When it comes to your living room, it’s easy to cross the fine line between cosy and cluttered, especially when space is at a premium. The key to creating the perfect aesthetic lies in tailoring your decor to the space at hand, rather than force-fitting elements into your shell. If your living room looks starved of style, perhaps it’s time to give it a contemporary facelift. Don’t let the size of your apartment limit your imagination. This article is full of modern decor ideas for a small living room space.

1. Hidden gems

If your tiny living room features a slimline layout like this one, it’s a good idea to marry form and function with multifunctional furniture that packs a visual punch.

In this modern living room design by Zed designs, a built-in bookcase-cum-TV unit sweeps down the entire length of one wall, playing host to books and curios. The seamless finish of the unit visually stretches the room, making it appear larger. A single sofa lines the wall opposite, while a lone armchair at the farthest end pivots between the TV and the seating area. The wall behind holds a fold-out hydraulic bed attached to the sofa – a space-saving proposition perfect for extra company.

1. Moods of Mykonos

Light tones are a clever way of opening up a small room to more light. Keep your walls muted and add a piece of statement furniture to create some visual stimulation.

Greek island vibes scintillate in this neutral Mumbai living room, with a royal-blue sofa taking centre stage in the ivory cocoon. Save for a cluster of framed pictures, the room features few wall accents, leaving plenty of wall space available to reflect and amplify daylight. Note how the white-brick wallpaper on the left provides textural variety to the surrounding plain walls. The L-shaped sofa aligns to the wall, maximising every square inch of this very small living room interior. A fold-out dining table to the left is flanked by lightweight dining chairs that can be easily pulled in as extra seating in the living area. The room enjoys airiness and openness thanks to its generous channels of negative space.

1. Eclectic escape

The living room of a small apartment offers more than just a place for entertaining. Let your furniture pull double-duty – invest in pieces that serve you in more ways than one.

A daisy-hued loveseat, a patchwork chair and an earthy bench form a cohesive seating layout in this quirky Mumbai living room by +V Architects. Each piece works independently – the bench as a room divider, the loveseat as a TV perch and the slipper chair as a cosy reading corner.

1. Neon pops

Contrary to perception, a compact living room interior needn’t be leached of colour to appear larger. By darkening your walls, you can actually blur shadow lines and camouflage corners.

Brooding grey, jewel green and neon yellow sit snug in this wee Delhi living room by Sanjyt Syngh. The daring colour palette is dominated by dark tones, which absorb the shadows and allow the space to shine. A slatted skylight bathes the end of the room in soft light, bringing luminosity to the moody space.

1. Bohemian rhapsody

Peppering a small, muted shell with colour-blocked, patterned accents can urge the eyes to explore surfaces and focus less on the size of the room.

Eye-popping artwork, colourful printed pillows and a statement tree-trunk table offer loads of visual variety in this beautiful small living room design. The clever use of colour-blocking (a technique that pairs colours that are opposite on the colour wheel) channels attention towards the centre of the room, keeping the wall edges and corners firmly out of frame.

1. Cherries and cream

A great way to zone small spaces is to make an existing piece of furniture work to demarcate areas – much like the L-shaped sofa in this modern living room design. Not only does it offer comfy seating, it also acts as a subtle room divider from the adjoining open kitchen. The ruby seat serves as a vibrant accent in the shell of sparkling white, lending colour and character to the muted space.

1. Ivory cocoon

This soft-hued, hushed retreat is as perfect for a quick nap as it is for a warm evening with guests. The compact living room dons many hats – as a living area by day and an ad-hoc bedroom by night. The sofa conveniently snaps back to transform into a bed and the two lone ottomans act as both seats and tables.

1. Quirky den

Compact furniture can offer ample function, yet silently slink back into oblivion when not required.

Abstract artwork, a tall metallic lamp on slender legs and a teal sofa give the air of a relaxed hideaway, far removed from the chaos of the world. The furniture, low and pared-back, allows the walls to take the limelight and visually optimise the space available. The room carries off the bold grey palette with panache, thanks to its plethora of reflective surfaces.

1. Gorgeous in grey

Light colours are a foolproof way of letting a tiny room catch more light, as evidenced by this living room.

A pale-grey sectional sofa lends a soft and sumptuous appeal to a room otherwise characterised by crisp colour, clean lines and angular edges. The short arm of the L also divides the area from the rest of the home. The furniture is minimal, with the wall on the left hosting a sleek white shelf and equally restrained walls.

1. Aqua zing

A bijou apartment can force you to cluster your living and dining areas together, but with clever furniture arrangement, you can use this to your advantage. Use a uniform palette across both zones to interchange furniture on an ad-hoc basis.

These white living and dining areas are splashed with aqua, giving the combined space a seamless impression. So, when these homeowners have surprise visitors, they can quickly swivel the dining chairs towards the sitting area and use the dining table as a spare surface.