Inspiration for a small eclectic formal enclosed living room in Sydney with white walls, medium hardwood floors, no fireplace, no tv and brown floor.

Little Richardson

Mcmahon and Nerlich

Living room makes the most of the light and space and colours relate to charred black timber cladding
Design ideas for a small industrial open concept living room in Melbourne with white walls, concrete floors, a wood stove, a concrete fireplace surround, a wall-mounted tv, grey floor and wood.

Bondi Palm Springs Apartment

KCreative Interiors

Palm Springs Vibe with transitional spaces. This project required bespoke open shelving, office nook and extra seating at the existing kitchen island. This relaxed, I never want to leave home because its so fabulous vibe continues out onto the balcony where the homeowners can relax or entertain with the breathtaking Bondi Valley and Ocean view. The joinery is seamless and minimal in design to balance out the Palm Springs fabulousness. All joinery was designed by KCreative Interiors and custom made at Swadlings Timber and Hardware Timber Finish: American Oak

Southbank Apartment

Jasmine McClelland Design

Contemporary apartment living room with warm neutral furnishings and a gorgeous feature floor lamp.
Photo of a small contemporary open concept living room in Melbourne with white walls, light hardwood floors and a wall-mounted tv.

Stretchy Space

Ande Bunbury Architects

Built in storage hides entertainment equipment and incorporates a folded steel stair to a mezzanine storage space in this apartment. Custom designed floating shelves easily allow for a rotating display of the owners art collection. By keeping clutter hidden away this apartment is kept simple and spacious.

Elwood Apartment

Camilla Molders Design

A colorful living room and art wall
Design ideas for a small eclectic enclosed living room in Melbourne with white walls and light hardwood floors.

Weather House

Mihaly Slocombe

Weather House is a bespoke home for a young, nature-loving family on a quintessentially compact Northcote block. Our clients Claire and Brent cherished the character of their century-old worker's cottage but required more considered space and flexibility in their home. Claire and Brent are camping enthusiasts, and in response their house is a love letter to the outdoors: a rich, durable environment infused with the grounded ambience of being in nature. From the street, the dark cladding of the sensitive rear extension echoes the existing cottage!s roofline, becoming a subtle shadow of the original house in both form and tone. As you move through the home, the double-height extension invites the climate and native landscaping inside at every turn. The light-bathed lounge, dining room and kitchen are anchored around, and seamlessly connected to, a versatile outdoor living area. A double-sided fireplace embedded into the house’s rear wall brings warmth and ambience to the lounge, and inspires a campfire atmosphere in the back yard. Championing tactility and durability, the material palette features polished concrete floors, blackbutt timber joinery and concrete brick walls. Peach and sage tones are employed as accents throughout the lower level, and amplified upstairs where sage forms the tonal base for the moody main bedroom. An adjacent private deck creates an additional tether to the outdoors, and houses planters and trellises that will decorate the home’s exterior with greenery. From the tactile and textured finishes of the interior to the surrounding Australian native garden that you just want to touch, the house encapsulates the feeling of being part of the outdoors; like Claire and Brent are camping at home. It is a tribute to Mother Nature, Weather House’s muse.

Enamour Terrace

Kitty Lee Architecture

Design ideas for a small contemporary open concept living room in Sydney with white walls, concrete floors and a wall-mounted tv.

Apartment makeover - Herzliya

SK Designers - Shimrit Kaufman

Photography: Shai Epstein
This is an example of a small scandinavian living room in Tel Aviv with laminate floors.

Small Living Room

Wilkinson Brochier Interior Design

Small modern apartments benefit from a less is more design approach. To maximize space in this living room we used a rug with optical widening properties and wrapped a gallery wall around the seating area. Ottomans give extra seating when armchairs are too big for the space.

Oxford Street

Koch Architects

Mid-century modern living room with open plan and floor to ceiling windows for indoor-outdoor ambiance, redwood paneled walls, exposed wood beam ceiling, wood flooring and mid-century modern style furniture, in Berkeley, California. - Photo by Bruce Damonte.

Westchester Showhouse 2011

Last Detail Interior Design

This is an example of a small contemporary living room in New York with black walls and no fireplace.

Braeside

Lush Interiors Inc.

Photo of a small midcentury enclosed living room in Calgary with a standard fireplace, a wood fireplace surround, wallpaper, white walls, dark hardwood floors, no tv and brown floor.

ЭКО-студия

Александра Журавлева/zhuravl.co

Студия 44 м2 со свободной планировкой, спальней в алькове, кухней с барной зоной, уютным санузлом и лоджией оранжереей. Яркий пример экономичного интерьера, который насыщен уникальными предметами и мебелью, сделанными своими руками! В отделке и декоре были использованы экологичные и доступные материалы: дерево, камень, натуральный текстиль, лен, хлопок. Коллекция картин, написанных автором проекта, и множество вещиц, привезенных из разных уголков света, наполняют атмосферу уютом.

Modern Industrial Townhouse

JMP Interiors

My client was moving from a 5,000 sq ft home into a 1,365 sq ft townhouse. She wanted a clean palate and room for entertaining. The main living space on the first floor has 5 sitting areas, three are shown here. She travels a lot and wanted her art work to be showcased. We kept the overall color scheme black and white to help give the space a modern loft/ art gallery feel. the result was clean and modern without feeling cold. Randal Perry Photography

My House

Design Soda

Design ideas for a small eclectic enclosed living room in London with green walls, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, a freestanding tv, medium hardwood floors and brown floor.

Isokern Standard Fireplace

Earthcore Industries

Isokern Standard fireplace with beige firebrick in running bond pattern. Gas application.
Small country formal enclosed living room in Dallas with yellow walls, carpet, a standard fireplace, a stone fireplace surround, no tv and green floor.

Loft Berlin

Spaces & Places

Samtsofa mit Ausblick
Design ideas for a small contemporary open concept living room in Berlin with no fireplace and multi-coloured walls.

Town & Country

Rustic Fire Place

Town and Country Fireplaces
Photo of a small contemporary living room in Sacramento with a two-sided fireplace and no tv.

Modern Farmhouse: Spring Parade of Homes House

Judith Balis Interiors

Photo of a small country open concept living room in Boise with white walls and a standard fireplace.

Small Living Room Design Photos

A living room, often referred to as a lounge room in Australia and New Zealand, is the hub of the home. If you only have one living room in the house, it’s likely to serve multiple purposes: be it a place to watch TV, play games, spend quality time with family or hang out with friends. If you have the luxury of two living areas, one is usually a formal living room or lounge room, reserved for reading, relaxing and entertaining. A successful living room design is inviting, has enough seating for the whole clan – a comfortable couch is a must – and encourages conversation. Browse photos on Houzz for living room layouts, furniture and decor, and strike up a conversation with the interior designers or architects of your favourite picks. For even more living room ideas, check out the Stories section on Houzz.

Which living room layouts will work best for you?

Every living area will have design challenges. A long, narrow lounge room, for example, risks looking like a hallway if furniture is lined up against the walls. Instead, opt for small furniture items, like a cosy two-seater couch, and create various focal points throughout the space. In square living rooms, a symmetrical layout encourages a formal setting. Place seating on either side of the room, with a focal point in the middle to pull the room together. For a truly intimate vibe, replace your couch with some occasional chairs positioned around a coffee table or ottoman. This will make the main focus conversation. An open-plan home – one where the lines are blurred between kitchen, dining and living – may require a layout that focuses on definition. You’ll want to make sure furniture doesn’t block the flow between spaces, and instead use something like an area rug to create zones.

How can you decorate your living room?

The living room can be a place in which to show off your personality, but if you want a timeless living room scheme, stick to neutral walls, couches and ottomans. Colour can be added through accessories, and is a lot more interchangeable! Rugs, cushions and throws are great for adding colour, while mirrors, lamps and ceiling lights will set the mood. Make your living room unique by including family heirlooms and photos. For a polished look, try creating a coffee table vignette – you could use books as pedestals or group items together on a tray. Try adding a vase, a mixture of round and rectangular objects and some books.

What are some small living room ideas?

Small living room designs can be tricky to work with, but aren’t doomed to fail. Often, you just have to get creative with furniture. An open-back chaise can create a sense of spaciousness, while small side tables paired together can substitute a coffee table. Even better, an ottoman can be used as a footrest, coffee table or extra seating. Big furniture items like the couch are best kept in light colours, and if there’s room for a coffee table, a glass-top one is best. If you have two spaces in one – perhaps your living room sits in front of a single-wall kitchen – make sure they are connected by decor, colour and style. For definition, just add area rugs, or use your couch as a dividing wall. It’s worth having a few furniture pieces, whether a bookshelf, couch or entertainment unit, in the same colour as the walls, too, so they blend into the room and visually expand the space.

Is open-plan living for you?

Today’s homes often embrace open-plan living, whereby the living room runs off the kitchen and/or dining areas. Open-plan living allows greater functionality, but can risk creating a vast, soulless space if not done right. To avoid a cavernous feel in an open-plan design, define areas with furniture, rugs and lighting, or consider using a wall divider. Also be sure to keep flooring, lighting and materials consistent throughout, for cohesiveness. Noise may be an issue – someone banging pots and pans while you’re watching TV, for example – so include lots of soft furnishings, such as rugs, curtains and couches to help absorb the noise. You will also need to factor in plenty of storage, so mess is kept at bay.