Designer life hacks for expanding space

The main task when decorating a narrow living room is to make it wider. The following will help with this:

  • Horizontal stripes. Neutral or contrasting stripes along the short sides make the room visually more spacious.
  • Directed light. Place lamps on the ceiling so that they shine on the walls.
  • Transverse flooring. Install the flooring so that the pattern runs along the short sides.
  • Arrangement of furniture across. In a narrow living room, there is a great temptation to install a sofa lengthwise, but if you replace it or add a couple of armchairs along the short side, the room will become larger.
  • Zoning. If you put a rack in the middle of the room, you will get not one long rectangular elongated space, but two square ones.

Furniture arrangement

Before arranging furniture in a narrow room, you need to choose it correctly. Give preference to low, grounded models. A chest of drawers instead of a tall wardrobe, a floor or hanging console under the TV instead of a wall. It is also advisable to choose upholstered furniture with a low seat and back. If the narrow living room is also small in area, replace large, bulky interior items with light, airy ones. That is, instead of a huge sofa – a couple of light armchairs, instead of a large wooden table – a round glass or mirrored one.

When planning, avoid the standard arrangement of furniture along the long walls – this technique narrows the living room even more, making it look like a hallway.

narrow living room layout

The photo shows a lounge area by the window with curtains

sofa along the long wall contrasting carpet in the living room

The main rule of ergonomic planning of the hall is not to leave the center empty. It is better to make an additional passage along the wall, but arrange an area in the center with a table, armchairs and other pieces of furniture. For example, arrange two short sofas opposite each other, placing a coffee table between them.

If a sofa in the living room along the long side is a must, because there is a TV opposite, let it be a corner model with an ottoman. Lay a bright rug on the floor and place a coffee table or bench on top.

To make a long narrow space a little shorter, add a couple of bright armchairs to the furnishings by the window or balcony at the end of the room on the short side.

corner sofa in the interior long narrow living room

What color is best?

The design of a narrow living room allows you to play with colors, but first determine the size of your hall. For spacious narrow rooms, darker shades (coffee, graphite, burgundy, emerald) are acceptable. A small room requires light tones – beige, gray, white.

Color temperature is also important. Northern living rooms lack sunlight, so warm cream, yellow, orange tones will decorate it. In the halls that are on the south side, where it is already hot, it is better to give preference to cold colors – blue, greenish, lilac, pink.

zoning of a narrow living room

The photo shows zoning of a light living room

monochrome walls in the living room bright furniture in the hall

At the same time, the color scheme for long and short walls will be different. Long ones are always lighter and colder, narrow ones are brighter, darker and warmer. This allows you to bring the far wall closer and visually make the room more square.

narrow small living room furniture arrangement in the living room

Finishing nuances

Let’s start with the floor. We have already mentioned that the laying should be done across. But diagonal placement of planks or tiles is also allowed, this also changes the shape of a narrow living room for the better. A carpet will help to complete the effect – either with a horizontal transverse pattern or a plain one, laid along the short wall.

living room in cold tones

The photo shows a narrow hall in a modern classical style

modern furniture for the living room false fireplace in the interior

The main thing you need to know when decorating walls is that all the decor, color and brightness should be on the narrow sides. That is, long walls are decorated neutrally, in a single color. And between them, make as much color as possible. For an accent wall, the following is suitable:

  • a shade 2-3 tones darker than the main one;
  • bright monochromatic paints;
  • wallpaper with a discreet pattern (large for a large living room, small for a small one).

Photo wallpaper is an excellent tool. The image of perspective on the elongated side will help balance the irregular shape of the walk-through room and will look appropriate.

Leave the ceiling standard white, or complement it with stripes across. Stripes can be drawn across the entire width, or you can use paneling, beams, and other architectural elements.

wood wall decoration dark small living room

What to consider when organizing lighting?

Light is your main assistant in the design of a narrow living room. Because with poorly thought-out lighting, even the right arrangement of furniture will not work as it should.

We have already mentioned one of the methods above: if you highlight long partitions with directional lamps, they will seem further from each other.

narrow living room-bedroom

The photo shows a living room combined with a bedroom

elongated layout of the hall bright narrow living room

Also, you shouldn’t leave the central area empty. For this purpose, use a stylish large ceiling chandelier, which will distract attention from the architectural features of a narrow hall.

A variety of natural and artificial light sources in different zones will also play into your hands, adding coziness – highlight a cozy recreation area, a functional work and media area separately.

Avoid hanging and elongated lamps parallel to the long sides, in your case it is better to give preference to floor or ceiling lamps.

LED lighting in the hall wall-to-wall wardrobe in the living room

Design ideas in different styles

The Scandinavian style, popular today, is known for its light finishes and special love for textiles. Use this to transform the interior of a narrow living room. Play on the contrast of surfaces, place a dark or bright sofa perpendicularly, lay a rug with a geometric print at the foot of the bed.

For a classic style, take a monochromatic design of the walls and ceiling as a basis, but pay special attention to the decor. Paintings hanging across, expensive carpets, framed mirrors along the long sides.

narrow hall in a classic style

In the photo, a bright armchair highlights one of the walls

how to visually expand a room retro furniture for the hall

Loft is known for its love of textures; in a narrow living room, a shorter wall is chosen as the accent wall. The rest are decorated neutrally. Metal shelving will help to zone the space.

The strong point of Art Nouveau is glossy surfaces. A suspended ceiling with backlighting, reflective light facades and abundant lighting will help to distract attention from the features of the layout.

designer lamps in the interior white small living room