10 Living Room Decor Ideas for Small Apartments

If you have windows, one of the best ways to make a room feel spacious is by letting all that glorious natural light in. That means don’t obstruct it during the day. These sheer, airy window curtains do a great job of offering privacy, while simultaneously transmitting light. 

MIULEE 2 Panel Solid Color White Sheer Window Curtains, Amazon, $19. 

Another way to play with light is to add your own. This option doesn’t take up a tonne of floorspace, but it does brighten the space. It comes with the dimmer knob, so you can set your own ambient lighting, as the fancy strikes you. 

Dimmable Floor Lamp, Amazon, $80.

A place for everything and everything in its place. This Modern Storage Cabinet from Wayfair gives you the best of both worlds: it keeps your living room clutter-free while also giving you a focal point to show off your decorative style. As an added plus, the piece doesn’t bog down the space the way clunky furniture might.  

Modern Storage Cabinet, Wayfair, $1,320.

While normally, we’d advised against large pieces for small living rooms, here size does matter, and the bigger, the better. This is possibly the oldest trick in the book, but by adding a mirror into your small living room, you basically multiple the sense of space. The mirror’s reflective surface behaves almost like a portal into this added space, similarly directing back whatever light you already have working for you. 

Modern Arched Full Length Metal Floor Mirror, Wayfair, $425. 

Most living rooms are centered around a focal point, and that focal point can include a coffee table. Lucky for us, these days coffee tables come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colours and materials, and some are designed to work with small spaces. This option offers a tonne of style and functionality, while also adding a touch of flair to your space. 

Black Metal and Natural Wood Nesting Coffee Table, Bouclair, $550.

Remember that you also have useful square footage going vertically. Each of these solid wood shelves cleverly provides two surfaces on which to display decorative items, books and more. This way, you keep the floorspace clutter-free while also offering up a visual point of interest. 

2 Piece Alder Solid Wood Floating Shelf, Wayfair, $134. 

Don’t have a green thumb yet? No worries! There are no plenty of high-quality faux plants to bring a sense of the outdoors indoors. This artificial fiddle leaf fig plant adds flair without taking up a lot of your time or real estate. 

Artificial Fiddle Leaf Fig Plant In Pot, Wayfair, $140.

The key to working with tiny spaces is to lean into multipurpose everything. This folding storage option is also an ottoman, footrest and a bench – whatever the occasion calls for! 

Folding Storage Ottoman Bench, Amazon, $70.

Art, like any creative discipline, is of course highly subjective. But by adding a sense of curation, intentionality and order, we automatically make a space feel tasteful and enjoyable to spend time in. While you don’t want to over-stuff your walls, adding a few key pieces of art that tie together your design aesthetic naturally encourages your eye to move across the space in a fluid, pleasing way. Not sure where to start? Go for neutrals. 

Mid-Century Geometric Sun Desert Plants, Wayfair, $285.

This final point works well for any space, but also does a lot of the work for you if you have a small living room. Sticking with light neutrals like beiges, whites, and grays, we add to the sense of lightness and airness. But don’t think that just because an item is neutral, it’s meant disappear into the background. You can add visual interest by focusing on patterns, shape and material, such as with this ottoman. 

Flintridge Upholstered Pouf, Wayfair, $198.