Choosing furniture for a small flat

Small flats aren't made bigger by small furniture. Six tiny things feel more cramped than three properly sized ones, because your eye has to stop six times crossing the room.

Measure first, buy fewer and larger, and make sure everything either stores something or moves.

We don't sell furniture - we make prints, postcards, pin badges and cards in house, printed in the UK. So this is a straight guide, plus the print and the card that go with it.

Measure before you buy anything

• Measure the room, the doorway, the hall turn, the lift and the stairwell. The stairwell is what catches people out.
• Tape the footprint of the sofa onto the floor and live with it for two days.
• Leave 60cm of walkway through a room and 75cm to pull a dining chair out.
• Check sofa back height against the windowsill so you don't block the light.
• Note the delivery access rules if you're in a flat with a shared entrance.

What earns its space

• Storage footstool: seat, table and a place for the blankets in one.
• Drop-leaf or wall-mounted table that folds flat between meals.
• Bed with drawers underneath, which removes the need for a chest of drawers entirely.
• Nesting side tables that pull apart when people come round.
• Wall shelving rather than a bookcase - the floor space is what you're short of.

What to avoid

• Bulky recliners and oversized armchairs with deep arms.
• Corner sofas in a room under about 3.5 metres wide.
• Lots of small furniture. Fewer, larger pieces read as calmer.
• Dark heavy curtains that swallow the little light there is.
• Anything that only does one thing and isn't used daily.

Tricks that make a small room feel larger

• Legs. Furniture you can see under reads as lighter than furniture that sits on the floor.
• One big mirror opposite or beside a window, not facing a wall.
• Curtains hung to the ceiling, which lifts the whole room.
• The same flooring running through, with no thresholds between rooms.
• Keep the floor clear - clutter at ankle height is what makes a room feel small.

Shop cards

Prints for the wall

Designed in house and printed in the UK.

How to write it so it lands

• Measure the stairwell, not just the doorway.
• Tape the footprint out on the floor first.
• Buy furniture with legs.
• Curtains to the ceiling, mirror near the window.

Where to shop next

• How to style a living room on a budget
• How to hang wall art properly
• How to build a gallery wall
• First home checklist: what to buy first
• Lighting a room properly
• Colour schemes that actually work
• Seasonal decor without the clutter
• Posters and prints
• Postcards
• All guides
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Pin badges

Frequently asked questions

Should furniture be small in a small room?

No. A few correctly sized pieces feel calmer than lots of small ones. Choose fewer, larger items with visible legs.

How much walkway space do you need?

Around 60cm to walk through a room comfortably, and 75cm behind a dining chair so it can be pulled out.

What furniture is best for a studio flat?

Anything that does two jobs: a storage footstool, a drop-leaf table, a bed with drawers under it, and wall shelving instead of a bookcase.