Top 32+ Styling Tricks That Will Make Your Small Living Room Feel Bigger and Better

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

Located by the entry and kitchen in the Novogratz family home, this bonus sitting room is a crash pad for any loitering kids or guests. It's also a great design formula for anyone looking for a formal setup in a smaller space: Colorful artwork, minimal decorative objects, and streamlined furniture... Just the basics! But in bright colors.

9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

If you're feeling stuck and uninspired, a room-spanning rug or piece of artwork can be a great jumping-off point for the rest of the color scheme. Everything in this small living room is inspired by the gorgeous Art Deco rug, from the plaster color-blocked paint to the masculine leather sofas. A lucite table keeps a lower visual profile while speaking to the mirrored ceiling.

11) Use Acrylic Furniture

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

Call on lucite and acrylic furniture in small spaces that start to feel visually chaotic. Thanks to their transparent nature, you can count on them to disappear into the background. A waterfall coffee table in this small living room by Ashley Whittaker is a prime example.

12) Strategize With Mirrors

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

Mirroring all your walls to bounce light may seem like a tall task, but what about just hanging a few separate wall-spanning mirrors and then customizing the frames with one paint color to make them cohesive? The green monochrome situation in this small living room designed by Benjamin Dhong is also inspiring use to layer various shades of one color.

15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

Eliza Crater Harris, the great great-granddaughter of Sister Parish, doesn't let limited square footage stop her from incorporating plenty of personality-packed patterns. Ceiling-high curtains elongate the room to make it feel larger and clean-lined furniture prevents the room from feeling too full.

16) Skip the Sectional

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

If you're short on space, you might have the urge to fill all usable floor space with furniture. But sometimes less is more, especially in small rooms that can quickly start to look over-crowded. Instead of a large sectional, which can sometimes look bulky, float two smaller sofas across from each other with a two-tier coffee table in between, as David Mann did here.

17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

Area rugs separate the different zones in this studio apartment designed by Peter Frank. There's also plenty of accent seating on deck but out of the pathways when not in use, a small space strategy that always delivers.

21) Use One Part of a Sectional

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

Fewer but better pieces is the winning formula in a small living room. So ditch the classics and opt for smaller alternatives, like a daybed or one piece of a sectional and a small side table instead of a coffee table. Raji RM added one to complete this reading nook so there's a home for books and tea.

27) Get Creative With Low Seating

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

A lower sofa or settee creates the visual effect of higher ceilings. Playing with proportion and scale—like using a tiny side table next to a daybed—will also help. Just add pillows to make it more comfortable for lounging.

29) Paint Your Walls White

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

Keep walls and ceilings all white to brighten up the space. Large black-and-white artwork is eye-catching but won't add clutter, as shown in this room designed by Andrew Flesher. That way you can make a colorful piece of furniture the focal point of the room, and it won't feel like the walls are closing in on you.

30) Float Your Furniture

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

Resist the urge to push all of your furniture up against the walls. If you create space behind the furniture, it makes the room look wider than it is. An antique stool vibes well the Chesterfield sofa in this room designed by Leanne Ford.

31) Shrink Your Sofa

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

In designer Ann Pyne's New York City apartment, a small red settee fills the entire living room with personality. A leopard print stool and matching pale yellow armchairs ensure plenty of seating, too.

32) Make It Multi-Purpose

7) Use Fewer But Brighter Pieces, 9) Let a Room-Spanning Rug Do the Work, 11) Use Acrylic Furniture, 12) Strategize With Mirrors, 15) Take Advantage of High Ceilings, 16) Skip the Sectional, 17) Separate Zones With Area Rugs, 21) Use One Part of a Sectional, 27) Get Creative With Low Seating, 29) Paint Your Walls White, 30) Float Your Furniture, 31) Shrink Your Sofa, 32) Make It Multi-Purpose

When space is lacking, the only option is to get creative and make things multi-purpose. For example, if you don't have room for a separate living room, family room, and home office, combine each concept into one space. This living room and office by Leanne Ford proves that the right layout and pieces can look great, no matter what shape or size the room.

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