Even in standard multi-storey buildings there are often apartments with unusual layouts. One of the common problems that you have to solve during renovation is what to do with a narrow living room. Common situation? Do you want to turn an elongated room into a cozy place to meet with friends, and not into a gloomy extension of the corridor? We are ready to share tricks and useful recommendations!
Features of layout and design
A narrow and poorly lit room in a typical Soviet building is not a reason to despair. A competent combination of design techniques will help to bring the shape as close as possible to a square, and rational use of every centimeter will make it functional.
Try to “dissolve” boundaries by combining different shades, break symmetry, use diagonal lines. Bright color accents distract attention from imperfections in the layout.
A narrow but too long room can be divided into two separate zones using an island arrangement of furniture or plasterboard structures. For example, for a recreation area and a dining room or a study. You can even designate a corner for extra sleeping space in case guests stay late.
But you should not use a full-fledged partition in the ceiling or a massive closet to divide the space. Because of this, one part of the room will be left completely without natural light. So pay attention to transparent structures, open shelving, countertops, bar counters or glass.
Furniture and layout options
The selection and placement of furniture plays a decisive role in the design of a narrow room. Almost always, in a narrow room, furniture can be arranged in only one way - along the walls. If possible, it is advisable to place a sofa or chairs or a dining table perpendicular to the wall
It is better to choose compact furniture, chairs, if possible, with open backs, and armchairs and sofas with open legs.
Upholstered furniture should not be bulky or very low. It is undesirable to use interior items of very dark or bright colors. Cherry and red sofas are quite appropriate if they are covered with fabric of a slightly muted shade.
The worst thing you can put in a narrow living room is traditional Soviet walls that reach the height of the ceiling. They visually transform a narrow room into a corridor leading to the window. Furniture should be composed of low cabinets with a depth of no more than 45 cm. Low furniture does not clutter up the room. Under no circumstances should you use furniture in black or dark unnatural colors; dark wooden furniture is also undesirable.
If there is an urgent need to create storage areas in the common room, you should try to avoid the use of tall cabinet furniture. It is necessary to place things in cabinets, sofa drawers, on hanging shelves (preferably out of sight of a sitting person, i.e. above the sofa and armchairs).
If it is not possible to avoid using walls and cabinets, then it is necessary to make maximum use of mirrored doors, tinted glass with a mirror effect, mirrors on the back wall in sections with clear glass, etc. It is advisable not to install a blank wall, but to combine cabinets on the sides with low cabinets located in the center. The ideal option is to install a furniture wall along a short wall. A free section of the wall is formed in the center, on which the TV is placed.
The rounded lines of the coffee table and the rounded lines of the dining table make the interior more harmonious. It’s worth special mention about the coffee table: a low table placed in front of a sofa or armchair in approximately the center of the room is good at distracting attention from the length and reducing the “tunnel” effect of the room.
If possible, it is advisable to divert the gaze of seated people away from the opposite wall - place an interesting sculpture, a display case with a collection, a fountain, an aquarium or a TV at the far end of the room. The usual installation of the TV in the corner by the window in Soviet apartments actually led to people looking at the TV obliquely across the room, while the small width of the living room was not so noticeable.
Choosing an interior style
The living room can hardly be called the hallmark of the apartment, like the hallway or corridor, but it sets the mood and atmosphere of the house. It is important to choose a style that will be equally comfortable for relaxation, work, and everyday worries.
Narrow living room in a modern style
Modern style balances between classic and hi-tech, incorporating their best features. Eclecticism is in fashion, so this living room combines any materials and colors. The main thing is to decide on the accent in advance: for example, combine different textures, but stick to simple geometric shapes.
Modern living rooms are conveniently zoned, which is perfect for narrow rooms. They also gravitate towards non-standard arrangement, asymmetry and any other manifestations of individuality. This fully compensates for the minimalistic lack of excess decor, accessories and decorations.
Narrow living room in loft style
Of all the rooms in the apartment, the loft fits most naturally into the living room. After all, initially the first loft spaces in abandoned American factories were used specifically for creative meetings. Deliberate roughness, brickwork, concrete surfaces, open communications - all this is complemented by bright accessories and decorations.
Wooden beams, ventilation shafts or plasterboard ceiling structures compensate for the elongated shape. A wooden plank will fit perfectly on the floor, and old antique furniture can sit next to fashionable beanbag chairs. Ditch the cute decorations, toys and unnecessary textiles in favor of banners, posters and photographs.
Narrow living room in Scandinavian style
Scandinavian style is a northern minimalist trend that manages to maintain the line between cold calculation and homely warmth. This living room has a lot of light, white and beige colors as a base, contrasting details and bright color accents. As decor - pillows, candlesticks, figurines, panels and other handmade little things.
Scandinavian-style furniture is as simple and light as possible, which is especially good for a narrow living room. Use one of the narrow walls for chaotic open shelves or arrange a green corner. The main rule is only natural materials, textiles and shades.
Narrow living room in a classic style
Despite the popularity of minimalist trends, sophisticated classics never go out of style. Details change, but its luxury and good quality still attract designers from all over the world. It can be vintage interiors, elaborate baroque, strict and monumental English style, or a more modern and laconic neoclassicism.
The classic soft corner is impressive and massive, with expensive velvet upholstery. It goes well with antique furniture: chests of drawers, dressing tables, cabinets and chests. A separate decoration is aged decorative fittings, carvings, forged parts and glass inserts. For accents - white stucco, gilding, bronze, antique silver, copper and brass.
Narrow living room in Provence style
A living room in Provence style is a godsend for romantics and lovers of decorative details. French rustic style gravitates towards natural materials and textiles, floral patterns, bleached and pastel colors, simple shapes, and wooden beams. There is room here for handmade jewelry, forged candlesticks, knitted napkins and decoupage.
A fireplace with a painting hanging above it will naturally and organically fit into a Provence style living room. On the surfaces there are flowers, figurines, napkins, small decorative household utensils. Be sure to use carpets, decorative pillows, furniture covers and other textile elements.
Color scheme for a narrow living room
Playing colors in a narrow living room is the best way to visually correct the shape of the room. Therefore, instead of monochromatic interiors, it is better to combine several adjacent or contrasting shades. For example, white with beige, gray or black.
On neutral milky or steel surfaces, bright accents of pure, rich or even acidic colors look harmonious. Traditional interiors require more complex and deeper shades: mustard instead of yellow, burgundy instead of scarlet, emerald instead of grass green.
Do not overuse dark colors, because in a narrow living room it is very important to maintain maximum light and avoid the effect of overload. But natural shades of brown, even dark chocolate or mahogany, look much lighter than charcoal black.
Design of a narrow living room: stylistic and color solutions
Creating a design for a narrow living room is much more difficult than designing a standard room. The goal is to make the room visually more spacious and wider.
Choosing a style for a narrow living room
Styles that are not recommended for a narrow living room:
- Classic style.
- Shabby chic and empire.
- Rococo.
For a narrow space, it is preferable to opt for modern styles that advocate space and freedom in the room.
The minimalist style looks the most attractive. It allows you to expand the space without burdening the room with numerous decorative elements.
Today it is very popular to decorate narrow rooms with relief and so-called 3D wallpaper. They create the illusion of space, but it is best to decorate in this way a long wall free of furniture.
The lack of natural light can be compensated for if the room is designed in a Scandinavian style. It also visually expands the space due to the color white. Bright accessories (rugs, pillows) typical of Scandinavian style look very bold and original.
Also, narrow walls will help to expand horizontally located paintings or photo collages. On long walls it is better to place narrow vertical compositions.
The interior of a narrow living room needs to be made unique, and for this a lot of little things and details are taken into account. Only by combining all the elements is it possible to obtain a complete picture in the final result. Stylists advise using the following techniques:
- Try to get rid of partitions. Proper zoning will help you create a free atmosphere.
- Finish the ceiling in white. This will visually increase the height of the walls. Stretch ceilings with additional spotlights for lighting will significantly expand the space and give the interior an elegant style.
- Use more suitable furniture. You should not buy bulky furniture, because you cannot avoid a cluttered environment. For example, install a wardrobe with mirrored or simply light-colored doors. This hides excess space and helps make the room look square.
- Don't be afraid to add bold decorative elements.
Decorating a narrow living room is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.
Color solutions
The most common theme for painting the walls of a narrow living room is the use of two colors that match each other. The main focus should be on choosing the right two colors so that they go well together.
For a narrow living room, it is recommended to combine lighter shades for long walls with a more saturated color for short walls.
A combination of black and white colors is also harmonious. It can make the design an expressive and modern attribute.
It is enough to use your imagination, successfully choose colors that combine with each other, and the room will look fresh and attractive.
Green is the color closest to nature. That is why it is most pleasing to the human eye. The natural colors of wood, sand, and earth will create an excellent alliance with green.
White color in tandem with gray and sand shades creates an atmosphere of lightness. Soft pink, salmon, copper beige - muted shades of powder will fill the house with warmth.
A fresh and stylish combination of blue and gray colors, great for well-lit rooms. It is recommended to dilute such colors with warm beige and woody notes.
Materials and design
Selecting materials for decorating a living room is quite simple: you do not need to take into account humidity, temperature and other specific conditions. Here you can use regular paper, wood, natural stone and other delicate materials.
Wall decoration
Most popular materials are suitable for the walls in the living room: wood panels, wallpaper, paint, decorative plaster. Use any pronounced textures to create accents on short walls. You can even leave bare brickwork on one of them - just paint it to suit your style.
To adjust the geometry, you can paint long walls in light and bright colors, and short walls in dark and more saturated colors. Or, using the same principle, combine warm and cold shades of the same range for monochrome interiors.
Floor finishing
The shape of a narrow living room can be adjusted with perpendicular lines. If you have parquet, laminate or tiles with a rectangular pattern, lay it across long walls. And if the covering is monochromatic, use decorative carpets: for example, near the sofa in the sitting area.
Ceiling design
For the ceiling in a narrow living room, warm light paint colors or satin stretch fabric are best suited. But use gloss carefully: it visually doubles the volume of the room and, in the same proportion, further disrupts the geometry.
If the height allows, use multi-level plasterboard structures - they will help correct non-standard geometry. It is also convenient to integrate spotlights into them for zone lighting in a narrow living room.
Features of the layout of a narrow living room
First you need to understand that a small interior is the easiest and most profitable to transform. The placement of each object in the room is based on the final result, which must be constantly kept in mind. Are there frequent parties planned? Are we talking about the opportunity to relax while watching TV after work? Is there a need to organize your workspace? The answers to all of the above questions will determine the design of a narrow living room.
From a practical point of view, limited space requires that the layout of the hall be functional.
We are talking about the need for a functional division of each available centimeter:
- Business people need a place to work, which is best equipped against a wall so that sunlight falls on the right side. You can use a small mirrored cabinet as an additional visual divider.
- Avoiding too many paintings and other handicrafts on the walls will reduce the burden on the available space.
A harmonious combination of dark and light tones, located on the light side closer to the entrance to the room, allows you to visually expand the room.
How to arrange furniture in a narrow living room?
In a long and narrow room there will inevitably be problems with the classic symmetrical arrangement of furniture. If you overdo it with the standard approach, you can turn an elongated room into a cluttered tunnel.
An atypical corner arrangement looks interesting, for example, a sofa at an angle. Broken asymmetrical geometry disrupts proportions and distracts attention, but this option is only suitable for fairly spacious living rooms. Sometimes it’s worth replacing one bulky sofa with several soft armchairs.
Most often, it is easier and more rational to place furniture along the walls, choosing relatively low and oversized models. To prevent the interior from looking overloaded, dilute the cabinets and shelves with lamps, decor, and fresh flowers.
This is a rare case where several small chests of drawers look more organic than a spacious but bulky wardrobe covering the entire wall. But if you still cannot do without a wardrobe or dressing room, let it take up all the space along the short wall.
The chaotic asymmetrical layout fits organically into modern interiors. Non-standard arrangement makes the living room special and individual. But it is better to make furniture for such projects to order - exactly according to your measurements and features of the room.
Lighting and backlighting
Lighting is the most important tool for visually changing a room and adjusting its shape. Avoid the central chandelier - it creates that unnecessary symmetrical composition. But a series of spotlights will not only visually expand the walls, but also provide uniform diffused light.
For different areas, use wall sconces, floor lamps and table lamps. Loft pendant lamps above a sofa or dining table look interesting. And local neon or LED lighting will help make the interior more modern and brighter.
Decor and textiles
Do not use too heavy textiles or complex compositions of curtains and lambrequins. They take up space, block natural light and accumulate dust. Light airy fabrics, openwork tulle, cotton and linen are an excellent option for a bright and cozy narrow living room.
Smooth lines in decorations, furniture, and lamps will help to compensate for the shape of the room. Oval frames for pictures and mirrors, round lamps and candlesticks, plasterboard structures with fuzzy geometry - all this is at your disposal.
Any voluminous accessories, such as vases or sculptures, should be included in the layout in advance, taking into account the furniture. Large paintings and panels look good on short walls, but you can experiment with small chaotic compositions on long ones. Place mirrors, gloss and any reflective elements so that they do not enhance the tunnel effect.
Lighting and furniture to decorate a narrow living room
If you dilute the room with mirrors, it will become square and wide. It is preferable to paint the ceiling white, and also paint the walls in a light, discreet shade, the main thing is that the colors differ from the furniture and do not use caustic and poisonously bright colors.
Low furniture with many shelves is suitable for a narrow living room; tall cabinets will not work here. All furniture should be light and weightless to create a harmonious environment. Buy a couple of ottomans instead of heavy chairs.
The light is bright and directly directed to the very center of the room; if necessary, you can embed an LED strip in the ceiling with a dimmer, it will regulate the brightness of the light. Light, light sconces will work well in such a room.
Narrow living room - photos of real interiors
Arranging a narrow living room is a real challenge for designers and decorators. But nothing is impossible, and we are ready to demonstrate this in practice in our selection of photographs!
Interior of a narrow living room: design and tips
An important role in shaping the perception of space is played by the color aspect of the walls and floor. In this regard, beginners at home often make a common mistake - they start from the color of the walls, not the furniture. This cannot be done, otherwise the room will seem uncomfortable. In a narrow room, it is necessary to focus on pastel colors that solve several problems at once.
Firstly, the wall in the apartment will not become a “birch tree in the desert” that immediately catches your eye. Secondly, close attention should be paid to lighting fixtures. Spotlights and floor lamps are welcome.
In addition to the tips listed above, designers give a few more:
- The 2020 season, which is named after the fiery rooster, means there is a moderate amount of red hues;
- Modern rooms with limited space must be practical, so emphasis should be placed on furniture that can be transformed;
The doors leading into the room should not be too massive, otherwise it will visually make the room smaller.
The rational arrangement of kitchen appliances allows you to make even a small kitchen spacious. About this in our article:
