Small living room interior: modern design ideas

A spacious apartment, a large living room is often just a dream for those who are forced to be content with a more modest footage of the home. But instead of empty dreams, you can either plan an expansion, or try to make a cozy and stylish nest out of your home. And most often the renovation starts from the living room, as this is the "heart" of the house.

There are two equivalent approaches here. The first is to use all the tools available to visually expand the space. Color, shapes, textures, furnishings, decor and textiles - everything is selected in such a way that the interior of a small living room does not cause binding to the size, so that the visual space seems larger.

The second approach appeared (or rather, revived) not so long ago. Experts assure that the times are passing when all forces rushed to visual techniques for expanding space. Today, a room can be dark for a small footage, and with a lot of decor and furniture, which is also not recommended for a small area.

Which option you choose for a small apartment depends only on your own goals and wishes. If you want to decorate the room so that it looks wider, follow visual techniques. If you even want to emphasize the small size of the living room, to make the disadvantage a highlight of the room, the easier it is.

But the planning features are taken into account with both approaches.

• If the hall has a bay window, they think about how to beat this area. Often they do nothing with it, decorate the bay window with overly voluminous curtains, and the excellent opportunity to customize the design is missed. But the bay window is a wonderful place for a dining room, a great opportunity to bring a working mini-cabinet there.

• Rectangular and narrow room of 12 sq. m also does not always rationally settle down. But with such a layout, zoning can be very successful - it is convenient to separate the dining room, library, small play area, dressing table. Zoning in a one-room apartment turns out to be especially relevant.

• A small living room in a house can have two or even three windows, which also affects the arrangement. It is always more successful to place the table by the window - be it a dining table or a writing table.

• A small hall in the country can have a sloping roof., and such an interesting layout is a good opportunity to create a Scandinavian style or retro aesthetics in the room, or maybe arrange an incredible, romantic space in the shabby chic style.

• If the living room has the letter G, which is often the case in "odnushki", there is usually a sleeping area in the cubbyhole. But if this goal is not there, and the place of sleep coincides with the sofa area, then in the cubicle you can install a desktop by organizing a mini-cabinet.

Taking into account the available area, a project is drawn up. The question is being resolved, which can be painlessly abandoned. For example, slides, sections, massive TV stands are often unnecessary. They often store something inside that the owners will never use. Therefore, the media zone can be simplified with some more interesting solution. For example, highlight the wall with other wallpaper, laminate, imitation of a brick wall, and maybe an unexpected panel on the entire wall.

The living room is, in one way or another, divided into several sectors by function. In one part of the room you relax, in the other you work, in the third you dine or receive guests, in the fourth you play the children.

There are at least 7 ways to zone a hall.

• Furniture... Sofa, shelving - these are the main furniture that helps differentiate the sectors of the room. A sofa in the middle of a small living room will look good only if the living room is combined with the kitchen or if the sofa itself is miniature. It is easier with shelving - they are cross-cutting, small, not massive.

• Partitions... These can be structures made of plasterboard of different sizes, widths, with or without niches. Glass partitions are no less rare, which can be nominal (literally 1 m wide), or they can be close to a real wall, that is, divide the room into two parts, as an interior wall would do.

• Curtains... Fabrics and curtains are another popular option for dividing space. In a small living room, they should be in accurate color, not contrasting, but merging with the background. Filament curtains can separate one area from another with a solid partition. Fabric curtains can be a well-stretched dense material that is securely fixed in two holders (upper and lower).

• Wallpaper... Wall decoration can also mean the division of space into zones. This is especially often used when visually separating the recreation area from the dining area.

• Carpet... It may sound surprising, but wall hangings are making a comeback in interior fashion. However, it is worth starting with the floor: on a wide large carpet there may be a seating area (sofa, table), and the open floor indicates the designation of a different sector. A rug hanging vertically on the wall can represent the dining area.

• Ceiling... An intricately decorated ceiling is a controversial solution for a small living room. But the division of zones by different design of sections of the ceiling surface is still found. A compromise solution would be to install spotlights over one of the zones (dining room, for example).

• Podium... A fair solution for a small room, but on the condition that the ceilings in it are not low. On the podium, you can organize additional storage space and even equip a bed there.

The design in the classic style does not cease to be in demand. But the main requirement for such a repair is unchanged: living room in classic style - these are expensive natural materials. It is impossible to imagine a situation where the wallpaper in a classically decorated living room in a couple of years has lost its gloss and needs to be replaced, or that the furniture has lost its presentable appearance. In addition, the design of the hall in the classical style requires space, and a small footage will be an obstacle.

Other styles for decorating a small living room.

• Boho... A very popular style that is aptly called the epitome of the holiday of life. There is no place in it for gloomy tones (which is very suitable for a small room), the color content in it is bright, and the boho style is also very picky about the decor. But even in this style there should be a dominant, an initial style from which boho will be molded. Someone prefers to start from the country, someone from the Scandi style.

• Scandinavian... An excellent choice for a small room. These are bright spaces, with the most open-plan layout and modest window decorations. There are no frills in the style, even the decor is not accidental. This is a great destination for those who love change. By changing the decor, you get a new room every time.

• Pop Art. It is impossible not to mention the style that will suit creative people who are bored in the same type of interiors. It exploits contrasting, bright shades, neon inclusions are possible in it. The main semantic load in this style is carried by the walls.

• Art Deco. Something in between functionalism and modernity. The style obeys strict laws, softened by ethnic motives, geometric and floral patterns. It combines rational structure and graceful forms. The room will not appear as a single composition, but rather represent a collection of stylish items.

• Japanese style. It features a calming and uncluttered design with the most orderly ambiance, as well as a desire to recreate natural conditions. Only natural materials are used, light wall decoration, furniture in limited quantities. If you are not going to "load" your living room with a lot of features, the Japanese style is worth considering.

• Minimalism... Its origin is due to the fusion of the concepts of Japanese style and constructivism. It was once considered the antipode of bourgeois luxury. It assumes simple shapes, neutral tones, small volumes. An interior in this style will be calm and restrained, there is not a single superfluous object in it.

• Kitsch... This style mixes different directions, incompatible details and colors. Its main difference is redundancy in everything. In a small living room, such an interior can be arranged by representatives of creative professions, as well as those who do not like stereotypes.

• Eclecticism... Another bold direction - within its borders, it combines two or three other styles that are similar in nature.Without a designer, it's risky to embody eclecticism in a small living room.

• Shabby chic. Victorian romance style, in which vintage and artificially aged things coexist, creating a romantic cozy interior. This is a gentle style with an imprint of nostalgia for a beautiful past.

• Provence... A French country style dominated by natural materials, light-colored furniture (ideally vintage), muted tones and carefully thought-out lighting.

Separately, it is worth noting the modern style, or contemporary... It appeared in the middle of the last century and is based on Scandinavian interior motives, constructivism and minimalism.

And if your hall is small, then this is fertile ground for modern style... He is laconic and restrained, but at the same time he does not give up decorativeness. Usually it is decorated with things that are produced in mass production, the decor is typical and recognizable.

The advantage is definitely on the side of light colors. For a small room, this is the optimal solution, and if the room is the only one in the apartment, then making it dark or variegated is very risky. You can decorate the living room in monochrome colors, without color transitions and bright solutions. White is generally preferred and is the best backdrop for almost any setting.

In addition to white, the following are suitable for visual expansion of the space:

• beige;
• gray-blue;
• light green;
• faded pistachio;
• faded lemon;
• delicate olive;
• gray-brown diluted with milk.

If there is a classic interior, the best choice would be brown-coffee and milky tones., quite suitable for a small living room. Sandy and golden hues can be good choices too.

The walls are the main backdrop of a small living room. If the wall decoration is correct, they will not become an annoying element in the room. Smooth wallpaper or paintable wallpaper for a small space is optimal. You can even give up wallpaper altogether, preferring painting to them. Occasionally, thin plastic panels are used in the living room. Fragmentally admissible finishing with artificial stone.

Coverings that imitate brick or masonry, in principle, look interesting in the living room, ennoble it. The walls can be equipped with mirror or glossy elements, sometimes they are perfectly complemented by spot lighting. If on the directly located, central wall there is a photo wallpaper with a perspective image or interesting 3D wallpaper, this will also visually expand the room.

The floor in small living rooms is most often made light, ideally it is parquet or parquet board, but today there are many budget options (the same laminate) that will become a compromise solution. A light carpet makes the room more comfortable, but it is very demanding in maintenance. A glossy self-leveling floor will also be a good modern solution, but this is an expensive service and not everyone considers it comfortable.

As for finishing the ceiling, two options are in the lead - leveling and painting or stretch ceiling. The first option is simpler, cheaper, more environmentally friendly. The second is preferred today more often, but experts are sure that this fashion will not last long.People will come to understand that a neat white ceiling after painting is concise, simple and harmless.

The amount of free space depends on the furniture. This means that the furniture must be arranged so that everything you need is at hand. Functionality comes first. Large twin armchairs, no matter how much you want, do not look in a mini-living room. But transformable functional furniture is optimal for a small room. Particularly successful are modular sofas and armchairs that integrate well.

Folding tables and chairs are also used more often. The sofa is located in the central area, its upholstery should match other interior elements. A compact leather sofa can be a great practical solution. A medium-height table and one armchair (very compact) are usually placed next to the sofa.

It is better not to put large furniture by the window so that the room is filled with light. But tables, not higher than the windowsill, are quite acceptable. If there is a piano in the room, then free the area of ​​the room from a chest of drawers or from furniture of a similar height.

In addition to the fact that you need to furnish the room, you also need to arrange the window. Yesterday - unnecessarily lush, especially glossy curtains that create a lot of waves. They look ridiculous in a space that does not correspond to the luxurious, chic-demanding styles, and certainly do not go well with the small footage of the room. You can dwell only on tulle - white frosty, with a simple pattern. But you can supplement it with active curtains, which are combined with the second most important color in the living room.

Light - natural and artificial - is an essential element of the living room. If you need more natural light, then this is solved at the expense of a window with a minimum of partitions and light tulle. But with artificial lighting, there are more options. One massive chandelier is becoming obsolete today as the main lighting element. Paradoxically, it can become the most massive element in a room.

Designers advise to abandon the central chandelier in the living room in favor of a pair of small lamps or sconces, which are placed in the functional areas of the room.... And this turns out to be a more valuable solution: light is rarely needed absolutely everywhere.

If the space is cramped, preference should be given to decorative elements that tend upward - tall elongated figurines and vases. Airy glass shelves will also be useful. Many small decorative details create a feeling of chaos, clutter, therefore leave only what organizes the space in the room, and does not separate it.

The painting on the wall is a classic decor. It can be abstract, not bright and not colorful, and often such paintings combine the two main colors of the living room. Decor such as macramé panels is also in vogue today.

Examples of well-designed small living rooms will be an eloquent addition to the above. For comparison, in a selection of photos of rooms, designed in different interior styles.

10 beautiful little living rooms.

• Fragment of a bright, boho-style living room without frills. Everything is very soft, gentle, natural, the room is freed from massive details. Summer lives in it and there is a lot of air in it.

• The small room in the Provencal style is very romantic, light and elegant. Furniture with high functionality (lots of storage space) looks sophisticated.The main thing in such a living room is not to overdo it with decor.

• Noble living room in the style of modern classics - this is the decision on which households most often agree. Note that the furniture is not chosen from one set, as designers often talk about today.

• An attempt to recreate the art deco style on a small footage. Glossy surfaces and glass are well matched. The desktop is successfully brought out to the window. The dark floor is in harmony with the light walls. It is important here not to make a mistake in the selection of furniture, it must match the style.

• Something in between scandi and fusion, a very good option for an elongated living room. The dining area is beautifully played out, color calls are also successful, a reference to retro makes the space cozy and lively.

• A variant of the living room, which is the only room in the apartment. The inspiration is taken from the Scandinavian aesthetics, but the style is not kept in its pure form. However, everything fits in the room: massive furniture, a large sofa, and an original table. The supposed third wall may have either a dining area, a piano, or a corner for a child.

• This is what minimalism might look like. Accent geometry, lack of bright colors and fluid perception of space look soothing and, of course, stylish.

• Part of the living room in fusion style. If you are bored with calm, well-coordinated interiors and want a sharp style, a taste of life, then take a closer look at such solutions. They definitely emphasize a certain exclusivity of the owner.

• This style cannot be clearly defined, but the room is undeniably charming. Lovely finishes, lovely furniture and everything is very affordable to sell.

• A stunning eco-style solution. The fireplace can be decorative, but otherwise everything is very laconic and cute. Lovers of inspiration from nature should appreciate.

For information on how to arrange furniture in the living room, see the next video.