The living room is one of the most important spaces in a home. It’s where guests gather for afternoon tea or cocktails, where families sit and unwind at the end of the day, and where the conversations happen. Not everyone has a massive living room, of course, but even the largest space can feel smaller with the wrong interior design decisions.
Whether it’s a claustrophobic floor plan or furniture that’s just too big, a living room can quickly feel tighter and more cramped. Luckily, there are ways to avoid this outcome, making your living room feel bigger, brighter and more airy—even if it’s short on square footage. Read on for our expert advice from interior designers.
Too Much Décor
It’s possible to have too much of a good thing, and that’s especially true with décor. Everyone loves the candles, artworks, and objects that they’ve carefully curated and collected over the years—but they don’t need to be added to a living room all at once. “Not every wall requires a piece of art, and it doesn’t always need to be centered,” says interior designer Elly Poston. “Give the eye and brain space to rest!”
Your tables can be cleared off, too. “Simplify your surfaces by clearing coffee tables of excessive décor,” adds interior designer Prudence Bailey. “Stick to a few meaningful or large décor pieces instead.” Poston also recommends flipping through design magazines or books for inspiration on how to curate a collection rather than just piling it on. “I promise there’s endless inspiration,” she says. “Be your best editor! Less is usually more.”
The Wrong Lighting
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Lighting is one of the most important aspects of a living room—the wrong lighting can easily make it feel claustrophobic. “It’s essential that the light’s color is warm and soft,” says Bailey. “Bright, cool-toned (blue-white) lighting can make a room feel stark, clinical, and uncomfortable, visually shrinking the space.”
According to Poston, overhead lighting is another mistake to avoid, as it can similarly make a room feel smaller and harsher. Instead, both interior designers recommend a more layered approach to illumination. “To enhance a room’s size, layer your lighting by combining ceiling lights, floor lamps, table lamps, and wall sconces to eliminate dark corners,” says Bailey. Lastly, always have your lights on dimmers so you can control the brightness and set a mood.”
Oversized Furniture
Especially large living rooms can handle a sizable sectional or a large lounge chair, but most will have a hard time balancing out these lofty proportions. “Living and designing houses in Virginia is a constant love affair with older, historic homes—most of which have smaller-scaled rooms,” says Poston. “I can count very few home shops that carry furniture that’s appropriately scaled for a smaller living room.”
The solution? “Avoid overstuffed sofas, large tables, and chairs,” says Bailey. “Select sofas and chairs with legs, which create a feeling of openness by letting light through.” Sometimes, perusing a thrift store for something a bit older can be a great option, too. “Buy vintage upholstery furniture and bring it back to life,” says Poston. “The proportions are nearly always perfect, and the quality of fabrication is usually far superior to the frames made now.”
Small Rugs
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Every living room needs a rug, both for aesthetic reasons and to help control the flow of sound, but the exact size and shape will have a big impact on your overall layout. “Rugs should fill the room appropriately so that all—or a majority—of the furniture can sit comfortably on top of it,” says Poston. “For many of our projects, this means custom cutting less expensive goods, like sisal, and layering more specialty rugs on top. A small rug is always a visual disaster!”
Dark Colors
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A living room that’s painted in a deep, jewel-tone hue can look beautiful—but be mindful of how much you use and what you pair it with. “Certain color palettes and choices can make your living room appear smaller or more cramped due to how they absorb light, impact perception, or visually close off the space,” says Bailey. “I love to balance light and dark in small rooms.”
If your heart is set on a moody dark gray or an earthy brown, then you can still use it, but perhaps do so more sparingly—especially if your space is a bit on the smaller side to begin with. “You can use them on a feature wall, ceiling, furniture accents, or décor, and balance them with lighter tones elsewhere,” adds Bailey. “For instance, a dark ceiling and light walls will actually make the height of the room appear taller, as dark colors tend to make things recede.”
