Lazy Boy: Small Living Room Decor Ideas

Is space in your living room at a premium? If so, take heart – here we share top tips from Claire Gibson of leading furniture manufacturer, La-Z-Boy, with insights on how to best decorate smaller living rooms and create the illusion of added space.

Many small living room ideas pivot on their ability to trick the eye into making a space appear larger than it actually is. These “tricks of the trade” can go a long way to transform a small room that feels cramped and claustrophobic, into one that feels inviting, cosy and aesthetically pleasing. We speak to Claire Gibson from leading furniture manufacturer, La-Z-Boy, about how you can maximise light and space by paying attention to how you use colour, scale and weight to make all the difference.

Says Claire: “Trying new things is exciting, and it is just what you need to do when decorating small spaces, as often, traditional ideas about living room decor aren’t the best solution. Whatever you opt for, your living room, regardless of its size, needs to function as a space for relaxation and entertainment – so keep that in mind when selecting your décor and layout.”

Here are some of Claire’s preferred ways of making a small living room feel more spacious:

Choose a small space sofa

When space is limited, it can often feel that your choice of furnishings are too. However, although that may have been the situation in the past – it is no longer a reality, says Claire: “As homes are getting smaller and urban living is becoming more popular, a plethora of scaled-down furnishings are becoming available, which have been specially designed to fit smaller living quarters. La-Z-Boy’s Urban Attitudes range of sofas for example are compact, comfortable, and very trendy – the perfect complement to any small space.” These scaled-down sofas, also known as apartment sofas, boast slimmer dimensions, sleeker designs, exposed legs and smaller arms, notes Claire: “Removing the ‘bulk’ and creating the impression that the sofa is ‘floating’ on legs establishes the illusion of more space.” Arrange your furniture wisely

Claire says that furniture arranging can be tricky in a small space: “It is essential to carefully measure the living room space in question before choosing any furniture. This way, you can get a visual sense of how things will fit. If the space doesn’t allow for a small sofa and a couple of single seaters, then you should consider a scaled-down corner suite instead. Although they are larger than a two-seater, compact corner suites are ideal for cramped spaces as they offer the same amount of seating as a two-seater and two single seaters, but take up a smaller footprint. They also fully maximise the use of awkward corner spaces.”

Decorate with mirrors

Mirrors are a great addition to any small interior space, as they reflect light and create the illusion of added space. Notes Claire: “A large mirror hung in a central location in a living room is a great way to create an attractive focal point. If you want to maximise light, hang a mirror behind a light source, such as a downlight, lamp or pendant light. Alternatively, you can position it in such a manner that it reflects the natural light and view coming in from the windows opposite – this will make the room feel brighter and the mirror will create the illusion of it being another window.”   Moving on up

“Emphasising a room’s height will immediately make it feel bigger,” explains Claire, who goes on to add: “Use the wall space all the way up to the ceiling to draw the eye up and create vertical dimensions in the composition. For example, floor-to-ceiling curtains are a stylish way to accomplish this goal, as are groupings of artworks that reach all the way to the ceiling. These kinds of installations invite the eye to roam beyond the eye-level horizontal space that often feels confined.”

Love the layers

Squeezing one piece of furniture in front of another is a way to build necessary function or storage into a tiny living room, advises Claire: “Try including a small dresser behind your sofa to create a surface for table lamps, or tuck poufs under the coffee table for added seating that can be taken out and used when required. The trick is to use every space possible, but to use it in a practical and aesthetically streamlined manner, so that you get the maximum use out of the space, but it doesn’t make the room feel cramped and cluttered.”

For more visit www.lazboy.co.za.