I asked 8 interior designers what you shouldn’t put in a small living room – these 3 things kept coming up

When decorating a small living room - or any compact space for that matter - every decision and choice you make needs to be considered carefully. Because opting for the wrong decorating idea can make your petite lounge look even smaller than it already is. That’s why I asked 8 interior designers what you shouldn’t put in a small living room – and there were 3 things that kept coming up.

Tiny spaces and small living room ideas present the perfect opportunity to get creative and come up with unique solutions to space constraints. So by no means does a small lounge need to be bland and boring – in fact, that’s one of the biggest small living room decorating mistakes people tend to make.

'The most common mistake? Treating small spaces like a limitation instead of an opportunity,’ says interior designer Bilal Rehman. ‘People get scared of making bold choices. They default to safe, neutral everything with a beige sofa, beige rug, beige curtains, and end up with a space that feels lifeless. Small doesn’t mean boring, it means every inch should be meaningful.’

With that in mind, there are certain things, elements and design choices that don’t mix well with a small living space. But even if you are making one of these mistakes in your own lounge, the designers have also shared what to swap them out for instead.

1. Too many small pieces

Trying to incorporate too many pieces, no matter how small, into a compact living space is a big no-no according to interior designers as it will only result in a cluttered look. And that goes both for accessories and furniture.

‘The problem with over-decorating with accessories is that too many little items equals clutter,’ says John Cooper, interior designer and winner of Interior Design Masters season 6. ‘Instead, embrace visual stillness. Choose a few bold, monolithic pieces - like a large vintage vase or an organic sculpture - that allow breathing room and balance.’

Sarah and Liz Hellmers, directors of interior design studio Lathams, continue, ‘We always advise our clients to avoid small, fiddly furniture in compact spaces. It might seem counterintuitive, but smaller pieces can make a room feel cluttered and busier than it needs to be. Rather than helping the space "breathe", they often break it up visually, creating an overcrowded look. The result? A room that feels smaller than it actually is.’

Jo Lane, interior designer and founder of See Your Place, offers a solution, ‘A few well-chosen, generously sized pieces in a smaller space actually "normalise" it, making it feel luxurious and inviting, rather than overfilled. I would start with a large rug as a foundational piece. Using a larger rug in a smaller living room has the reverse effect of making your space feel bigger, as it pushes out the edges of your room and tricks the eye into perceiving the space to be larger than it is.’

2. Gallery wall

I love stylish gallery wall ideas filled with creativity and personality as much as the next person. But, unfortunately, when it comes to a small living space, it can create a busy, cluttered look that ends up overwhelming the room as a whole.

‘While I love a good gallery wall in the right context, in a small space it can sometimes feel cluttered and overly busy, especially if not curated with restraint,’ Bilal Rehman says. ‘I’ll often use oversized art instead of a gallery wall – it adds drama and anchors the space without visual clutter.’

And it’s a similar case with wallpaper-covered small living room feature wall ideas. ‘A single statement wallpapered wall will overwhelm a small space with too much business and make it feel instantly smaller. Instead, keep all your walls the same colour, even taking it onto your ceiling for an extra cocooning, colour-drenched effect,’ Jo at See Your Place says.

Not to mention that a wallpaper-covered feature wall is a home decor trend of a few years ago that did not stand the test of time. ‘An outdated trend is having one wall decorated in a statement wallpaper or overly-vibrant colour,’ says Polly Aspinall and Emily Harrop-Griffith, interior designers of Oscar Wren Studios.

‘We absolutely love wallpaper but if you’re going to use it, be bold and take it all around the room. The statement wall is a trend that has not stood the test of time and will instantly date your living room.’

3. Large-scale patterns

As already mentioned, small living rooms don’t need to be boring. There’s absolutely space for colour and pattern – but it’s best to stick to smaller-scale prints over large-scale ones, according to the designers.

‘I would also stay away from using large-scale patterns in a small living room. These can be too visually jarring in a more compact space – particularly in a living room, where you want to be able to relax. You can add interest by using smaller patterns and introducing plenty of texture to create a calm haven,’ Jo at See Your Place says.

Sarah and Liz at Lathams conclude, ‘Ultimately, when designing a small living room, the goal isn’t to scale everything down. It’s to scale up your thinking. With the right pieces and thoughtful choices, even the smallest space can feel expansive, polished, and deeply inviting.’