How To Organize A Small Living Room

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Getting StartedOrganization GuideOrganization TipsIdeas And InspoChecklist

Your living room is intended to be the centerpiece of your home. It’s the room where your family gathers for movie nights, board games, and just to be together after a long, hard day. Keeping your small living room organized is key to maintaining an enjoyable space without it becoming overcrowded or cluttered.

Hi, I’m Ryan

Living in only 150 square feet, I don’t have a ton of room. I’m intentional about the way I organize my small living room so that it always feels roomy, despite its small size.

Simple Steps To Start Organizing Your Small Living Room

It can be overwhelming to know where to begin when it comes to organizing your small living room. Within such a small space, it’s easy for your magazines, board games, DVDs, and trinkets to become a frenzied disarray. However, with a little strategy, you can create more room and comfort no matter what.

Step One: Clear Off All Visible Surfaces

When it comes to organizing any small space, the best way to begin is with the items you can already see. A lot of how a space feels is about what is visible in the room. Keeping clutter at bay will instantly free up the space.

Remove These Items

• Trays
• Remotes
• Potted plants
• Tabletop books
• Coasters
• Key rings
• Miscellaneous items

Lay these items out on your living room floor. Use your floor as a holding space while you get everything organized.

It’s important to remember that countertops and flat surfaces aren’t storage. You’re going to want to find a new home for all the small items that clutter your flat surfaces — one that is functional and aligns with the item’s specific purpose.

Step Two: Pull Out Items From Drawers And Shelves

Step Three: Declutter Your Small Living Room

Once you have everything laid out across the floor of your small living room, it’s time to dive into the decluttering process. It’s important to declutter your belongings before you organize them so you can get rid of everything you don’t actually need to keep around in your small living room.

I like to go with the Four Box Decluttering method when I declutter in my tiny house. I find this method to be incredibly simple, yet highly effective for getting the job done.

Step Four: Placement Of Furniture In A Small Living Room Layout

Before you put anything back in a new place in your living room, you’ll need to tackle your largest space sucker: furniture. In all honesty, navigating the placement of furniture is the most difficult aspect of keeping a small living room organized.

Living rooms aren’t used to store much, so that’s the easy part. But, when you want to veg out in front of the TV and watch your favorite film, you want your space to feel roomy and comfortable while you’re doing so.

If you aren’t planning to cut your couch, side table, TV stand, or arm chair out of your small living room, then you’ll need to create a gameplan to place them in the best possible locations so you don’t feel cramped.

The best way to arrange your layout in a small living room is to section things off in some way to create zones. This will give your room the illusion of having more space than it actually does, because it will seem to have multiple rooms.

One way to do this is to have dividers or screens between sections like mentioned above. Another way to achieve this is to turn your furniture inward so that there are smaller sections of the room.

Instead of lining your couch and armchair against the wall and keeping the middle of the room open, turn your furniture inward around your coffee table to create the illusion of space.

You can also stack furniture pieces in front of each other to maximize space. For example, place your couch in front of your bookshelf or shelf. If you go this route, just make sure there is still a little bit of space between items so that you can get to what you need.

Step Five: Categorize Items By Their Use

I’ve found that the best way to categorize items in any room is to sort your items by the specific purpose they serve.

In a living room, this might look like keeping all of your remotes near the DVDs, laying your yoga mat and bell weights by the TV you watch workout videos on, or piling your blankets and pillows in a cute basket right next to the couch.

Organization Guide For Each Room Of Your Home

Start Here

Kitchen

Pantry

Closet

You’re Here

Office

Bedroom

Laundry

Bathroom

Garage

Tips And Tricks For Organizing A Small Living Room

You want to make the most of every nook and cranny when trying to organize your small living room. It’s important to think about the little things.

1Let Your Furniture Double As Storage Space

2Distinguish A Separate Space For Toys

3Convert Space Under Stairs Into Storage Area

4Think Flat and Go Vertical When Decorating Your Small Living Room

5Use Screens to Create Sections And The Illusion Of Space

Inspiration For Maximizing Space In A Small Living Room

I’ve tried many different techniques to make the most of my small living room in my own tiny house. When you don’t have a ton of space, you have to be creative with the ways you maximize the space you do have and the items you invest in.

Hollow Out The Walls And Add Drawers

Adding drawers into your wall space is a brilliant way to create more storage in your small living room. These drawers can be used to store any number of things like books, games, trinkets, or whatever else you want in your small living room.

Store Items In A Bench Or Footstool

Benches and footstools are great for storing items you don’t necessarily want or need to display. It keeps your small living room from looking cluttered and also gives you easy access to everything you might need.

Add A Shelf To The Side Of Your Living Room Couch

Instead of putting your shelf in the middle of your living room or against a wall, consider using a space you might not initially consider — the side or back of your couch! This is an optimal position for a shelf because you can grab anything you need while watching your favorite movie or show, without even having to move from the couch.

Organize Kids Toys In Tupperware Bins

Storing kids’ toys in a small living room can be a huge hassle, and everything can get messy easily. One way to avoid this is to use individual bins inside of a larger toy chest or basket. That way, the toys stay categorized and aren’t just tossed haphazardly into your child’s toy bin.

Use Floating Shelves As A Bookshelf

Floating bookshelves are one of my favorite ways to store beloved books. They don’t take up a ton of room that you would need for other, larger furniture pieces because they sit on your wall. They are also great because they create an aesthetically pleasing book display.

Let Your Storage Shelf Double As A Play Area

I don’t have kids myself, but if I did, I would definitely invest in a play table that also doubles as extra storage. You can use the tabletop for a road map, train set, or Barbie playhouse, while the underneath can be used to put away smaller toys and games when play time is finished.

Store Kids Toys Under A Bed Or Couch

While it’s never a good idea to shove toys, clothes, books, or games under a bed or couch without a system, you can be intentional with under-couch storage. Use a flat tupperware container or wooden bin that lives under your couch or bed to store excess toys.

Stack Kids Toy Shelves Vertically

Vertically stacked shelves are a wise way to maximize storage in a small living room because they don’t take up as much space. There are many stores where you can easily buy shelves that stack vertically and can help you to make the most of your space.

Use Side Tables That Store Pillows And Blankets

No movie night is complete without a set of cozy pillows and blankets at your disposal. These side tables double as wire storage bins to keep your extra throw pillows and warm blankets all in one place, and are extremely helpful for maximizing space.

Buy A Coffee Table That Can Be Used For Storage

A coffee table that doubles as a storage cube is another smart move for maximizing space in your small living room. Investing in a coffee table that also can be used as storage allows you to have all your living room necessities right there at your fingertips.

Create Storage Out Of Your Windowsill

Windowsills can easily be used as extra storage space as well. You can use the actual windowsill for décor like plants or picture frames, plus add drawers or a bench underneath your window to create extra storage.

Display Items Around Your Small Living Room Door Frame

This one is honestly brilliant. I had never thought about using the rim around my door as a storage space until I saw a friend do it, and I was hooked. The space between your door and your ceiling / side walls has to be there inevitably, so you might as well make the most of that space too.

Minimalists Checklist When Organizing A Small Living Room

Organizing your small living room in a way that makes it feel larger than it actually is can add a lot to your home. When you’re intentional about the placement of items in your small living room, you can truly make your room feel like home. I love my tiny house living room because it feels comfortable despite its size.

Your Turn!

• What systems will you employ to organize your small living room?
• What steps will you take today to begin maximizing your living room space?