Narrow rooms are a design dilemma for many homeowners. A mistake in furniture placement here or choice of hues there can easily result in a tunnel-looking or bowling-alley-resembling space. On the flip side, if you know which elements you should highlight and downplay, you can create a warm, cosy living room that your family and guests will enjoy. That said, here are the rules that you should remember when decorating narrow living spaces:
Create distinct areas
If you look at it closely, narrow living spaces are essentially open-plan areas, which are the most popular choice for layouts today given the free, airy atmosphere that they create. So what you have isn’t an aesthetics dilemma but a design opportunity. The best way to treat an open-plan space is to divide it up into zones. This is how you should decorate narrow spaces, too. Assign different sections. Aside from the main lounge area, dedicate space for a reading nook, a conversation area, and a breakfast station by the window to maximise your garden view. With clear pockets of living areas, the entire room won’t feel like a long tunnel of an awkward design; it will feel a whole lot cosier.
Choose circular furniture
The thing about narrow spaces is that they look a little cold and unwelcoming. What you need are elements that will balance this out. Go for oval pieces for your furniture. You can find circular, sectional sofas for sale online for easy shopping. If you’re not into curved couches, get an oval coffee table instead. Add some ottomans or bean bags. Consider using round rugs, too. Be mindful of the proper placement of furniture. As much as possible, keep the pieces away from walls to give them adequate breathing space. Decide on a focal point, too. There should be a striking piece in your area that would attract people’s eyes instantly.
Charm up
To further downplay the appearance of awkward length in the room, maximise its vertical space. Keep people’s eyes upward. Go for tall furniture pieces, like bookshelves or freestanding cabinets. If you want to create a photo mural as your accent wall, organise the pictures in such a way that they go all the way up to the ceiling to define the length of the partition. Or if you’re going for wallpapers, use those that have vertical patterns. Of course, don’t forget your window treatments. Elegant drapes that go from the floor to the ceiling have powerful visual interest, which can distract people from the uncomfortable horizontal stretch of the room. Glam up your ceilings, too. Invest in good lighting fixtures, like chandeliers or a set of pendant lights — place moulding for added sophistication.
Enhancing Narrow Living Rooms
In the end, decorating narrow spaces is indeed a bit of a challenge. But if you stick to the golden rules, you can pull this off and find the entire design process fun. Thus, follow these tried-and-tested strategies to create the cosiest living room that your family will love.
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