Alternatives to traditional walls for living room design.

Modular furniture

Before disassembling a vintage structure, you should sort all the items stored inside. Most likely, some of them will be unnecessary, so things that have outlived their usefulness should be thrown away, and new owners should be found for others. All that remains is to put all the essentials into a new modern storage system that will give a feeling of spaciousness, lightness and enliven the environment.

Usually it consists of several sections that can be moved and connected at your discretion: a TV stand, a small closet and shelves. To make the furniture look lighter, choose light colors, hanging cabinets or glossy facades.

Open shelving

Such designs are appropriate in modern styles – contemporary, loft, scandi. Thin frames make the living room more spacious, as if filled with air.

But to prevent the interior from looking overloaded, it is important to leave empty space on open shelves, alternating books, souvenirs and house flowers, and to put papers and other small items in beautiful boxes. Part of the design may be a cabinet with closed facades.

Built-in furniture

This approach is optimal if there are a lot of things, and the room is not very big. Furniture created specifically for the dimensions of the living room looks expensive and laconic, forming a single whole with the surrounding environment and saving as much space as possible.

Not only wardrobes can be built-in, but also shelves, complemented by a TV and curtain rods. This idea, realized in the second photo, added coziness and functionality to the atmosphere.

A stand with additions

Lovers of minimalism will appreciate the laconic solution in the form of a TV stand instead of a wall. It can be suspended, on legs or on a stable base. Open walls decorated with decor will make the living room brighter and more spacious, but for storing things you will need a couple more capacious structures:

• additional modules by the window, as in the first photo;
• sideboard or display cabinet;
• shelves and a folding sofa with a drawer for things, as in the third photo.

Closed cabinets

If the main goal when replacing a wall is to preserve the clothes and textiles stored inside, choose a free-standing cabinet in combination with a chest of drawers or a cabinet for small items. Place it closer to the entrance so that when opening the door, the attention is drawn to the living room space, and not to the large structure.

An even better option is a built-in wardrobe, which, being in a niche, takes up the maximum usable space. Inside, you can store everything that previously fit in the wall.

To make the room brighter, place a wardrobe with mirrored facades opposite the window.

Display cabinets

If the wall is used to display a home library or a valuable collection, opt for lightweight cabinets with transparent doors. Glass will not only protect items from dust, but will also add airiness to the interior by reflecting the light falling on them.

Paired display cases can be placed in the TV area or on the sides of the sofa, creating a cozy niche.

Renovation

If the wall is in excellent condition, but you don’t have enough money for new furniture, try remake it. The quality of modern paints allows you to update furniture at home – without odor and labor-intensive removal of the old coating.

Below in the photo are examples of transformations of outdated walls: the owners dismantled them and turned them into stylish elements of the decor.

If you are tired of the wall that takes up a significant part of the room, you always have a choice of what to replace it with.