Layout Features
A 20-meter living room cannot be called large, but it is quite convenient for receiving guests, working and sleeping. The main area is the rest area, it is decorated with upholstered furniture and a TV. The rest of the space can be distributed according to your needs – an office, a library or an additional place to sleep. But it is important to organize everything correctly, so below I will tell you about the different shapes of the room and give recommendations on their arrangement.
Rectangular Living Room
An elongated room is easier to divide into zones: in the first half of the room we put a sofa, in the second there is furniture for other purposes – a wardrobe for storing clothes or books, a desk or even a kitchen. If the living room has only one window, it is better to divide the room with transparent partitions to ensure that light enters the far corner of the room.
In a narrow living room, it is important not to overload the space, so bulky walls and high shelves in such a room are highly undesirable.
The photo shows an elongated living room with one window, decorated in emerald tones. Gray sections of the walls allow you to zone the room and visually correct its proportions.
20 square meters is enough to arrange a dressing room with a separate door or a sleeping place in a rectangular room, but this option must be planned in advance, thinking over the design of furniture, lighting and zoning methods. I will tell you more about the arrangement of the bedroom-living room in the zoning section.
The photo shows a narrow living room with cozy armchairs and wooden cabinets by the window.
Square living room layout
A room of a regular shape looks more spacious, especially if it has two windows. It is more difficult to divide a square living room into zones, but a roomy corner sofa fits perfectly into it. It is usually placed along a free wall.
It is not recommended to install solid partitions between pieces of furniture, which will break up the space and create two uncomfortable areas. If zoning is necessary, a low shelving unit, bar counter or chest of drawers is used.
The photo shows a square living room with a corner sofa and a home theater.
Examples in a private house
In a country house, there are usually no difficulties with arranging the hall, since the project is drawn up in advance. Ideally, if at the construction stage the living room is equipped with two windows and high ceilings, as well as a stove or fireplace, which attract the eye and become the main decoration of the room. Often the TV is located directly above it, and a furniture group is built around it.
Distinctive features in the layout appear in two cases:
- Staircase in the living room. I do not recommend installing a bulky staircase. A neat design along one of the walls is enough, so you can organize a storage system in the stairwell or install open shelves with decor.
- Second light. This feature will definitely play into your advantage. You will save on lighting, and the room will be much more spacious due to high ceilings and large panoramic windows.
When renovating an old private house, you can play on the advantages of an authentic building and decorate the interior in a rustic country style. When building a new cottage, the living room is often decorated in a classic, modern or Scandinavian style.
The photo shows a living room in a modern style, designed in a light color scheme. The interior is decorated with furniture made of natural materials and a fireplace.
Zoning
A hall of 20 meters is quite easily divided into functional zones, but not all methods are suitable for implementing this idea. You can use partitions made of glass or wooden slats, as well as low structures.
The most economical way to divide the space is to put furniture that will play several roles at once: a rack and at the same time a library, a bar counter and a dining table. A sofa also copes well with this function, separating the recreation area and the cooking area.
The photo shows a living room, which combines a dining area, recreation area and work area. The office is built into a white shelving unit, and all the attention is drawn to the original design of the walls.
A rectangular room is visually divided with contrasting colors, as well as a low podium, on which it is easy to equip an office without depriving the room of natural light. You can also use slatted partitions – they let in light and visually increase the height of the ceiling. If there are 2 windows in the living room, you can fully separate the zones even with a combined partition (as in the photo below).
How to zone a sleeping area?
This solution will fit into the interior best if you have two windows. In this case, any type of partition will do: slats, shelves, plasterboard partitions or a tall cabinet. The most important thing here is to ensure complete privacy. By the way, I installed a tall double-sided wardrobe and organized a sleeping area on the podium. Convenient and lots of storage space.
Another great option is to install a transforming bed. Yes, this is not a budget option, but apartments are not given away for free these days. At night you have a full-size bed, and during the day a work area and a storage cabinet.
If the room is equipped with a niche, a sleeping place separated by a curtain will fit perfectly into it. A recess can be created artificially using a wardrobe or partition.
See a detailed article about combining a bedroom and a living room in one room.
The photo shows a living room with a well-thought-out storage system, a luxurious Chesterfield sofa and a single bed hidden behind curtains.
In a room with high ceilings, you can arrange a loft bed. This is a complex structure and it is better to entrust the design to professionals. This type of bed placement in the living room is usually used in modern styles.
How to design a kitchen-living room?
One of the most popular solutions in small apartments. You get a full-fledged spacious kitchen-living room of 20 square meters instead of small rooms.
We have a separate detailed article, so I recommend reading it.
For narrow rooms with one window, I recommend installing the furniture set near the far wall, and the recreation area closer to the window. But it is important to organize sufficient lighting in the cooking area. I also do not recommend installing blind partitions so that at least some daylight gets into the kitchen. It is better to use a dining table, a bar counter or a kitchen island as a partition.
Look at examples of layouts with a furniture arrangement scheme in a kitchen-living room.
How to organize work place?
Nowadays, more and more people work remotely, but not everyone can afford a full-fledged office. And the living room is not the last place where an office is most often arranged. In an area of 20 square meters, you can comfortably place a full-fledged desk and a desktop computer.
For this, use niches, window sills or folding tables. Of course, it is best to place the work corner near the window. The only downside to this solution is that it is unlikely to provide complete privacy.
Read a separate article about organizing a study in the living room.
How to furnish a living room?
Soft structures play an important role in interior design. Furniture is arranged in accordance with the needs of all family members.
A living room with a large TV, speakers or a projector can easily turn into a full-fledged home theater. In this case, it is necessary to purchase thick curtains that block out the light.
If the only role of the hall is to receive guests, friendly and family gatherings, a corner or U-shaped sofa is used to rationally fill the space of 20 sq. m. In addition to general lighting in the form of a chandelier or spotlights, additional light sources are provided. To make the room more comfortable, you can hang wall sconces or install a floor lamp in the sitting area.
The photo shows a spacious room of 20 square meters in an industrial style with a practical corner sofa.
If the living room is used as a bedroom, dining room or playroom, it is recommended to choose transformable furniture. The fold-out sofa can be used as a bed, and snacks for guests can be placed on the coffee table.
A light color palette will help to visually enlarge the hall: white, gray and beige tones. The fewer textures and decor are used in the design of the living room, the more spacious it seems. The addition of a balcony and a bay window, which provides more light and air, wonderfully expands a 20 m2 room.
The photo shows a living room that doubles as a library. Two small sofas are placed at an angle. The composition is complemented by a coffee table and an armchair.
Examples in different styles
Decorating a room in one style will help to bring the interior together and make it cozy and attractive.
The main distinctive feature of contemporary is functionality, so the furniture is practical and compact: modular sofas, folding screens, mobile partitions. But the modern style implies not only pragmatism, but also external attractiveness: bright accents on a neutral background, decorative lighting, carpets on the floor, adding coziness.
One of the most popular trends in the modern style is loft, which requires a lot of light and space. It is easy to recreate using brickwork and rough furniture with metal and wooden elements.
Living rooms in the minimalist style are characterized by rigor and harmony. Few textures are used in the decoration, laconic designs with straight lines, as well as built-in appliances, are chosen as furniture. It is also necessary to take care of good lighting and use a minimum of decor. This style is ideal for a small living room of 20 sq. m, and especially for equipping a home cinema.
The photo shows the design of a modern living room in loft style with metal and wooden furniture, brickwork on one of the walls and a beamed ceiling.
Bright fusion is most suitable for free creative individuals. Festive, unusual, but at the same time integral and cozy interior in the fusion style will decorate any apartment.
The photo shows a fusion living room filled with many original details: wallpaper with a pattern, a wardrobe with painted facades, a shelving unit with mirrored sides.
The traditional design of a 20 sq. m. living room is a harmonious combination of symmetry and luxury. Marble and fine wood are used for finishing the floor. The walls of the room are covered with high-quality wallpaper or decorative plaster, against which expensive, exquisite furniture and textiles look magnificent.
The sofa and armchairs have soft upholstery and carved elements. The window openings are decorated with curtains made of satin, velvet and other thick fabrics. Paintings in beautiful frames and large mirrors are appropriate on the walls, and massive crystal chandeliers on the ceiling.
The classic style does not tolerate cramped spaces, so all purchased furniture and decor elements must correspond to the size of the room and the pre-made plan.
The photo shows a classic living room interior in pastel colors, the main decoration of which is a picturesque fireplace.
Design ideas
There are several win-win options for arranging a living room. The most popular way to create a stylish and bright space is to paint the walls white and use bright details on a neutral background. The room will seem wider and the ceilings higher.
A black and white living room with straight lines and leather furniture looks stylish and respectable. And to complicate the design and visually expand the boundaries of the hall, I recommend using various mirror surfaces.
The photo shows a white room with a hammock and yellow details that add originality to the decor.
Another great idea for adjusting the proportions of a room is a cornice along the entire wall. A small window will seem larger if you hang curtains not only on the window opening, but also on the piers.
If there are two windows, one of them can be decorated with curtains, and the other with laconic roller blinds.
Designers also advise not to forget about the space between the ceilings: closed shelves above the sofa act as additional storage space and create a cozy niche.
The photo shows a harmonious interior of the living room, where the curtains are chosen to match the color of the walls and flooring. Inexpensive furnishings look stylish and presentable.
To feel as comfortable as possible in the living room, you should take care of beautiful and proportional furniture, convenient layout and stylish decoration that will unite the space.
