Whether you’re moving into your own space, expanding your family or simply fancy a living room refurb, it can be daunting having to restructure and decorate your room from scratch. We understand that while it might be tempting to fill your living room full with your favourite furniture, home décor pieces and styling items, you might not necessarily have the space or capacity for it. Even in a room that you’ve been making your homes for years, we sometimes don’t realise how we can maximise our space to the best effect, making every item considered to get the most from the heart of our homes.
That’s why we’ve made a list of our best small living room ideas, so you can be sure that you’re getting the most out of your living room. We’ve broken it down into four sections that will help maximise the space that you do have, and are completely customisable so your personal taste can shine through, no matter what your style.
Bigger is Better
If you have limited living room space, fake ‘it til you make it. Create the illusion by opening up your room with basic colour tones and well fitted furniture.
Neutral Walls
Clean, simple and airy, neutral walls are a great place to start. Creams, nudes and beiges set a calming backdrop to your living room, while an off-white shade is perfect for tricking the eye into thinking a room is bigger than it actually is. These shades work great if you have lots of furnishings as they complement your furniture without competing for attention. Think of neutral colours as a support for the bolder pieces in your room. They allow them to shine while being a welcoming reassurance in the background. Neutral colours are always on-trend and offer endless styling opportunities as they pair well with all décor themes and styles. Try adding a splash of vivid colour by inserting a bright accessory in a room with a neutral backdrop. Or why not perk it up even more with some coloured wax? PartyLite’s wax and flameless products offer a spectacular colour range that can help lift the mood of any living room.
The Right Rug
Choosing the right rug can transform your living room. Too small, and you risk closing up the existing space and making the room look cluttered. A larger rug that is well scaled in size can not only help to anchor your furniture, but will balance out your room. Aim for a centralised rug with at least a foot of bare floor around it to frame it, so as to avoid looking too big and inadvertently having the opposite effect.
A Sofa That Fits
When space isn’t an option, it might seem contradictory to overwhelm your space with a large corner sofa, but bulking out your room with modular furniture can help to set the layout for your living room. A family-sized corner sofa pressed against the wall will provide all the seating you need, and works well as a starting point to decorate around. Padding out your space with an oversized sofa creates a welcoming addition to your living room and can help to eliminate the need for any unnecessary filler items that might make your room look more cluttered. To balance out the proportion of a large sofa in a small room, choose something that’s raised or has legs to provide some visual space underneath.
Wall Mount Your TV
Reduce the amount of floor furniture and utilise any free space you do have by mounting your TV to the wall. This can help to emphasise it by giving it a space of its own. Having it “float” on the wall will make the space look bigger and allow for the TV to speak for itself without the need for any stands or shelving to support it. Use the shape of a wall mounted TV to your advantage by placing it parallel to any furniture that you have, thereby creating a sense of cohesion that will pull all of your décor together.
Maximise Space
Don’t overlook the spots that are often unused. Make the most of any space, whether it’s an empty corner or an abandoned window ledge. You’ll find these unused spaces are the perfect place to let personality shine, without impeding you from living day to day, uncluttered in your favourite room.
Furniture Placement
You’ll be amazed by how much space you can save purely by strategically arranging your furniture. Arrange your sofa and extra seating options together to frame a central coffee table, that way you skip the need for any side tables. Lining your walls with a sofa or additional chairs is the most natural way to introduce more space, however if you “float” your furniture you can actually create the look of a bigger room by using the back of the sofa as an artificial wall. This flat surface creates a boundary that marks the beginning of a new space. You can use it to either direct traffic away to another part of your room, or populate with additional furniture.
Carefully Select Extra Seating
Whether you live alone or have a family of four, it’s inevitable that you’ll have guests to accommodate. If you’ve opted for an oversized sofa, you can afford to get creative about your extra seating. Consider soft stools that double up as ottomans (even better if they can be tucked underneath your coffee table when not needed) and small armchairs for entertaining your family and friends. We love armless armchairs for a minimalist look that doesn’t feel disproportionate.
Mirrors
A magician’s favourite trick and a great way to create the appearance of a bigger space is to fit mirrors in your living room. They add a sense of airiness that can prevent a room from looking too heavy. Mirrors are also a good universal tool to use as they come in a range of forms, meaning that they will work for you no matter what your personal style is. Cleverly placing mirrors can have a huge impact on the design of your room as they almost act like windows, bouncing natural light around to expand your space. If you don’t have the capacity for a floor length mirror, smaller mirror panels can be hung from any wall surface and make great reflective wall pieces to balance out the room.
The Right Storage
Be selective about the things that you want on display, and hide the things that aren’t essential. Bookshelves aren’t exclusively for books - alternate between books on one shelf, and trinkets, candles, photo frames and other decorative pieces on the ones in between to make the most of the space. Coffee tables are also great space savers, look for ones with shelves or hidden drawers for stuffing with the things that you really don’t want to lose but you know you probably will. We all know that feeling! Ottomans aren’t just for using as extra seating, place whatever you need inside and then top with a stylish tray to create a makeshift coffee table that doubles up as a three-in-one. Smaller items can be multi-purpose too. Reuse your PartyLite candle holders for a small storage solution. They’re great as trinket dishes or for keeping any items that always seem to run away from you. Something we’ve learnt from experience! We love to use an empty votive holder to stop us misplacing our keys - a handy décor piece that’s functional as it is stylish.
Make It Transition
Living rooms are meant to be lived in, but how do you stop it from becoming too stuffy? It’s easy to get bored of such a small space, but by making a few tweaks to your room, you can transform the way it looks to make it feel like a new room. This is the perfect way to move through the seasons, too, so reflect your style as the year changes and your tastes do too.
Creating A Daytime Vibe
Start off by setting the tone of your room with colour. Our Escential Jars feature coloured wax, so they’re a perfect way to add a daytime pop of colour. Natural light is the easiest - and not to mention cheapest - way to transform your living space. Keep your windows free and unobstructed by curtains, blinds or too many window sill accessories to ensure maximum light flow. Light will automatically open up your room and set a relaxed and welcoming tone. We love the shadows that daylight casts into the room to add a touch of unexpected character. If you happen to live in an area that’s naturally shady or doesn’t get to see much daylight, you can also use candles to brighten up your living space. Candles aren’t just for the evening, use them to maximise light and create a sense of warmth that will open up your room.
Choose A Romantic Evening
Ambiance is everything when you want to set a more romantic tone. Candles are stereotypically the go-to piece for creating an intimate atmosphere, and we one hundred percent agree. The gentle flicker of candlelight sets a mood like no other, and the customisable nature of candles means that you can style them whichever way you like depending on the layout of your living room. PartyLite GloLites feature a classic pillar candle look that offers a brilliant top-to-bottom glow. Available as a scented or unscented candle.
Fragrance changes can transform the mood
Just by introducing a new scent into your living room, you can completely revamp the tone. Scents that contain fragrance notes of florals and fruits are perfect for setting a comforting scene in the day. Whereas muskier and more exotic scents are ideal for matching the late evening ambiance to create a soothing space that’s perfect for unwinding after a long day. Does your space not allow for an open flame? Go for PartyLite Scent Plus Melts or SmartScents Sticks for low maintenance fragrance that still smells just as amazing.
Add Carefully Selected Accessories
A carefully crafted painting isn’t complete without the finishing touches, and your living room is no different. You’ve worked hard to optimise your room for a limited space, so don’t let your work go to waste. This is the way you make it truly yours, going from showroom to a lived-in, vibrant space that tells your story.
Bring Nature in with Potted Plants
Plants are an easy way to finish off your room, regardless of what your personal style is. Add a touch of green through a few strategically placed miniature succulents, or stand a tall cactus against the wall to break up your furniture. Indoor plants breathe life into a room, literally, and add a positive vibe to any space. Hanging plants can transform your living room and add a much needed touch of nature to your home whether you live in the big city or in a more rural setting. Switch up your standard plant pots by reusing the empty PartyLite jar candle you have lying around that’s too pretty to throw away. Our glass jars are not only 100% recyclable, but also 100% reusable!
Make a Fireplace a Feature
Granted, fireplaces aren’t necessarily finishing touches that you can add easily to your room. However if you’re lucky enough to already have one, decorating it is a must. If you don’t want to light coals in your fireplace but want the light it brings, place candles inside to mimic the look of a burning fire and add a rustic touch to your living space. Lanterns and wicker baskets also look great beneath the fireplace and can be another great option for added storage. Why not try our Nature’s Light candle collection, giving you the sound of a real crackling fire without the hassle?
Select Pieces that Enhance, not Crowd the Room
Adding too bulky a decorative item to your room can overwhelm it, so settle on smaller pieces that add a lot of style value. Décor pieces like Votive Candle Holders and Tealight Holder Trios are easy to place and can be used with a variety of different candles to achieve your desired living room look. If you need a flame free, child-friendly option, PartyLite ScentGlow Warmers are a great alternative, giving you long-lasting fragrance and stylish home décor with beautiful soft light.
Personal Touches
Our last tip is to make your living room personal to you as you’re the one who will be living in it! Add picture frames that capture your memories, your favourite piece of wall art and keepsakes that make the room truly yours. These pieces can be hung or slotted into a number of small spaces so as to subtly sprinkle your personal touch throughout. Trinkets and souvenirs make great style additions, as well as storytelling pieces that are sure to start conversation.
Have we solved your small living room problem? In need of some beautiful home fragrance to make your house feel like a home? Explore our fragrance pages for gorgeous scented candles to light up your living space, or our home styling section for more ways to decorate your home. If you’re looking for more styling advice, view the rest of our blogs for more PartyLite updates.