Setting up small living rooms

WALL MIRROR CALEO |   METALLBUDE

To visually enlarge a small living room, there are a few tricks:

• Use (horizontal) stripes: With rugs or even with the living room wall design, stripes can stretch the room on the walls and on the floor. Depending on how stripes are used, the living room appears higher or wider.
• Choose the right rug: The rug should be at least as wide as the sofa and placed between or under the sofa and coffee table. This forms a unit and makes the area appear larger.
• Install mirrors: A mirror ensures that the room appears expanded and also reflects additional light. This not only makes smaller living rooms appear larger, but also brighter, especially when the mirror is placed near a light source, such as a window.

Especially when the living room is small, the available space should be used thoughtfully: Think vertically and don't leave niches empty. This can be achieved primarily through tall furniture, such as bookshelves, wall boards, or a higher living wall. You should not waste any space and - if possible - place furniture like cabinets or chests of drawers in niches or corners that might otherwise be difficult to use.This is how you use the space efficiently. Make sure that the living wall or shelf is placed on the side and does not immediately catch the eye when entering. Because even if you use the space efficiently, you should preserve free spaces in smaller living rooms. A minimalist interior in the living room should be expressed both by free spaces on the floor and on the wall. Limit yourself to a few elements on the wall and therefore, for example, opt for one to two large portrait format pictures, rather than too many small ones. The floor should also still be clearly visible and offer enough free space. When in doubt, less is more here - better one piece of furniture too few than one too many.

Small living rooms need a lot of light and brightness. Here's how you can use colors and lights to your advantage:

1. Use bright colors on your living room wall, such as white, beige, cream, or a light gray. This looks open and airy and can be combined with almost all furniture.
2. Complement bright colors with natural wood.This creates a cozy atmosphere and gives you the opportunity to add a touch of Japandi-Style or Scandi-Style to your living room.
3. Choose subtle and slim lamp models, for example made of metal, that match your furniture and do not waste unnecessary space.
4. Indirect lighting, for example LED strips, which serve as backlighting for the TV, a suspended wall or ceiling, visually expand the room and make it cozy. Wall lights or shelf lights can also make the room appear larger through gentle, indirect lighting.
5. Opt for a larger number of light sources. This way, you can flexibly decide which light you want to use.If you only use one lamp that illuminates a specific point in the living room, the rest appears darker, which can make the boundaries of the living area not always apparent, which can also make it appear larger.

Small living rooms require slim and graceful furniture. Make sure that no piece of furniture is too bulky and thus takes up too much space in the room, otherwise your living room will quickly appear cluttered and restless. With small, slim and open furniture, a light and airy impression can be conveyed. For example, use wire chairs, transparent plastic chairs or rattan chairs that you can see through.They visually take up less space and do not obstruct the view through the room. Open coffee or side tables, low sideboards with slender legs, and open metal wall shelves also harmonize in small living rooms and leave enough free space. Console tables are also practical as they provide storage space, do not protrude too far into the room, and depending on the model, can also offer additional storage space through drawers.

COFFEE TABLE VESINA |   METALLBUDE

The sofa is the center of the living room. However, when choosing the right sofa, you should consider a few things.A sleek sofa with delicate feet and space between the floor and couch appears airy. In combination with one or two matching stools, space can be created in two ways, as the stools can provide additional seating, but can also be moved into corners if they are not needed. If the stools have a storage compartment under the seat, items such as decorative pillows or blankets can be stored there. Before you order your sofa, you should order fabric samples, as colors and materials often appear different on the internet and in combination with your lighting. So make sure you don't accidentally order a gray sofa for a black-and-white interior. If you want to emphasize your sofa, make sure you are looking at the open side of the sofa from the door.This way, it immediately catches the eye when entering the room and appears inviting.

The living room must be cozy, because this is where we spend most of our waking time. But even in smaller living rooms, less is more, restraint is rewarded. Focus on a few, but purposefully used pieces of furniture and decorative items, such as candles, plants, picture frames, or pillows. Tip: Buy the cover for your decorative pillows one size larger and press it in a bit at the top in the middle. This way, the pillows are not too full and look elegant. Floor-length curtains in light colors also elongate the room and contribute to the coziness.Try to avoid overmatching by picking up the basic tones of the furniture in your decoration, but combine them with a few colored accents or slightly transform the colors. Discover suitable furniture and decoration for your small living room at Metallbude!