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18 Small Living Room Ideas With TV You Can Do.

My cousin Pete just agreed to take things to the next step with his spouse, so he came to me for help in redecorating his house to welcome her (they had decided to move in together).

We started with the inner rooms; changing paint, and wall decals, and even moving some furniture, but when we entered the living to revamp it, we hit a block - we had a small TV amidst other furniture and couldn’t decide on how best to go proceed with the redecoration.

So I went on Quora to ask people for small living room ideas with TV, we got lots of ideas, but a few stood out from the rest.

Here are some small living room ideas with TVs I found:
Keep furniture to a minimum.
Use multi-functional furniture.
Create a gallery wall with artwork or photos.
Create a scheme around the TV by using it as a focal point.
Use a rug to define your seating area.
Add personal touches.
Create a cozy seating area with plush pillows and throw blankets.
Use mirrors to create the illusion of space.
Include a reading nook or cozy armchair for relaxation.
Keep the floor clear of clutter.
Design a social hub.
Integrate your TV within a wall of storage.
Center your TV in a small living room.
Consider your color combination – use light and airy colors vs dark colors.
Use some plants to add some life and natural color to your small living room.
Use vertical stripes to make walls look taller.
Hang curtains high and wide to make your windows look larger and make the room feel more spacious.
Get creative with lighting fixtures

14 Simple Small Living Room Ideas With Tv

I previously listed 18 simple small living room ideas with TV, I'll carefully explain 14 of them and how you can use them to transform your living room.
You probably can't wait to get started so I'll keep things short and simple, let's start with the first one.

1. Keep Furniture To A Minimum

Preferably, use multifunctional furniture like ottomans (which can double as storage or small center tables), sofa beds, etc.

Keep your furniture to the minimum by choosing the right furnishings for your setting; since it is a small living room, you can use a small sofa, a couple of armchairs, or even a combination of both. Throw in an end table, coffee table, or ottoman if you feel like it. Be sure not to overcrowd the place as you need ample space.

Your living room should be cozy, warm, and inviting because apart from receiving guests, your living room is also a place for family time – movies, games, reading, etc. With that in mind, you only need enough furniture.

2. Create A Gallery Wall With Art Or Photos

You can use portraits, canvas, wall art, photos, and even gallery walls to make your room more interesting, a perfect combo would be a Samsung frame TV with your portraits – it works well when you are watching TV, and works even better when you aren’t.

You can choose to display these photos or artwork on the wall above your TV or beside your TV, I wouldn’t advise below your TV though as it is not visually appealing and can be a major distraction instead. If you opt for wall art, use wall art that fits with your personality rather than buying and using just any wall art.

3. Create A Scheme With The Tv As Focal Point

To do this:

first, decide the wall you’d be mounting your TV on, decide our viewing angle and distance – best to leave some space around your TV, then mount your TV.
For your background, you can use a gallery wall as mentioned earlier, you can use portraits, lighting, or even a canvas that blends with the TV placement
If you have shelves, cabinets, or a casing style around your TV, try placing flowers, or artificial plants if you can’t grow natural plants, you could also place a few sculptures, vases, books, media files, etc, to make the space look organized and clutter-free.
If you’re up for it, you can add another focal point to boost the visual appeal, maybe a fireplace, or a large piece of art.
A bold, patterned rug like the Home Dynamix Premium Sakarya Traditional Medallion Area Rug can also be used as an additional focal point.

4. Use A Rug To Define Your Seating Area

If your living room feels dull, you can use patterns and textures to add life to it, throw pillows, patterned rugs, throw blankets, etc. You do not want these additions to clash with your other design or decor placements so it’s best to use this in your sitting area.

You can use a small area rug underneath your centerpiece – maybe an ottoman, center table, or even an end table. You can also opt for a large area rug and put it under your sofas, armchairs, and centerpiece.

If you have kids or pets, you can keep some space close to the sofa, and use the throw pillows and throw blankets to make a small cozy area on the floor for recreational time – for reading, building Lego, or just relaxing.

This way, you can reduce the noise and echo from your TV and give your living room some other meaning and purpose than watching TV.

5. Add Personal Touches

Personal touches can make your room stand out, it shows originality, making people see the real you. You can make your living room feel like an extension of you by adding your own touches. Consider;

Placing family photos, souvenirs from your travels, or artwork that you love on shelves, or your centerpiece.
Customizing your TV, using stickers, decals, or magnets to decorate your TV, you can also use posters or paintings to create a collage around your TV.
Making your small living room feel elegant by creating a warm and inviting ambiance with candles and lanterns. Scented candles can give your living room a relaxing scent, or you could use essential oils or even diffusers.
Using antique objects and heirlooms, not just for the personal feel, but also for showcasing your family history or your passion.
Displaying your handcrafts or gifts from your relatives – especially the much younger ones as they evoke a strong sense of nostalgia and warm feelings. You could display handcrafted items like hand-painted mugs, knitted blankets, etc.

6. Use Mirrors To Create The Illusion Of Space

You can use the reflective surfaces of mirrors to take advantage of natural lighting and other elements to make your small living room feel bigger and airy. If this is a new idea to you, can try:

Hanging a tall wall mirror or placing a floor mirror opposite a window to reflect the natural light that seeps in and makes the room feel airy, open, and brighter – This can also make your room feel taller and brighten dark corners. To make the effect stand out, use mirrors with minimalist design, tiny frames, or no frames at all.
Using a gallery wall: a gallery wall that is not made of photos but of mirrors, you can try combining different styles, shapes, sizes, and designs to make something spectacular that not only boosts visual appeal massively but creates a feeling of depth.
Taking advantage of a mirror’s reflective surface to reflect beautiful pieces like your sofa, fireplace, or even a neat section of your bookcase – you can hang the mirror above or opposite these pieces to create a focal point.
Placing or leaning a floor mirror in a corner of the living room creates a diagonal line that will make the room seem larger and longer than it is.
Using an arched mirror like the Beauty Peak Full-Length Arched Floor Mirror which looks like a window – Hanging it at a good height on the wall will create a feeling of airiness and openness and will give a first impression of seeing a beautiful outdoor view. If you want to enhance the effect, you can hang the arched mirror near curved windows to enhance this effect.

7. Include A Reading Nook Or Relaxation Spot

Having a cozy reading nook or cozy armchair is a great way to create comfort while reading, it can also add style and character to your living room especially if you want it to match with your room’s existing decor.

Identify a suitable space for a reading nook i.e. an unused corner, by the fireplace, etc.
Choose a comfortable chair that is easy on the eyes, blends with your decor, and fits your sitting style or posture such as a recliner, a sofa, a rocking chair, or an armchair with a storage ottoman.
Consider adding a floor lamp, preferably one with 5 color temperatures or dimming functions.
Adding a throw blanket over the armchair or even arranging plush pillows on the seat and the surrounding surface will make the nook feel more inviting. You can also consider adding a soft area rug to aid with warmth.
If you have ample space, you can get a small bookcase to store books, newspapers, or magazines, if you don’t have space, then a storage ottoman will do the trick!
Since it is a small space dedicated to reading, you should use calming colors like white, beige, blue, or green to spread positive vibes and help keep you calm.

8. Design A Social Hub

Why let your living room be just a viewing center when it could also be a social space? Decorate your living room with storage spaces, coffee tables, souvenirs, collectibles, etc. If you have ample wall space, you can add some wall art for creativity.

Fill your storage with books, board games, card games, and other recreational items like jigsaw puzzles, use an area rug to keep your butts comfortable, and use throw pillows to increase warmth and coziness. If you have little kids, you could throw some soft toys into the mix and use storage ottomans if you have limited space.

9. Integrate Your TV Within A Wall Of Storage

If you’re big on movie night, a console gamer, or you’re an anime fan, then doing this will serve you well. Putting your TV within a shelved backdrop will not only make your living room look organized and provide you with storage solutions, but it will also provide you the option of using strip lights and lamps to provide a beautiful ambiance in your living room.

You can use 6-cube organizers or 8-cube organizers on both sides of your TV, or floating shelves, then fit in some DVDs, cassettes, books, plants, vases, figurines, or small orb lamps like echo dot or crystal orb lamps to take things next level, you can alternatively use LED strips to line the interior of the cube organizers if that’s your kind of thing. The possibilities are endless, try different decor styles and pick the one that works best for you.

10. Consider Your Color Combination

Using color combinations depends on your living room decor goals, it could follow the minimalist design, the rustic, the cheery. It could be to reduce your TV’s presence or enhance it, you could also choose colors to make your small living room feel airy or bigger.

Make Your Small Living Room Feel Airy And Larger

If your main goal is to make your small living room look big and feel airy, try using lighter colors like white, pale gray, and beige, both for your walls, throw pillows, and accent furniture.

These colors will reflect light and make your living room feel airy and big, throw in some mirror magic and you get the illusion of space. If you feel like it, you can also use neutral colors for a calming effect.

Boost Your TV’s Presence

To boost your TV’s presence, you can try any of the following:

Modern & Monochrome Setting: paint your walls a dark shade of charcoal gray, black, or navy blue to give your living room a sleek and polished look. Using this as a small living room idea with TV lets your TV blend beautifully into the background and become a focal point without standing out.
Bold Colors: E for Energy! Use bold colors to give a feeling of excitement, bold fiery colors such as orange, deep red, yellow, and blue give the room a vibrant look and are in contrast to most TVs, using these colors in the background will make your TV and other wall furniture stand out. Using bold colors will also give your living room a cheerful atmosphere.
Accent Walls: Use wallpaper with a bold pattern or striking mural on the wall behind the TV, this will make that area a focal point that naturally draws attention to the TV while making your living room look unique.
Peaceful and Graceful: If you enjoy a peaceful and quiet neighborhood and you’re not one for the hustle and bustle of the active life, you can go for a combination of sky blue, and crisp white with a touch of silver. This color palette has a soothing effect and looks dignified. It will also complement your TV beautifully.

Reduce Your TV’s Presence

If you don’t want your TV to be the main element in your living room, you can hide its presence with these color palettes:

Camouflage Your TV with Dark Tones: apart from special TVs like the Samsung Frame TV, other TVs have black frames and black standby modes, so using dark colors like black, charcoal gray, navy blue, etc, will totally or partially hide your TV’s presence, giving your other furniture a chance to shine and be appreciated.
Natural Colors: green is synonymous with nature, soft blue is synonymous with the sky, and deep blue is synonymous with the ocean. Using muted versions of these colors as a color palette will not only make the TV less noticeable, but its relaxing atmosphere will help you relax after a long day.
Neutral Harmony: You can combine neutral colors like beige, cream, or light gray into a color palette and use this for the entire living room to allow the TV blend in beautifully while promoting tranquility and providing a sense of space.

Always remember to consider window positions and the amount of natural light that seeps into your small living room when choosing color combinations.

11. Spice Up Your Living Room With Plants

You can use plants to add color and life to your living room, these plants can also improve the oxygen in your living room. However, if you cannot take care of plants, it is better to use artificial plants or flowers. If you want to try the natural effects that plants bring, here are some tips to follow:

Choose the right plants: experts advise using plants that thrive in low light and dry conditions like succulents and cacti, or plants that require low maintenance like snake plants, pothos, ZZ plants, and air plants. You can use an indoor gardening book guide if this is new territory for you. Use tall plants if you have low ceilings, this will make your living room feel tall and spacious.
Use small but pretty pots or vases that fit with your decor as you don’t want your little home plants to look out of place. You can also use hanging planters.
You can place much smaller plants on shelves or cube organizers to improve visual appeal, you can place bigger plants in front of windows to reduce the light seeping in and increase privacy.
Group plants together based on size or colors to give an organized feel and create focal points.

12. Make Walls Taller With Vertical Stripes

This is an underrated but effective idea; using vertical elements like vertical stripes, wood panels, wallpapers with vertical stripe patterns, vertical artwork, etc can make your small living room feel taller. You can try any of the following ideas or test them all out till one satisfies you:

Paint your walls with vertical stripes: This method has been tested and proven many times, it’s a classic method that effectively elongates your walls. You can choose two or more colors and any stripe width, but make sure to use a light color for the background to make the stripes stand out.
Use wallpaper with a vertical stripe pattern: if you’re like me and do not like painting walls, then you can buy wallpapers with striped patterns, just go online and make your pick out of the many options available.
Hang vertical artwork on your walls: You can use portraits, drawings, or large canvases, but make sure they are vertical and hung high enough. They will not only create more focal points but will make your walls feel taller.

13. Get Creative With Lighting Fixtures

Your living room revamp cannot be considered complete without adding some lighting here and there. You can use LED strips, chandeliers, floor lamps, desk lamps, and overhead lamps to transform your living room into a small fairyland for your kids or a romantic paradise for your spouse. Depending on your tastes, you can use:

Layered Lighting: Use multiple light sources to create a well-lit and inviting atmosphere without making your living room feel cramped. Combine ambient, task, and accent lighting to achieve balance, or you can use LED strips on your bookcase, floor lamps at the corners, and a chandelier if you want to keep things simple.
Ambient Lighting: consider using overhead lights, chandeliers, or floor lamps with soft lights to provide a comfortable background glow.
Task Lighting: If you created a reading nook, then you can add reading lamps near the armchairs, or floor lamps positioned behind or beside sofas. This will allow you to focus on reading, working, or playing (board and card games) without straining your eyes.
Dimmable Lighting: Use lamps with dimming functions, this will help you transition from day to night beautifully and without much effort.
Natural Light Optimization: Make the most out of the natural light by keeping windows free and using sheer curtains or blinds. Natural light brightens the space, reduces eye strain, and improves openness and airiness.
Lighting Color Temperature: Choose lamps with multiple color temperatures that you can easily switch between to complement the overall ambiance of your small living room. Warm lighting, with its yellowish hue, creates a cozy and inviting atmosphere – best for relaxing or watching TV in the evening, while cool lighting, with its bluish tint, promotes alertness and focus, and is best for reading.
Placement of Lights: Place your lamps carefully to avoid glare and reflections on the TV screen. Avoid placing lights directly in front of the TV or using harsh overhead lights. Instead, go for indirect lighting or task lighting that doesn’t interfere with viewing comfort, if you’re using task lighting, best to go for those with shades.
Lighting for Different Moods: Adjust the lighting based on the desired mood. For a relaxing evening, lower the lights and use warmer temperatures to create a cozy ambiance. For daytime activities, use brighter lighting and cooler temperatures to enhance visibility, focus, and energy levels.
Consider the Style of Your Living Room: Choose lighting fixtures that complement the overall style of your living room. Modern and contemporary styles may call for sleek and minimalist lighting designs, while traditional or rustic styles may benefit from more ornate or antique-inspired fixtures. If you have bookshelves or cube organizers, you can use LED lights, or small orbs like the echo dot or crystal orb lamps.

Experiment With These Small Living Room TV Ideas

It’s not a one-size-fits-all, experiment, try new things, and consider your living arrangements, my cousin redesigned because he was moving with his spouse, yours could be because of pets, kids, graduation, or new and fresh starts. What works for couples may not work for those living alone, the same thing with pets. So, again consider your living arrangements and your lifestyle. Then you’d know which ideas to incorporate

Have fun decorating!

5 Comments

carol November 27, 2023
great post!
Kirsten Smith November 29, 2023
Great ideas!
Debbie November 29, 2023
These are all really helpful suggestions for having a TV in a small living room. I like the tip to create a scheme with the TV as the focal point.
Olga November 30, 2023
Our living room isn’t small, but I like these ideas. I want to keep furniture to a minimum and photo wall. Thank you for inspiration.
Shannon December 1, 2023
I really needed these ideas. Thanks!