Living Room Ideas

sectional with circular "coffee table"

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5. Completely fill a corner. It’s a bit counterintuitive, but if you have a small corner living room space, sometimes going with the largest piece of furniture possible can actually make it feel bigger. Why? A generously sized sectional (like the one shown here) is comfortable and able to seat tons of people — but because it reads as just one piece, it helps the room feel uncluttered. A modern sectional with clean, straight lines works better in a small space than an overstuffed version.

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Sectionals make a small space more comfortable. It seems like it shouldn’t work, but filling a compact room with a sectional can actually make the space feel larger — and way more comfortable. And if you add an ottoman as the coffee table, as shown here, you can boost seating options as well.

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Bunks behind a barn door. If you host big groups of overnight guests often, this can be a smart solution. Built-in bunks are tucked into a living room wall and disguised with sliding barn-style doors here.

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7. Chalkboard wall. Kids love chalkboard walls, it’s true … but they are not the only ones! Use yours to record inspiring quotes, snippets of poems and song lyrics, or draw doodles and write lists. If you’re concerned about dust, use chalk pens; if you’re concerned about the room’s looking too dark, use one of the new chalk paints that can be tinted in any hue.

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