How to choose a sofa for a small house: ideas for furnishing your living room

Furnishing a living room in a small house can be quite an undertaking but in this article you will find lots of tips on how best to furnish your living area!

Furnishing a small living room: tricks to follow when choosing sofas and armchairs

Furnishing a small house is not always the easiest thing to do and it brings up a lot of questions. For instance, how can you choose a sofa or armchair that provides maximum comfort without taking up the whole living room? How can you arrange the various pieces of furniture in your living room? What colours should you choose so that your living area does not seem cramped? In reality, all it takes is a few tricks to make small, beautiful, elegant and comfortable possible. Let's see how.

How to furnish a small living area: fewer furnishings and a sofa with impact

Even if the available space in your living room is limited, it shouldn’t stop you from treating yourself to a nice new sofa. The key to success is to choose only a few pieces of furniture that are well arranged and all have impact.  Two-seater sofas are a good choice if you have a free wall to exploit and you might even use bright colours such as red or green along with refined and elegant details.

A great example to consider would be the ‘Fleur’ by Calia Italia. You could also combine your sofa with a small table or footstool and a piece of furniture for the TV and other devices. Even a sideboard or a small bookcase would work well too. However, if you’re looking for a sofa with more than two seats (such as a corner sofa) then this will become the main attraction of your living room and mean that you will have to make everything else minimal. In this instance, a coffee table and a small TV cabinet will be more than enough if you want to avoid a cramped and cluttered effect. 

A living room in a small house: choose armchairs instead of a sofa

A very practical approach for small living rooms would be to focus on armchairs. In fact, 2 or 3 armchairs can help you avoid taking up the space that a large sofa would use and they can be easily positioned around the room to create a more airy and spacious environment. What’s more is that you don’t have to sacrifice on comfort or any of those cozy evenings spent chatting with guests.

As far as models and colours are concerned, you can let your imagination run wild (being careful to always take into account the dimensions and size of the armchair). For example, the ‘Nicolas’ armchair by Calia Italia is a modern model characterised by a compact seat and reduced dimensions and it is available in different versions that can adapt to many needs. Variations include: a fixed version, an open base and high foot version, a closed base version, a swivel version or even a swivel version with a rocker.

Then there are armchairs such as the ‘Jacob’ model by Calia Italia, which is perfect for those who aspire to the classic style of bergère reading chairs, but with a contemporary touch. This model is great for those who want to spend hours working or relaxing on a very comfortable and soft armchair.

Small living room? Go for light colours

Another very good tactic for furnishing small living rooms is to carefully consider the choice of colours used. We know that white and neutral colours in general give a living area a greater sense of space and spaciousness. So why not go for a super modern interior with white walls and a sofa in the same colour or in a neutral shade? With this in mind, we recommend visiting the Calia Italia section dedicated to fabrics and microfibres along with the section dedicated to leathers. Here you will find the most suitable covering for your needs and the right shade of colour! However if total white is not for you, you can paint just one wall of your living room with a brighter colour that gives character to the whole living area. Alternatively, you might opt for some colourful accessories (such as a lamp, a rug or a painting) to add colour to the room.

Ideas for furnishing a small house: choose modular design for the living room

In recent years, furnishing a living area in a small house has become easier thanks to modular sofas. With this approach, it is you who can choose how to compose your sofa based on the space and shape of your living room.

An example is the ‘Lazy’ model by Calia Italia, which is also available in a two-seater leather version. This modular sofa has soft and cosy lines inspired by the shape of a cushion that ensure maximum comfort and you can position it how and where you want. You can use the same trick for your furniture too. For instance, there are more and more solutions for customising your furniture and you can develop it horizontally, vertically or uniquely according to your needs.

Small living area: focus on innovative and convertible sofas

Finally, you might want to think about focusing on innovative and technological solutions too. In the Calia Italia Collections, there are many sofa models that have an extendable seat and backrest, so you can extend them as and when you need without constantly cluttering up your living room.

Or, if you know you often have guests over or you like to take naps in the living room, you might want to look at our collection of Calia Italia sofa beds that are perfect to place in your living area and offer such use when needed whilst at the same time not taking up too much space.