Best sofas for small living rooms

Small living rooms are not an uncommon sight in the UK. So if you too lack living room space in your home, do not despair – you’re not alone. And even a tiny living room can be extremely stylish and fully functional, as long as it is decorated with enough consideration and thoughtfulness. That all starts with picking the right sofa – which is exactly why we’ve put together these sofa ideas for small living rooms to help you do just that.

Choosing the best sofa for your living room’s size and layout, as well as for your needs, is one of the most crucial steps of decorating your living space. It’s likely going to be the largest piece of furniture in the room and the place where you spend most of your time when using the space.

This rings true even more so when it comes to small living room ideas as given the space restrictions, you need to make sure that your sofa works twice as hard. This is how to go about it.

‘When it comes to making the most of a small space, furniture plays a key part,’ says Gisela Lancaster, head of buying at Sofology. ‘The proportions of a sofa are particularly important in compact living rooms as are colour and design.’
So choose your living room sofa ideas wisely.

‘This may sound counterproductive, but a large single sofa can become the focal point of your room, inviting everyone to sit down and relax,’ says Lena Gierasinska, head of product and displays at Barker and Stonehouse. ‘It optimises the area by eliminating dead space that smaller sofas and chairs might create.’

You’d probably think that a small living room automatically means a small sofa. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be as with a larger sofa, the seating can become the focal point of the room – and it’s perfect for your cosy living room ideas. Just make sure you don’t completely overwhelm the space with the wrong type of sofa.

And that leads us to the next point of avoiding bulky sofa designs that are sure to make your already small space look even tinier. ‘Sofas that are too bulky will leave little room for other furniture and movement in a small room, making it feel more cramped,’ Lena warns.

John Darling, founder of Darlings of Chelsea, agrees, ‘Avoid bulky styles as they can dominate the room and make everything look out of proportion.’

Instead, slim shapes that create the illusion of more space are better for tight living spaces. ‘Smaller rooms benefit from selecting sofas with slimmer proportions and sleek, clean silhouettes,’ says Patricia Gibbons, head of buying at sofa.com.

Avoiding bulkiness also goes for the arms which are best kept slim or low (or both) in small living rooms. Or you could even choose a sofa without any arms at all.

‘With space a premium, you’ll want to maximise your seating, so avoid large bulky sofas with wide arms, as these can often dominate a small room,’ say James Rubin-Smith and Rob Hudson, co-founders of Keep Sofa. ‘By choosing one with a slim arm profile, it will mean you can maximise the usable seating, without needing a large footprint.’

Lena adds, ‘Choosing a sofa with low or no arms can create the illusion of more space and a larger seating area. These sofas fit well into awkwardly shaped nooks, as they have less overhang on the sides.’

You might think of corner sofas as large pieces of furniture, fit only for big living rooms. But the opposite is true. Corner sofas make use of underutilised corner space in a room, wrapping around the edges of the room and providing extra seating at barely any expense of extra space.

‘Chaise-end sofas and corner sofa formats are a great, space-efficient way to maximise the corners of your room that can often go unused,’ James and Rob say.

John agrees, ‘Small corner sofas or an L-shaped sectional provides a stylish space-saving solution and are ideal for maximising your living area. By wrapping furniture round a corner, these compact corner sofas provide space for everyone to enjoy together.’