in which there are places to store things, coffee tables, which can be laid out, ottomans, in which there is also space for folding any trifles.

By the way, the rule of using compact furniture in a small living room is explained even Titchener's theory of circles. He noticed that the same figure seems larger if you surround it with smaller objects, and less if you use larger objects around. We perceive the sizes of objects relative to each other, therefore, compact furniture creates the feeling that the living room is getting bigger.

Important to create optical focus in the living room so that the space is balanced and harmonious. So sofa can be the focussurrounded by other seating areas.

Folding chairs can be used as extra seats, which are retracted as unnecessary. remember, that transparent and translucent furniture it dissolves in the room, since it does not block any parts of the living room from your view. Perhaps you should opt for plastic transparent chairs or a glass coffee table?

Try to use a minimum of furniture in the living room and get rid of everything that is actually not so necessary here.

Number 4. We use diagonals

There are a number of simple rules using which you can get amazing results in the arrangement of furniture.

One of these rules is diagonal rule. Most of us have furniture parallel to the walls, but try to move away from this habit, and put, for example, a TV at an angle of 45 degrees to the walls. Two sofas at an angle or one large corner sofa can be placed diagonally from it: everyone sitting on it will watch TV at a right angle, and the distance from the eyes to the screen will be optimal. A large distance from the sofa to the TV will play in the perception of the living room, and it will seem more spacious, especially if the center of the room is also free.

No. 5. Reflection method

The reflection method is that for decoration and arrangement of the territory are used paired identical items. It can be elements of decoration or furniture.Get two identical small sofas, two flowerpots for flowers, two identical coffee tables, etc. They have opposite each other, as in mirror reflection. If all this is supplemented with mirrors that are also able to reflect, then in the end you can confuse the brain so much that it will initially perceive a miniature living room as something more spacious, comfortable and cozy.

No. 6. Creating the illusion of perspective

The human brain is very complex, but with some tricks it can be deceived and disrupt the correct perception of space. You can create the illusion of perspective, as it were, to dissolve those objects that are further. To move a wall, an object, you need to decorate it in smooth light colors, and bright colors and textures are necessary for those parts that need to be visually brought closer.

If you need to create a sense of perspective, then before entering the living room there should not be unnecessary objects cluttering up the space, and the path from the door to the windows should be free. In this case, the gaze involuntarily penetrates the window into the external environment.

Number 7. Horizontal and vertical lines

Professionals have long been proven in practice the influence of lines on the perception of space. So, for the living room with low ceilings can use wallpaper in vertical strip, or paint one of the walls in a similar way. The room is transformed beyond recognition, and you will feel more space for your own life

If the height of the ceilings suits you, then horizontal strip able to expand the room a little, create the illusion of a larger space. Not only wallpapers, but also decor items with pronounced vertical or horizontal patterns, are also able to change the perception of the space of a small living room.

It is worth noting that there is still controversy over the direction of the bands and their effect, since many scientists prove the opposite effect: they say that the vertical strip expands the territory, and the horizontal one makes it higher.

Number 8. Zoning without partitions

Very often, the living room combines not only the corner of a family vacation at the TV screen, but should also accommodate mini office, or even the dining room. To distinguish between these zones, many designers recommend using all kinds of effects for zoning: screenspartitions catwalksusing different finishes, etc. But scientists have long proved that you can do much easier by playing on the features of our brain.

At the beginning of the last century, the Italian psychologist Caniss proved that if place all the furniture in the room at the tops of an imaginary triangle or a square, the brain will unknowingly close this figure and delimit different zones. Real physical separators will no longer be needed - the perceptual features will do everything for us.

No. 9. Jewelry balance

The living room, devoid of accessories, will look boring and uncomfortable. That is why for decorating space, you can use vases, paintings, photographs, plants, etc. - a lot of options. But it’s important not to overdo it, because the abundance of accessories will make the small living room even smaller. It is better to use one big picture than a dozen small ones, then it will attract the eye of the person entering, distracting from the main drawback - a small space. The more details there are in the room, the more eyes are scattered, and the smaller the already small living room seems. Therefore, in our case fewer accessories means more space.

No. 10. Storage locations

If the living room is very small, then it is better to use only the most necessary furniture for this room, and this is a sofa, a table and a TV. If stays space for a wardrobe, then this is very good, but the main thing is not to occupy them the entire free territory. To save the necessary items, you can use dressers, shelf systemplaces in sofas and poufs: so the walls of the room will remain free, which means that the space will seem visually larger.

Finally

Ideal for a small living room - combining it with a kitchen into one space, separated by a bar or arch. But if this is not part of your plans, then there are many other tricks that can turn even the smallest living room into a convenient and comfortable space for family relaxation and conversation. Moreover, such a living room will seem a little larger than it actually is. Hurry to use the accumulated experience of many professionals in the design of your own living room.