With its sloped roof and single-story layout, a bungalow is a perfect home for a couple. However, even with its small size, a bungalow’s living room space can be optimized by some clever interior planning. A well-designed living room in a small bungalow will feel just as comfortable and cozy as a larger space.
If you love the idea of living in a bungalow house but don’t know how to decorate its small living room, then you’ll definitely find our small bungalow living room ideas inspiring. Let’s take a look at the following examples with pictures:
How to Decorate a Small Bungalow Living Room
Paint the Walls a Light Color
In a small bungalow living room, dark wall colors are definitely a no-no. Dark grey, for example, can be tricky to work with in small living room spaces so it’s best to stick with off-white, cream, or crisp white to keep your room light and airy. Painting the walls a light color will be especially effective in compact bungalow living room spaces.
A light shade for the walls will feel fresh and inviting, yet not closed in. Steer clear of brilliant whites as these shades stand out too much in a small room. Be sure to test some neutral paint samples before you start painting.
Hang a Large Mirror for Illusion of Space
Use the oldest trick in the book by hanging a large mirror on the wall. This will instantly create the illusion of space in a compact bungalow living room. Mirrors reflect light and double up the interior space. In a neutral or light interior, an oversized mirror will keep the overall feel light and airy.
In this small bungalow living room, the oversized gold-framed mirror has made the room a lot bigger than it is. The mirror is strategically placed on the adjacent wall where the beige sofa is in order to broaden the feel of the room. You may also angle the mirror by hanging it on the wall opposite the sofa to give the illusion of depth.
Install Floor to Ceiling Shelves
When space is limited, your wall can serve as the most important function: as storage for the books and decoration items. Floor-to-ceiling open shelves will provide more storage for any items you want off the floor. This is the best use you can make out of a bare wall so don’t be afraid to go all out displaying your books or paintings on the shelves!
Introduce Nature to the Living Room
We’ve already mentioned how an oversized mirror can open up the living room. However, there are other key elements you can combine with this design idea by adding nature-inspired wall art and indoor plants to your bungalow’s living room.
To continue with the nature-themed design, introduce pale wooden furniture and wicker furnishings like the ones shown in this example.
Embrace Symmetrical Neutral Schemes
A symmetrical room provides balance and keeps the focus on the neutral furniture. In a light and airy small bungalow living room, the windows or fireplace can be the focal point of the symmetrical space. It is important to choose one dominant color throughout the room, with a slightly darker hue for the smaller details.
This idea works perfectly to enhance a small living space in the bungalow. Optimize the feeling of serenity by using neutrals to decorate the room as shown here. Keep the wall color fresh and light in tone and add symmetrically shaped furniture to distract the eye from the living room’s compact size.
Reduce the Clutter
If there is one thing that’s going to make a small bungalow living room even more compact and closed in, it’s clutter! It can actually make your room feel narrower. Keep your room tidy by removing all the unnecessary items. Decluttering will instantly make your small space feel bigger and more open.
Just to prove to you the effect of decluttering a small room, take a look at our example of a stylish living room with minimal furniture. With all the essentials neatly organized and out of sight, the small space can feel orderly rather than busy and compact. Try to keep your floor space as free as possible by opting for a small rug as this is the easiest way to maintain a sense of spaciousness.
Add Interesting Patterns in Bold Colors
Never be afraid to add bold patterns and colors to a small bungalow living room. It is, after all, about creating balance by layering some textured throw pillows and blankets for an inviting and comfortable space. Textured fabrics in bold colors make a small space feel warmer, but you may also add other eye-catching accessories or artwork in bright colors and patterns to add visual interest.
We love the colorful accent pillows and blankets in this example as proof that you don’t need a large living room space to accentuate it with bold patterns and shades.
Pick Your Furniture Size Carefully
In small bungalow living rooms, fitting furniture can be a difficult task. So before furnishing the compact room, be sure to check the size with the room’s proportions. The key is to avoid oversized sofas or tables. Invest in compact furniture just like the ones you see in Scandinavian-inspired interiors. These types of living room furniture are small with narrow legs so they don’t take up much space.
Another great way to avoid closing in the small living room space is by using multi-functional furniture. This can be anything from a wooden chest as a coffee table or foldable chairs, which can be tucked away when not needed.
Create a Feature wall
A focal feature is an ideal way to decorate a small bungalow living room. You need just one feature to draw the eye as the idea is to put less emphasis on the room’s size. A wall full of artwork or framed pictures will only make the room feel closed in or busy so just go with one large item on the wall to make your room feel wider.
In a small room with high ceilings, you should avoid hanging pictures high on the wall as this will only imbalance the room. Instead, choose a symmetrical wall art or painting that covers most of the wall space just like here as it brings the eye level down and makes the living room appear taller.
Choose a Striking Color for Drama
A timeless color like teal makes a dramatic statement in a small bungalow living room. Teal is not quite blue nor green, but it falls somewhere between the two. As a warmer version of cool blue, teal creates a warmer feel. You can incorporate this color for the walls and furniture just like the example here.
Add layered textures to balance the strong color and invest in good quality lighting in order to avoid the room from looking smaller.
Opt for Light Furniture in a Dark Room
In a small room with dark walls, a bright, light furniture color will create a good balance and contrast the dark walls. See how bright and airy this small, compact room looks with its crisp white furniture and navy walls. The whole room comes nicely together visually without appearing closed in. Make sure you keep the room’s furnishings soft and neutral, especially if the walls are in dark color.
How Do I Make My Small Bungalow Living Room Look Bigger?
Not all bungalows are short on space. But if you have a small living room in your bungalow, a carefully-designed layout will open the space and create a sense of comfort in the modest square footage. The key is to plan the layout as best as possible so that the small living room is functional without looking compact.
Start by scaling the furniture to fit the room’s size without blocking access to the walkways. An oversized couch or a large coffee table will only make the living room look smaller. The last thing you want is to create a cramped space so it’s wise to pick smaller and narrower furniture.
Another trick is to pick chairs or sofas with exposed legs and open arms as they give the appearance of open space, while filtering light around and under the furniture.
Finally, choose light color furnishings, especially if your small bungalow living room doesn’t receive adequate natural light. A large mirror accompanied by smaller furniture will definitely create the illusion of space as you can see from our above examples!
