10 small living room colour ideas that you need on your design radar right now
Small living room colour ideas
Picking out colours for a new room scheme can be one of the most exciting parts of decorating, but let's face it, it can be a minefield. After all, there's so many shades to choose from and colour can be subjective, which is why it pays to know how your chosen shade is likely to look and how it will make you feel, especially when it comes to small living room colour ideas.
Perhaps you'd like to create the impression of a more spacious room with taller walls, or have a scheme that's homely, cosy and almost snug-like? Maybe you're leaning towards something bright and bold, but are worried it might be too much for a small-sized room? Whatever your design dilemma, we're here to help.
At Ideal Home, we're lucky enough to see many small living rooms ideas, which gives us lots of insight into the colour choices that work well. We've also enlisted the help of some colour experts to talk us through the shades that are not only on trend, but can help to transform a compact living room, whatever your interior style may be.
Pick a pale pink
We've seen pink take off in the world of interiors, but rather than anything too bright, using a paler pink colour can create a serene feel – ideal if you're after small living room colour ideas that leave your room feeling calm.
'Whilst a room size is clearly what it is, there are a few little tips that can help you either maximise a space or play to the limitations by understanding the effects through colour and light,' says Patrick O’Donnell, international brand ambassador at Farrow & Ball. 'Delicate earthy pinks like Setting Plaster or Pink Ground are friendly choices with an underlying warmth. You could also consider taking your wall colour onto the ceiling too, this helps blur the natural height of your walls with some soft colour saturation.'
Wrap your room in a deep colour
If you're worried about using deep, dramatic colours in a small living room in case it makes the space feel too dark, you might be surprised to know that it can actually create a really cosy feel. And, if you're still unsure, you could always them on just one wall, such as a fireplace wall or alcoves.
'I love to embrace a small room and create a dramatic and intimate interior, with intense cocooning colours,' says Ruth Mottershead, creative director at Little Greene. 'Use shades such as Mid Azure Green with Royal Navy skirting, deep green Puck or Jewel Beetle, which when paired with woodwork in Chocolate Colour creates a real design statement.'
Layer up neutrals
Light, bright living rooms needn't look bland – instead, use warm neutrals to create an interesting scheme that suits a small living room to a tee. Layer up fabrics, with rugs, cushions and window treatments, and use pattern and touchy-feely textures to add interest. This can seem like an expensive choice for small room, so it's worth checking out home decor discount codes to cut the costs here a little.
'Many opt to use bright white for small living room colour ideas with the aim of making the room appear larger,' says Little Greene's Ruth Mottershead, 'however, light neutrals used in a tonal scheme will have the same effect, while not appearing too stark.'
'If there's a lot of natural light in a small room, then using soft, light tones will make the room feel more spacious. Our colour scales collection is a wonderful solution for creating a light fresh space – French Grey Pale works beautifully alongside French Grey Dark and French Grey, for example, to create an elegant and welcoming living room scheme.'
Warm it up with rich tones
Whatever the season, you can give your compact living room a warm, inviting atmosphere by using rich tones. Dark red, for example, is ideal when mixed with plum and berry tones, as shown here, and the elements of wood and brick in the furniture, flooring and fireplace wall give the room a rustic, country feel.
Using different shades of the same colour will help give your scheme more depth, while using pattern creates visual interest, as you can see here in the check fabric used for this small living room sofa idea.
Be inspired by nature
Echo outdoor surroundings with soft botanical green living room ideas or sea blues for a calm, soothing scheme. Here, pale green walls are punctuated with pretty coral accessories, while the nature element is brought in with leafy print sofa cushions ad vases of flowers
'I'd recommend choosing colours that are found in the middle of the visible spectrum, meaning they are physically easier on the eye, such as soft greens or watery blues,' says Stephanie King at Dulux. 'Some of my favourite go-to, no-fail shades for small living spaces are Tranquil Dawn, Coastal Grey and Cornflower White.'
Break it up with cheery yellow
If an all-over colour on the walls isn't for you, try your chosen shade in a dedicated area instead. Here, the bottom half of the wall has been painted in a sunny yellow shade, while the top half has been kept white. It's worth noting that in for small living room colour ideas it's better to keep the darker of the two colours to the bottom half of the wall if you're looking ways to make a small living room look bigger.
Remember to take into account the height of your furniture and bring the lower colour up over your sofa or sideboard, so it's not hidden behind.
Try the 'new' blue
While dark, industrial grey-blue was the go-to a few years back, these days a lighter navy has taken the limelight, and it's great for small living room colour ideas as it creates drama without being too overpowering.
'If you want to add colour to a living room without going dark all over, a solid block of colour in a deep tone such as Paint & Paper Library's Plimsoll can create interest, acting as artwork or providing a design detail without impacting on space,' says Andy Greenall.
Combine pastel shades
From sorbet shades of pistachio and soft strawberry to lemon and icy blue, combining a few of these different colours can give a pretty, feminine feel and create an on trend living room colour scheme. Or, you could keep these colours to your accessories and opt for a wall colour in a more neutral shade instead.
'Many people crave lightness and brightness in their home so an off-white, which has a pink, taupe or peach undertone will be both warming and light,' says Anna Hill, brand director at Fenwick & Tilbrook. 'Try Oyster or Driftwood shades and take the same colour across the ceiling, too, which will give a feeling of height to the room and open it up, as opposed to a white lid effect, which can happen with traditionally painted white ceilings.'
Colour drench in a dark shade
Colour drenching is a key paint trend this year and we've seen it become a big hit with interiors. Just because your living room isn't a cavernous size doesn't mean you can't get on board with this trend for small living room colour ideas. Start with your walls and take the same colour onto furniture and even flooring, too.
'If your room is darker and smaller, white is not your friend here, so play with darker colours,' says Farrow & Ball's Patrick O'Donnell. 'Don’t fight the constrictions of the restricted space, play to the limitations of the room by introducing a darker colour over walls, ceiling and woodwork. While this may feel counter intuitive, some dark colours will recess and you will create a cosy and comforting place to dwell.'
Turn to homely shades
Mid greens, blues, pinks and taupes are all great choices for small living room colour schemes, whether you're looking for period or modern small living room ideas.
'If your living room is small and only used in the evening for a bit of relaxing TV time, why not embrace the size and drape your living space in a truly snug, homely colour that really wraps its arms around you?' says Dulux's Stephanie King. 'Go for easy to live with colours the whole family can’t disagree with in the day, but which look amazing in dim, evening light.'
Looking to maximise your small living room space? Or make it feel more cosy? Then check out these top colour choices