Small Spaces: Adding chairs and sofas to rooms with limited space

Trying to fit your brand new sofa or chair into your living room will undoubtedly come with blood, sweat and tears – but it doesn’t have to. Here at Oswald & Pablo, we have a few tips, tricks and things you shouldn’t even try to attempt when arranging furniture in a smaller space. 

Things to avoid when adding furniture to a small room

Let’s start with the no-nos. You’re going to want to stay away from making any of these mistakes when adding furniture to a small room. 

• Don’t add too much furniture. This will only make the space look even smaller and will be a logistical nightmare when trying to squeeze in and out of the room. You don’t want the space to feel chaotic and cramped. Go with the mantra of less is more. 
• Shove all the furniture to one side of the room. This will make the room look off-balance, and your arrangement should complement and balance out. 
• Ignore the traffic flow. We’re not talking about the M6 here; we’re talking about the natural flow of how people enter and exit the room. Take this into consideration when adding furniture (especially armchairs and sofas) to the space.
• Think about the operation of the room. You may have a clear walkway from your living room, but you still need to be able to open your sideboard cupboards or have a clear view of the television. 
• This is the most important thing that you need to consider when adding chairs to your small space, so take note! Many people make the mistake of not pointing their chairs, sofas and armchairs towards a focal point. Whether this is a fireplace, television or bookcase – it’s up to you, but you should always aim your furniture towards a clear focal point. 

How to add a corner sofa to a small room

When adding a corner sofa to a small room, it is best to think of the dimensions of the space. Is your room square-shaped and cosy or narrow and long? The beauty of corner sofas is that they can be literally placed into a corner and fit perfectly, or they can be used as a central feature of the room – the choice is yours. Here are some of the options that we recommend when adding a corner sofa to your home:

1. Place it in the corner of the room

Placing your corner sofa in the corner of your room seems like a sensible choice, and it is – but it’s also one that allows you various styling options. By adding a corner sofa to your room against a wall, you can use the central space for other furniture, such as a coffee table or rug. 

2. Central positioning

This may be slightly more difficult depending on the dimensions of your room, but if you have a room that is small, you could place your corner sofa in the centre and decorate around this focal point. For this, we recommend minimal amounts of furniture to ensure walkways are clear and that the room doesn’t feel cluttered. 

Ways to add furniture to small rooms 

If you are looking for ways to save space in small rooms, we have a few recommendations that you can use to maximise your space and to create a functional yet stylish space that you enjoy spending time in. 

3. Swap sofas for snuggle chairs

• 

Swapping out a sofa for a snuggle chair is a great way to save room space and can be a great focal point for your room, not to mention the fact that they are great to curl up on and read a book or relax. Our signature collection of snuggle chairs are available in a wide selection of colours and patterns to suit the aesthetic of your interior space.

4. Add an armchair

• 

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of sitting in an armchair that is yours and only yours. Adding an armchair to your smaller space is great if your home doesn’t have many occupants or if you like your own space. An armchair also acts as a focal point for your living room, and something like the Worthing Patchwork Chesterfield Armchair can be a great talking point for guests, friends and family who visit. 

1, 2, or 3 seater

For smaller spaces, you need to think about the functionality and practicality of your seating arrangements. Because of this, it is best to stick to the following groups of furniture: 

• 1 seater 
• 2 seater 
• 3 seater

By choosing seating options that are on the smaller side, you will obviously save space and be able to create a functional space that doesn’t feel overcrowded. You should also take into consideration the number of people in the household and if they will all be present in the room at the same time. 

• 

Ways to make your small room feel bigger

If you have added all of your new furniture to your living space and it still feels small, we have a few tips and tricks that you can use to make your small room feel bigger. 

• Decorate using light colours – this will make the room feel light and airy, and opposed to medium shades that can make a room feel smaller. 
• Use multi-functional furniture or hidden storage – finding space-saving furniture and hidden storage is a great way to save space and add purpose and organisation to your room. 
• Floor to ceiling curtains –  adding floor to ceiling curtains to your room will instantly make the room look taller, and ceilings will look higher. In turn, this will make the room look larger. 
• Add large art pieces – placing a large piece of art on the wall will help to create the illusion of width and depth. Make sure that you only do this for a limited number of walls, as often, if too many pieces are displayed, the space can start to feel overwhelming and crowded. 
• Mirrors – if your space doesn’t get much natural light, it can be worth adding mirrors to bounce the natural light around the room from the windows to create the illusion of space. 

Here at Oswald & Pablo, we have a wide variety of seating options for you to add to your interior space, including a wide array of styles, materials and colours to suit the needs of your home. To explore more, browse through the range of Chesterfield sofas, Chesterfield armchairs and more.

We also offer a split design with our sofas that allow them to be built individually and assembled together. This is ideal for those who live in smaller spaces or apartments on higher floors, as transportation in smaller segments is much easier. Make sure that you specify this when you order with us and someone from our team will be able to take care of the design for you.