If you live in an apartment, you probably feel trapped when it comes to design, especially if you’re limited by rental rules. Even if you rent or are short on space, you can still let your personality and style shine through — no matter your taste or budget. You don’t need to spend a fortune or hire a designer — these apartment living room ideas will inspire you to maximize your apartment’s potential and make the space your own, while still allowing you to get your deposit back!
1. Frame-Worthy
Source: A Beautiful Mess
Go beyond basic white with a bold and beautiful color. Using thrift store picture frames for texture and eye-catching dark paint, create an impactful accent wall that will serve as a beautiful backdrop for the rest of your home.
2. Shades Of Blue
Source: Shutterfly
In your home, shades of blue can evoke feelings of peace and clarity. Whether you prefer the drama of deep navy blue or the peacefulness of pale robin’s egg, you’ll find a shade of blue that’s right for you.
3. DIY Hanging Planter
Source: A Kailo Chic Life
Plants are always in style. Here’s a fun do-it-yourself project to bring a bit of green and a pop of color to your apartment living room. Carve a faux pumpkin into a hanging planter and paint it pink. This project puts the fun in funky!
4. Say It With Throw Pillows
Source: Shutterfly
Add one-of-a-kind comfort and color to your living room with plush and decorative custom throw pillows. Turn your favorite photos or inspirational quotes into home decor. And since they’re custom, you can make them match your own personal style.
5. White And Bright
Source: Adore Magazine
If you’re designing for a small space like an apartment, keeping furniture light and white will go a long way in making the room feel more open and airy. Floating shelves and jewel-toned pops of color pull the look together.
6. Don’t Be Afraid Of Color
Source: Shutterfly
A simple solid painted wall can serve as a beautiful backdrop for your favorite photos or gallery wall. Choose a subtle color that will enhance and not distract from your photos and knick-knacks.
7. More Floor Space
Source: Helena Nord Elle Decoration
Rather than filling your small apartment living room with bulky furniture, keep a floor pouf handy for cute, casual seating that hardly takes up any space. A chunky knit floor pouf is soft, supportive and adds a touch of texture to the room.
8. Photo Collage
Source: Shutterfly
Photos are the best way to personalize your space. Make the most of limited decorating space by hanging a collage of all your favorites. This is an easy and affordable way to display the things that mean the most to you.
9. Vivid Living
Source: Aww Sam
You may be locked into white walls in an apartment rental, so let your bright personality shine through with bold furniture and accessories. A hot pink sofa with cool, colorful pillows and a coordinating rug are far from bland.
10. Go For The Gold
Source: Brite & Bubbly
Decorating with gold is super on-trend right now. Touches of metallic — especially gold — can add an upscale look to your space. A gold coffee table, floor pouf, lamp and accents of gold on the decorative pillows add a rich, gilded look to your decor.
11. Reflect On It
Source: A Beautiful Mess
Adding mirrors to your small apartment living room is a great solution for making the space feel bigger, lighter and brighter. These geometric copper and wood round mirrors will appeal to your mid-century modern design aesthetic.
12. Urban Ranch
Source: Elements of Ellis
A huge steer photograph on the wall and cow print pillows are sure to make you feel home on the ranch. Add faux fur, a whiskey barrel side table and neutral accents to complete the design.
13. Bold Area Rugs
Source: Emily Loeffelman
Area rugs are a perfect way to introduce bold colors into your apartment design when you’re usually required to keep the walls stark white. Fill odd spaces with rugs to bring visual interest and define an area.
14. Play With Textures
Source: A Beautiful Mess
Add visual interest to any space by adding texture. Handmade textured pillows in colors to match your living room design are a comfy and cozy addition to any home decor.
15. Open Shelving
Source: Freckle and Fair
Apartments are notoriously low on much-needed storage space. So, combat that problem and make use of the vertical space in your living room by hanging open shelves. They’re less bulky than a classic bookshelf and give you a way to creatively display your favorite items.
16. DIY Stenciled Side Table
Source: Girl Inspired
This is the perfect project for your small living room makeover. Give basic furniture a pop of personality by customizing it with your own unique stencil design.
17. Boho Chic
Source: Gypsy Tan
Mixing colors and textures is totally on trend right now. Colorful furnishings paired with marble and metallic gold make for an eclectic boho chic style that will make you feel right at home.
18. Comfy Storage
Source: A Beautiful Mess
If you’re designing for an apartment living room that’s low on storage space, consider this decorative ladder, perfect for holding your coziest blankets. Metallic copper is right on trend and your blankets will always be within reach.
19. A Clear Solution
When designing for a small living room, a clear plexiglass coffee table will serve its purpose while leaving the space visually wide open. Pairing it with all white furniture and a simple area rug makes the space feel grand in scale.
20. Narrow Spaces
Source: Hey Let’s Make Stuff
This is the perfect budget-friendly solution for your small room. If your apartment living room is short on space, install a narrow console table. It provides just enough storage for your decor without sacrificing valuable floor space.
21. Light And Layered
Source: House of Harper
Your small living room may be short on space but it doesn’t have to be short on style! Layered area rugs, oversized furniture and colorful pillows give this New York City apartment big, bold design.
22. Artistic Approach
Source: Inspired by This
Don’t stare at a blank, boring wall. Fill it from floor to ceiling with a massive display of art instead. Keep it cohesive by choosing prints that are similar in color and size and arrange them in a grid pattern on the wall.
23. Have A Seat
Source: A Beautiful Mess
Pair function with fun by hanging a chair in your apartment living room. It lends an eye-catching focal point to the room and frees up valuable floor space. Finish the look with colorful accents, a fun and funky sofa, and lots of green plants.
24. Mad About Plaid
Source: Lacey Placey
Patterned walls can take an apartment wall from boring to bold. Mix a bold buffalo check pattern on your walls with plaid and pops of color on your pillows. You’ll be sure to inspire everyone who enters your home.
25. Unexpected Storage
Source: Lily Ardor
You’ll never believe this super cool storage ottoman is actually upcycled from a rag rug and a 3.5-gallon bucket! It’s perfect for a small space, offering color, texture and a much-needed place to store whatever you want.
26. Wild Wall Art
Source: Lily Ardor
Black, white and gold are all on-trend when it comes to design, so why not combine them to make a big, bold statement in your living room? A solid black wall is a surprise — but it works perfectly as a backdrop for a large art piece.
27. Just The Essentials
Source: Patterns and Prosecco
If you’re designing for a tiny apartment space, paring down to just the essential pieces is paramount. Neutral colors, simple yet bold art and thoughtfully chosen furniture give this small space a ton of character.
28. Green With Envy
Source: Random Acts of Pastel
A glamorous yet casual green velvet couch is the star in this modern apartment living room. Paired with touches of brass and marble, the room is transformed from drab to dramatic. A rolling bar cart adds a touch of sophistication without taking up too much space.
29. Modern Tribal Style
Source: Sarah Belle
Tribal influence has always been an inspiration for home decor, but this modern design uses a neutral color palette with touches of turquoise and natural accents. Lots of green plants and wicker baskets tie the look together.
30. Out On A Ledge
Source: Scissors & Sage
If you’ve got stark white apartment walls, consider hanging floating picture ledges to display your favorite family photo frames or art. This is a simple and cost-effective solution for adding visual interest with your living room wall decor.
31. Gilded Mirror
Source: Patterns and Prosecco
Brighten up a small dark room, make your space feel bigger, and add a bit of drama by hanging a large gilded mirror over the sofa. Mirrors are very common, but a unique one can add personality to the whole room.
32. Fun and Funky
Source: The Homesteady
Liven up your neutral furniture and go bold with a colorful area rug. Match your living room accessories to some of the colors in your new rug to keep it coordinated. In this example, the colors of the throw pillows echo the colors in the rug.
33. DIY Planter Wall
Source: The Merrythought
Plants are always a popular addition to a living space. They can even be used to make gorgeous green living wall art. You can use any number of indoor plants, but succulents are an easy-to-care-for, low-maintenance choice.
34. Accented In Teal
Source: Patterns and Prosecco
Few colors have the same appeal as teal. This bold, rich color can be incorporated into your living room with a teal side chair and matching throw pillows. Paired with neutrals and brass for an exceptionally rich design.
35. Round Coffee Table
Source: The Merrythought
When it comes to decorating your living room, the right furniture can make all the difference. If you find yourself with a lot of floor space to fill, an oversized round coffee table is a great choice — they’re easy to decorate and extremely functional.
36. Back To Black
Source: Woman in Real Life
Sometimes all it takes is one exceptional piece of furniture to inspire your entire room. A black velvet sofa makes a big, bold statement in an otherwise neutral room. Subtle pink and yellow accents add even more drama and interest.
37. Nothing But Neutral
Source: The Merrythought
We love lots of color, but there’s also something to be said for the calm, serene beauty of a completely neutral living room. White, black, gray and brown blend seamlessly together. The end result is a room that looks clean, chic and unexpected.
Limited by size and your landlord’s rules, decorating an apartment can be tricky. Whether your style is clean and modern or fun and funky, these apartment living room ideas are sure to inspire you to renovate and redecorate your apartment space to make it feel like home.
