How to Set Up a Living Room in a Tiny Apartment: 7 Examples from the Pros

Sofa Next to the Kitchen Set

In studios, it’s common to demarcate zones and arrange them sequentially: a kitchen set, then a dining group, and finally, a living area with a place for sleep and relaxation. However, this space plays it differently by dividing the set into two parts. One is traditionally placed at the entrance to the room, the other along the wall, smoothly transitioning into a TV area with storage. Opposite is a fold-out sofa, which also serves as a sleeping place. A unified design of the kitchen furniture and storage system enabled a harmonious scene, making the living room smoothly “flow” out of the kitchen interior.

Sofa-Bed Opposite the Workspace

You can functionally furnish a small apartment by replacing a bed with a convertible sofa and turning the sleeping area into a living room during the day. This project does exactly that by separating the kitchen from the rest of the space with a tall island that replaces the dining table. Since space was limited, a sofa-bed solved the issue of excess furniture. Placed by the window opposite the home mini-office, it created a comfortable space for work and relaxation.

Two Chairs Instead of a Sofa

The living area is not always represented by a sofa. For example, in this studio, it was replaced with a pair of chairs. The apartment owner, who is also the project’s author, works in restoration, so he used retro furniture in decorating his home. There are no partitions in the single room; all zones are only visually demarcated. The “living room” is located by the window behind the bed, enhanced by chairs, a stool-table, and a dresser with a large accent painting. For a small apartment, this solution is successful both visually (a sofa would look cumbersome) and functionally: there is plenty of free space, and the furniture can be easily moved around.

Chair and Pouf in the Bay Window

Another example with a chair, but in this case, the choice to forgo a sofa is not just due to the small living space, but also the complex layout. For instance, this apartment has two corner bay windows positioned one after the other. One of them houses a small living area consisting of a chair, a pouf, and a table. A compact soft group complemented by a round rug and a floor lamp of an interesting shape managed to soften the complex architecture and maximize the use of available space. The apartment was designed for one person, and such a relaxation zone is sufficient for the owner.

Sofa Opposite the Cooking Area

Sometimes the room’s area or shape does not allow for arranging zones sequentially behind each other. For example, in this tiny single room apartment, only about 140 square feet (13 sq. m, conversion included for reference) could be allocated for a kitchen-living room, with the space being elongated, extending from the hallway. A fold-out sofa (a spare sleeping place for guests) was placed next to the kitchen set, and a dining group was arranged by the window. As a result, a unified and quite mobile space was achieved: if needed, dining chairs can be moved closer to the sofa or the coffee table can be removed.

Mini-Sofa at the Center of the Room

In a small apartment, a soft group can be a full-fledged zoning tool. Thus, in this project, there was supposed to be a separate cooking zone and one room, but the partitions were rearranged to achieve a European layout with a mini-bedroom and a kitchen-living room. A small sofa was placed with its back to the set—so that it was comfortable to watch the TV opposite. Part of the wall in this area was turned into a storage system with shelves, where you can keep favorite books, necessary trinkets, or just beautiful decor.

Relaxation Area by the Window

If the apartment has panoramic glazing or just a beautiful view from the windows, you can make the relaxation area an extension of it. For example, as in this project, where a separate room for the living room was not anticipated. A small ottoman was placed by the window in the kitchen, and the furniture’s shape is such that it’s comfortable to watch the landscape both sitting and lying down. The mini-sofa acts as a relaxation zone, but it can also serve as additional seating for guests.