Today we’re tackling the living room in a small house. Let me share my living room with you and I’ll talk about the challenges I faced when decorating the space.
You can see why this particular part of the room has to remain relatively clear of furniture. The large,white cabinet is on the left, and a small spinet desk is tucked into an area by the stairs. That’s a closet on the right and beyond that is the doorway to the bathroom. The rug in the foreground is really Riley’s rug. He has a progressive disease that causes him great pain and he needs to sprawl out on a warm rug. Tip#1: Use what you are given to help define the living space. I’ve used the chimney as a dividing point – it’s directly across from the end of the 8 3/4′ wall, so I’ve used the line between the two points as a invisible fourth wall. It defines the seating space.
Okay, so what do we do? The biggest item in the room is the piano. There is really only one wall to place it against – the 8 3/4′ long wall on the right as we face the living room from the kitchen. There is no baseboard heating there and no windows. You don’t want a piano near any extremes in temperature. So the wall it is.
The piano has been in various positions on this wall. This latest, with it flush against the partition seems to work the best, as it allows some extra room for a chair. The chair and the piano share a floor lamp, as well. So I’ve killed two birds with one stone. Tip #2: Decide where your biggest pieces will go, then fill in the rest.
I now have only one other wall to use. The loveseat has to go there, which means the chair must be placed in the open entrance to the kitchen or on the far side of the loveseat, near the front door. Actually, we’ve done it both ways. Usually, we have our wicker rocker in this space, as well – but we’ve moved it upstairs to the bedroom. (It needs some repair.)
So, the red chair will be positioned in the opening to the kitchen. I like this because it helps to further define the living room, making it clear that it’s an entirely different space than the kitchen.
There’s the red chair. It picks up the red in the kitchen and defines the living room space. The loveseat tucks into the space created by the chimney and the partition wall. I don’t have a lot of room for side tables, so you can see I’ve used a vintage stool and a small green cottagey table.
Truth be told, I much prefer the wicker rocker in the room. Normally it would be in that area between Riley (sleeping on the floor) and the green table. Don likes the space created by its absence. I like cozy. I wonder who will win?
What about the coffee table? While it may seem large, it actually works beautifully. We love this piece which we’ve had since our San Diego days. It was refinished by a dear friend of ours and we bought it from him for $75. It’s gorgeous. When we lived in our rental we had to put it in storage. When the time came to move to the cottage and get everything out of storage, we had our doubts about whether it would work in the space. But it does. It’s large, yes, but it helps to create the cozy, intimate atmosphere I’m after. It connects the two chairs and the loveseat. Chairs can be pulled up to it, chips and dip and munchies can be laid out on it, feet can be put up on it. It’s fabulous.
Recently, we tried rearranging the space. We moved the sofa so that it was perpendicular to the wall. We replaced the large coffee table with the white coffee table (much smaller) from the den.
It didn’t work. The minute we moved the round coffee table out, the room lost it’s cottage coziness. We learned very quickly that small-sized-everything just looks puny. And it makes the room seem much smaller. Tip #3: Don’t limit yourself to small pieces of furniture. Have one or two large pieces in your small space.
Tip #4: Find balance. Yes, we’ve used big pieces as suggested in Tip #3 – we’ve got a piano and a big old coffee table in here. But those big pieces are balanced with some smaller ones, as well. And it all works together to make a cozy space.
And though I talk of the entrance area as separate, the pieces of furniture that are in that end of the room are part of the greater living area. The sideboard and the white cabinet are large pieces and nicely balance the weight of the furniture in the rest of the room. And the placement of the loveseat and chair is balanced by the chair and piano on the other side of the room. The coffee table ties it all together.
Tip #5: Go with your favorite colors and patterns and don’t think you have to go with neutrals or whites to make the space work or seem bigger. I love color, as you can see. There are some dark wood pieces in the space, but they are balanced by lighter, painted pieces. One chair is a yellow and red check. The other is a red and white check. The loveseat has a pale green and white slipcover. The rugs are floral. There’s lots of green and blue pottery around. The bench by the white cabinet is blue. But it all works. If you want neutrals or whites, go for it. I don’t think, however, that it makes that much difference in the perception of the space. If everything in this space was neutral and/or white, you’d still perceive it as a small, cozy space. And you don’t need to back away from pattern, unless that is your preference. As you can see, I love pattern. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it works in this space.
You have to take what you’re given and make it work. Embrace that small living room and honor it’s size. I think that to deny that this cottage is small is just plain silly. It is small. Why not celebrate it? Of course I’m biased, but I think we’ve created a charming, cozy living room. We’ve accepted the quirkiness of our space and made it work for us.
Thanks so much for stopping by. Please visit Brenda and see what she has done with her living room.
We look forward to your comments and ideas! Some of you suggested a linky party and we probably will have one or two along the way. We’ll give you plenty of warning.
The room looks lovely, very warm and inviting and light and inspiring. I did not intend a rhyme there…lol…
Claudia – thank you so much for showing us your living room and doing such a good, very good, job of explaining “why” it works! So many times I see bits and pieces of a blogger’s room, but don’t get the whole picture. Thanks for showing the whole room!
My favorite quote is “We’ve accepted the quirkiness of our space and made it work for us.” I think when we honor what we have, the house honors us by becoming the perfect home for us!
As you say, it all works well but especially well for you, sweets. I actually like the room as it is. I also have a small living room but for 2 people it’s just fine. I like this 1800 s.f. much better than our 5,000 s.f. we left behind. Not as much to clean and more liveable for 2 people. It’s darling, cozy, charming and cottage-y as you say.
xoxo,
Connie
Good stuff, Claudia. I`d love to see what you`ve done with the den.
S
xo
Miss Claudia! I have popped over from Susan Branch’s blog to find we both share November birthdays, a dog named Scout, cozy cottages, and dress forms with names (mine is referred to as “old gal” …she’s ancient;) I, too, decorated my Barbie houses, quite elaborately, much to my older sister’s dismay, for they often took up the entire bedroom floor space!
I love what you’ve done with your cozy space. We’ve been in our 1908 Victorian cottage (roughly 1600 sq ft) since June…came from 3000 sq ft. We LOVE cottage life!
Delighted to find you:)
Christie (turned 50 on the 13th;)
Happy belated Birthday dear Claudia. My comments have not gone thru because of some “memcache value” but, hopefully will today.
Love your arrangement and that round coffee table ties it all together – what a treasure. You a very special.
I love the wicker chair (it has such charm!), but the space is cozy with or without it. I adore that big round coffee table, as you know. It does unify the space and give it definition.
Sorry I didn’t make it to your B-Day post. I was dealing with the fridge on the phone until 9 pm!
Brenda
First of Happy
Birthday.
I love your home.
Brenda was one of my first blogs that I followed. I am so glad the two of you have joined forces in this “life of small places”. You both have such a talent in making “COZY” homes. So beautiful. Thanks for the tour and for the tips.
Hi Claudia..
Popped over from Brenda’s..
wanted to wish you a very happy belated birthday!!
love your cozy cottagey look..
and the fact that it works!!
warmest hugs..
Loui♥
I think the round coffee table is the anchor to that sitting area. It is a beautiful piece and a rectangle would not work at all. I did go visit Brenda and love her cozy space too.
Claudia, I love seeing your house! Those stairs are just so sweet. Your home is so cozy and lovely.
Claudia your home is darling! It is so cozy and bright! I love how the steps turn up!~Hugs, Patti
Very pretty! Great tips. And Happy Birthday!
YOUR COTTAGE IS SO CHARMING, AND WARM. YOU DID A GREAT JOB THE WAY YOU MADE EVERYTHING FIT. THANKS FOR SHARING IT WITH US…..RIZZI
I love your house, Claudia. It really does not look small to me. I love the way you have positioned the furniture because verything works harmoniously. Also, it’s so colourful. You are such a good photographer. Your pictures are a joy to look at. Before I forget, I love how your stairs are positioned. They remind me of a dollhouse I saw. Also, I adore the colour of your floors. And, I’m so happy you never painted your piano. The dark colour of its wood makes it stand out among the lighter walls and furniture.
Even larger homes have the problem of only one useable wall in a room. I have one wall that’s consists of a fireplace flanked on each side by sets of French doors, and one wall is simply open to the kitchen’s dinette area and the third wall has the stairs going up to the second level so you see…. we all struggle no matter the size of the room. Aggravating I tell you… aggravating.
Claudia- loved this post.
Your living room is certainly cozy and cheerful.
I think it is a great use of space. Your furniture placement gives this room a spacious feel; even with the entry as part of the space.
I have an entry same as you that is right in the room and not defined architecturally. I have a table and lamp in that space and a china hutch too near to the eat in kitchen.
Can’t wait to see those rooms!
Both You and Brenda are doing a wonderful job ‘defending the small home’
Pat
I’ve been away all day. When I came home a bit ago I had a comment from a new friend saying she found my link in your post today! I came right over and what a surprise. How sweet of you Claudia. Thank you. Loved your post today. Your home is so wonderful. I feel like I could walk right in, sit and put my feet up on that gorgeous coffee table, and be right at home. I love the way you’ve arranged your living room and used your space so wisely. ♥
I love that coffee table–really inviting piece!
I enjoy this series very much, it shows what you can archive with what you like/love. I see that even with some problem zones, you can make it work, cozy, warm…
thank you so much for sharing
Claudiea, I think your livig room is delightful. It is cozy but does not seem particularly small, because there is so much light coming in from the windows and other rooms. I love this new small house project that you and Brenda are working on together. (I have a fairly small house too, so these are tips I can really use.)
Wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving!
Oh gosh, I just realized I have a typo in your name! Claudia. That is better.
I’ve loved your two features so far on small home living. My house might be a wee bit bigger, but we still work with lots of multipurpose furniture, decor, etc. We just recently repurposed my mom’s old bedroom dresser into a sofa table for our living room! My husband and I were so excited to realize the storage possibilities. We have built in banquettes in the kitchen for extra storage too. I hope you and Brenda continue with this delightful series!
Happy, happy Thanksgiving!
Janelle
Wonderful use of your space. I really like the eclectic mix of furniture and sizes that you have used. It really adds to its cottage feel. Great job and thanks so much for sharing.
Laura
Thank you Claudia for your explanation of how to arrange this furniture. I am trying to tackle that for my small living room and this has helped tremendously!