Awkward shaped living room ideas
How to Arrange Furniture in an Awkward Living Room
By
Kristin Hohenadel
Kristin Hohenadel
Kristin Hohenadel is an interior design expert who has covered architecture, interiors, and decor trends for publications including the New York Times, Interior Design, Lonny, and the American and international editions of Elle Decor. She resides in Paris, France, and has traveled to over 30 countries, giving her a global perspective on home design.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 05/11/22
The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto
Sometimes interesting architecture makes for awkward living spaces, whether it’s a historic home full of quirky angles or a new build with unconventional proportions. Figuring out how to space, plan, and decorate an awkward living room can be a challenge for even the most seasoned interior designers. But because not everyone lives in a blank box, experienced interior design pros have developed an arsenal of tips and tricks to cheat the eye and smooth out the rough edges of even the oddest of spaces. Here they share some expert advice on how to arrange furniture and decorate your very own awkward living space, helping you to take the focus off its flaws and turn it into the comfortable, functional, and beautiful room it was meant to be.
Meet the Expert
- John McClain is an interior designer and founder of John McClain Design.
- Jessica Risko Smith an interior designer and founder of JRS ID. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and a longtime ASID Professional Member.
Start Big
When designing an awkward living room, it’s important to build your foundation before focusing on decorative elements and finishes. “When planning out your living space, identifying the largest wall and placing your biggest piece of furniture in that area will free up other spots to help determine where your remaining components can go,” says interior designer John McClain of John McClain Design. “It is easier to arrange your furniture around statement elements rather than accent pieces.
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Stephen Allen / John McClain Design
Zone It Out
“Think about the different functions that take place in the room,” says interior designer Jessica Risko Smith of JRS ID. “Creating two to three zones in a room can make an odd-shaped space more usable. Creating a cozy reading zone separate from a larger conversation area or TV viewing space can make use of odd corners or minimize disruption caused by circulation through a space. Swivel chairs work magic in situations like these!”
John McClain Design
Float the Furniture
“Don't be afraid to pull things away from the walls,” says Risko Smith. “Sometimes odd-shaped rooms (especially large ones) benefit most from having furniture pulled in toward the center, creating a new shape within.”
McClain suggests using an open shelving unit as a room divider “while incorporating curated pieces of décor, books and even storage boxes,” he suggests. “Place a console table and chair behind your sofa for a convenient workstation.
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Define Space With Area Rugs
"A great way to delineate zones within your living space is to utilize area rugs,” McClain says. “Selecting different colors, shapes and textures is a great way to separate your TV/hang out and dining spaces without physically putting something in between them.”
John McClain Design
Play Around With Shapes
“Furniture and décor with round edges or curved silhouettes can soften the rigidness of a space,” McClain says. “It will also create movement that is more pleasing to the eye. Incorporating organic shapes like plants (live or faux), branches, crystals and woven baskets are great ways to incorporate different shapes as well!"
Utilize Vertical Space
“Don’t be afraid of maximizing your wall space at various heights,” McClain says. "Keeping the same sight line can increase the awkwardness of a space by calling out the areas not utilized. Hang wall décor in collages by mixing in photographs, art and mirrors.
Use taller casement pieces or install wall mounted shelving in areas in need of functional storage options while maintaining your design aesthetic. It’s okay to hang something higher than you may think as long as it is large enough (like an oversized art piece) and makes sense within the space.”
John McClain Design
Use Clever Lighting
“Lighting can be used to enhance the feel of a space by highlighting vignettes or defining seating areas,” McClain says. “Hue lighting can be used to set the mood while entertaining or watching TV. Wall sconces (whether hard wired or plug in) can be used to add light without taking up real estate on a table or floor.”
Exploit Every Nook and Cranny
“Use nooks and niches to your advantage,” McClain says. “Have an open area underneath your stairs or a weird closet that you don’t know what to do with? Create an intimate reading corner with a cozy chair, side table and lamp for when you want to get away from the TV.
Remove closet doors and swap out shelving for a practical office set up. Add a small sideboard and install open shelves into a recess in the wall for a dry bar set up or coffee station.”
How to Fake Separate Rooms in an Open Floor Plan
How to Deal With an Awkwardly-shaped Living Room
In living rooms – just as in life – the perfect shape may well be the ideal, but the reality for most is anything but perfection. And, hey, perfection can be boring.
Many rooms don’t conform to the rectangular norm (think sloping roofs and strange angles), but they still need to be furnished with all the usual living-room requirements. Don’t fret – there are plenty of clever ways to get the most out of a difficult shape, as these ideas prove.
Emphasise with colour
Highlight an odd-shaped segment in a toning shade to turn it into a feature. Here, a sofa slots neatly into the angular recess and the grey shade behind makes it stand out, rather than blend in.
Inigo & Co.
Clear a path
This narrow living room also provides the access point to the kitchen. Rather than creating a treacherous obstacle course of chairs and tables, a clear strip has been left to ease the way. Long, low furniture helps to ‘elongate’ the compact space, and a footstool multi-tasks as a seat and coffee table, reducing the need for extra furniture, as does the built-in alcove storage.
Kitchens come in all shapes and sizes too. Check out these ideas for U-shaped layouts
Sigmar
Choose chairs
With stairs, pillars and railings already breaking up the flow of this room, the owners skipped a bulky sofa and picked chairs and a two-seater sofa for seating. Chairs are always a smart option for awkward rooms as they can be more easily angled to work with the room’s dimensions. Opting for pieces with narrow legs rather than blocky bases is another good way to ensure a smallish space doesn’t look too hemmed in.
Gregory Phillips Architects
Be part of the picture
A glass-walled, light-filled living room is a dream for many, but where do you actually put stuff? Sometimes there is no choice but to position the sofa in front of the window – you’ve got to sit somewhere, after all. Choosing a sofa that complements, rather than fights against the view is the way to go. Here, the yellowy-green of the seating merges into the green of the garden, while even the shaggy rug and cushions reflect the texture of the bark on the palm tree in the distance.
Alex Findlater Ltd
Build into a nook
A sloping roof can be a hassle, but it can also be the ideal spot for bookshelves. Built-in furniture is always a winning design choice as it maximises available space and can be designed to fit exactly around a room’s angles.
Alair Homes Decatur
Turn back
Lots of period homes have the front door opening straight into the living room, which can prove tricky for furniture placement.
Here, the back of the L-shaped sofa actually creates a little ‘corridor’ and its extended arm forms a mini ‘entrance hall’.
Kirkwood McCarthy
Step to it
Different levels present an issue in many homes, and here the step up to the courtyard is quite extreme. Rather than eating into the living space with solid stairs, two step-up stools do the job, and they can also double up as tables and extra seats. In a room with defined architectural features, such as these doors, picking up the key details in the other furniture – here the slate-grey sofa and sideboard – gives a space a considered, thought-through feel.
Rebecca Hayes Interiors
Use an alcove
A fireplace is an amazing feature, but in a compact room it can limit the amount of wall space you have to position furniture against. Instead of opting for just shelving in the alcoves either side of the chimney breast, go one step further with a desk.
Choose the same wood as other furniture in the room – here the coffee table – and pick a design with drawers so any work in progress can be tidied away.
Throw in a curve
Lots of sharp angles? Try adding a curve (or two) to provide a contrast to all the straight lines. A tall, arching lamp, as here, a round table or even a circular mirror can all be the softening element your room needs.
Check out these other points to consider when planning a new living room
Juliette Byrne
Use one shade
Narrow rooms are a common dilemma (see above), and this example shows how keeping everything simple and in one tone can be very effective. White walls, a white blind and white, linear furniture are the key to this room’s success and tranquil charm. A couple of colour accents stop it looking bland, and the ‘L’ section of the sofa draws the eye away from the wall, creating an impression of more width.
How have your dealt with an odd-shaped room? Share your ideas in the Comments below.
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Irregularly shaped room design: How to fix an irregularly shaped kitchen, living room, bedroom interior
Unnecessary ledges and niches, oblique corners and rounded walls - what should the apartment owner do with all this
Ariana Ahmad Interior Design
So, you bought a new building in concrete: they chose an apartment with a round or polygonal living room, with an unusual window, etc. And they decided that this would be a “trick” of your interior. And now you can’t find suitable furniture - whatever one may say, it still doesn’t come out very well.
Mainly because the irregular shape is due to the configuration of the bay window or the bevel of one of the corners of the load-bearing wall. The question arises: how to live in it?
► This is archival material.
First published in 2017 and updated in 2020
Natalya Shirokorad
What is wrong with the irregular shape
1. It is always a loss of precious meters. It seems that you paid for them, but you can’t really use them.
2. An asymmetrical room means difficulties in finding furniture. Arranging standard furniture in such a room is problematic. If the room is irregular in shape and not very large (within 20 sq.m), any voluminous object with right angles will emphasize its irregular configuration.
Guseva Natalia Valerievna
3. The design of an irregularly shaped room is always a choice "of the lesser evils". If there are almost no right angles in the room, then the overall furniture can only be placed in the center along one of the walls (for example, a bed in the bedroom or a sofa in the living room).
This greatly limits the choice of ergonomic planning solutions.
4. You will have to order furniture of individual parameters, but it costs at least 30 percent more than the standard one.
Olga Arapova
5. It is a difficult task to come up with an ergonomic layout in a complex-shaped apartment on your own. It is reasonable to entrust it to the designer and order a professional project. Consider this expense item if you are only considering buying an irregularly shaped apartment.
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IN YOUR CITY…
► Houzz can hire a designer or architect in any city or country. Start looking for a specialist
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Yuliya Rodionova
Fact : some irregularities are not a shortcoming, but, on the contrary, a finding of the premises.
Agree, you could fall in love with an apartment and buy it, for example, because of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the bay window area. When irregularity is desired and you know how to work with it (you have a couple of planning decisions in your head for such a situation), there are no problems. In this article, we will deal more with unwanted irregularities and fix them.
more photo ...
► See examples from implemented projects - another 2300+ photo bay windows
Maria Demidova
“Exampered” the layout before the purchase of the apartment
if you are visiting a future apartment carefully study its layout. At first glance, it may seem that there is no problem at all. On the plan, the details are usually not visible to a non-specialist. But then the discomfort in the new bedroom with rounded walls, in the living room with oblique corners and in the small kitchen, half of which is occupied by a ventilation shaft, will become acutely noticeable only after buying an apartment, repairing and moving.
Ekaterina Perminova
Study the layout on the developer's website in terms of practicality.
What to check: rounded walls, obtuse and sharp corners, niches and ledges, non-standard openings, room configuration that differs from the usual rectangle.
Agence hivoa
Pay attention to the "whiskers"
"Ushenkas" are additional protruding corners (straight lines), which have turned out due to pylons or ventilation ducts.
Mustaches, as a rule, break the symmetry of the room. They will have to be beaten, which will greatly complicate the search for the right planning solution. If they are not used in any way, they will certainly create a feeling of discomfort. In addition, the joints of materials on the cuts often turn out to be sloppy, and the wear of materials is greater than on even planes or on internal corners.
UD BÀSE
In the photo: pay attention - the protruding pylon with a technical hatch and the outlets above the line of the kitchen set were hidden with the help of color. All eyes on him
Irina Krasheninnikova
Don't give in to the developer's persuasion
It's one thing when you come up with an unexpected layout, and the design of an irregularly shaped trapezoid room is a conscious step (as in the example in the photo). And completely different - the assurances of the developer that "the asymmetric composition of the room is a feature." And apartments with bevelled corners are not at all cheaper than the same ones, but with straight ones. Do not confuse architectural flaws, which will then have to be corrected for a long time and costly, with the advantages of an unusual apartment.
Special-style
Important: We studied the layouts - ask for details.
How are the communications going? Where are the technical nodes located? Anything that changes the standard dimensions or configuration of the premises will necessarily lead to more complex architectural solutions and higher repair costs. Think especially well about how you see the future design of an irregularly shaped room.
Natalia Spivak and Nadezhda Bortsova
1. Reshape the space
It's better to have a crooked corridor than to try to arrange the furniture in the bedroom "with a twist." You can redraw the interior space by moving, mounting / dismantling, and even building walls.
Irregularities are rectified due to transition zones: rooms become more regular, and a corridor, a hall or a dressing room take on an uncomfortable shape (as in the previous photo).
ST-buro Interior design studio
In the photo: kitchen design of an irregular shape.
The kitchen was combined with the living room, and the broken configuration of the space works for the visual extension
2. Combine rooms
Another constructive way is to combine rooms. The larger the room in the end, the less obvious will be the imperfection of its shape. Uneven walls in a spacious room attract attention differently than in a small one. It is better to think over space zoning in such a way as to “tear off” the furniture from the walls and group it according to functional areas.
iPozdnyakov Studio
3. Where possible, try to smooth corners
Mustaches can be smoothed out using chamfers or furniture fillets. “Extra” walls and irregular shapes, of course, will remain, but a neat decor will reduce the degree of tension, the aggressiveness of the inner corner will go away.
Oleg Klodt Architecture & Design
4. Create an island of symmetry
If there is no way to “move” the walls, the strategic placement of furniture can hide the problem.
For example, how to equip an irregularly shaped bedroom? Create an "island of symmetry" around the main piece of furniture. At the same time, it is desirable to make other objects in pairs, as in the example in the photo: you hardly noticed the bevel near the door.
propertylab+art
5. Switch your attention
The main point of attraction can be both the largest object and the most interesting one. It may not be furniture at all, but an object of art, a musical instrument or an architectural element, such as a window or a niche. An unusual stained-glass window in the project in the photo draws attention to itself.
6. Organize built-in storage
This tip applies especially to irregularly shaped bathrooms. It will be correct to fit a built-in wardrobe or a washing machine into a niche. The organization of a built-in storage system or a "technical corner" is another way to visually level the space.
MORE PHOTOS…
245 more photo ideas for decorating a niche in the bathroom
Dmitrii Tsyrenshchikov
The design of round rooms is especially difficult in terms of configuration. Standard furniture will not fit into a radius or triangular room along the walls: most often you will have to make furniture to order.
Elena Babushkina
In the photo: the design of the room with a round wall - the countertop in the nursery is made to order
room sizes. Have you taken into account the thickness of the walls, the rise of the floor and the height of the room after finishing? If not, the item ordered “to measure” may simply not be included.
DREAMHOUSE decorations
8. Create additional axes of symmetry
Beveling one corner creates additional dynamics. Some items need to be oriented towards it.
This technique works well with a sufficient length of the beveled wall.
9. Make it even more complicated
Not everyone likes strict and prim symmetry in the interior. Irregularities can become a reason for the game and for a more frivolous, "spontaneous" attitude to space. It will help to create additional axes with the help of the correct placement of furniture and decor, visual lowering of the ceiling or raising the floor.
10. Create optical illusions
Color and geometric pattern will help to make the shape of the room more harmonious. Close shades will smooth corners, visually remove shadows; bright ornaments will divert attention from problem areas and focus it on decorative elements. A great example in the photo: an irregularly shaped entrance hall in a St. Petersburg apartment.
ANNAmorphs.
11. Break the mold
It is easy to distort what is already distorted.
Use lines that go from one surface to another. Or arrange the mirrors so that the illusion of a continuation of the space is created.
Korneev Design Workshop
12. Paint the walls and ceiling in the same tone
The uneven wall in the attic cannot be corrected constructively. In this case, the best strategy is to combine surfaces that form an unpleasant angle with the help of color or ornament.
TS Design | Taras Bezrukov and Stas Samkovich
13. Wrap up the room with textiles
Asymmetric walls with windows are the easiest to fix. Run curtains all over the wall, as you did in this irregularly shaped living room.
MORE PHOTOS…
134 more photos of full wall curtains
aminteriors
There are enough solutions to fix a bad layout. The interior of irregularly shaped rooms can be made very interesting.
But still the main thing is your personal perception of space. Make a conscious choice for or against the wrong form. Weigh the pros and cons - both aesthetically and financially. And only then look for planning solutions that are right for you.
IN YOUR TOWN…
Order a comfortable layout for your irregularly shaped room - Houzz's experienced design experts
YOUR TURN…
Living in an oddly shaped apartment? Tell us how you solved the question " inconvenient layout ". How much did this decision cost you?
60 interior photos, renovation ideas
A small living room is not a problem. Even the cramped, at first glance, room can easily be turned into a cozy place for evening relaxation in front of the TV, chatting with friends and family holidays. Our ideas and tips will help you to ensure comfort, as well as create a relaxed atmosphere!
Interior style for a small living room
The living room is the face of the house and its arrangement should be given special attention.
It is always a pleasure to relax in a beautiful interior, as well as invite friends. To visually increase the space of the room, it is advisable to opt for one of the styles described below. They are united by lightness, unloaded details and predominantly light colors in the finish.
Contemporary living room
This style combines functionality and neatness. Clear graphic lines, soothing monochrome colors, cutting-edge materials and the latest in electronics are the perfect environment for busy people. Modern style is reminiscent of the office, but it can always be complemented with cute home decor, textiles, cushions or houseplants.
Classic living room
Luxurious classical style is characterized by harmony and symmetry. The abundance of white, crystal chandeliers and sconces, mirrors in gilded frames will fill the room with a soft glow.
The main decoration of a small living room in a classic style is carved furniture in ivory color or expensive wood polished to a shine.
Stucco molding, relief cornices, arches, columns are required. The windows are covered with heavy curtains with vertical drapery and jewelry-made tiebacks.
Provence style living room
The charming simplicity of southern France is the best solution for a small romantic living room. The distinctive features of Provence are lace, floral prints on the wallpaper, as well as pastel beige, peach, blue and gray shades. It remains only to get a beautiful service, put a vase with homemade jam and have a tea party!
Loft style living room
The design of a small loft-style living room provides for bare walls, panoramic windows and a minimum amount of furniture. Abstract paintings, black and white photographs, metal floor lamps can serve as decor.
Minimalist living room
The name of this direction speaks for itself - a minimum of things, no decorations, only the necessary compact furniture and modern appliances.
One color is used, in extreme cases two.
Available in white, grey, beige, silver or blue. Accents can be saturated, but always in a calm range.
Scandinavian style living room
Scandinavian interior style - a snow-white background with a slight admixture of beige, bright accents, as well as a lot of natural light. This design will create a feeling of freshness in a small living room.
Color matters!
To visually enlarge a small living room, it is necessary to keep the design in two or three light or neutral colors. Darker ones can be used in flooring, furniture, neat decor. The pattern should be on one thing - if the walls are decorated, then the textiles are plain, and vice versa. Restrained palette, conciseness, lack of flashy details - this is the secret of a room in which nothing will distract or annoy.
White living room
White color is ideal for the background (walls, ceiling), goes well with other colors - gives them contrast. Makes the living room more spacious and brighter.
Gray living room
Neutral grays tone down overly bright objects. For vertical surfaces, a bleached tone of dry asphalt, silver, is suitable. Furniture and decor could be darker.
Brown living room
Brown color looks great in autumn colors - from sand to chocolate. Interspersed with orange, red, burgundy or light green shades are possible.
Blue living room
Blue color has a calming effect on the human psyche, cools. A white ceiling, blue walls and light furniture are a magical option for a small living room interior design.
Green living room
Green color has a good effect on vision and improves well-being. Looks beautiful surrounded by natural elements in shades of wood, stones, water and flowers.
Lilac living room
Shades of sunset and lavender fields. A small living room in lilac color will set you in a romantic mood and will become a favorite vacation spot for all the inhabitants of the apartment.
Small living room decoration
To make the living room look spectacular, you should choose high-quality, but not necessarily expensive materials for its decoration. The main criterion in this case is aesthetics.
Sex
For flooring in a small living room, natural parquet, laminate and carpet are most often used.
An extravagant design can also be created with self-leveling floors, artificial stone, tiles or porcelain stoneware. A glossy or polished surface will visually add height to the room.
If there are small children in the house, it is worth laying carpets - they will soften falls and warm the kids while playing on the floor, and protect expensive finishes from damage.
Walls
The side background of a small living room should be light, without noticeable color spots. Monochromatic painting, seamless wallpaper (with narrow vertical patterns), brick or stonework, polished stone, plastic panels are suitable.
Panoramic wallpaper with a 3D effect, mirror and glass partitions, artistic painting can be an interesting addition.
Interesting illuminated niches can be made in plasterboard walls to accommodate appliances, an aquarium, a collection of souvenirs or books.
Ceiling
Best of all in a small living room will look stretch mirror ceiling, two-level plasterboard or combined.
In an economical version, it is enough just to align it and paint it white. All kinds of plastic panels should be abandoned - squares and stripes will visually reduce the height of the room. The same goes for massive hanging chandeliers.
Decor and textiles
The choice of fabrics will largely depend on the overall style of the interior. So, for the classics, satin, silk, velvet textures are ideal; for the loft - translucent white, for Provence and country - in a small flower.
To visually increase the space of a small living room, it is recommended to use light and shiny textiles.
Curtains should be in harmony with the rest of the finish, partially repeat the patterns on the wallpaper, emphasize the color of the walls or merge with it.
Attaching a cornice to the ceiling and lowering the curtains to the floor will make the room appear higher. A good solution for a small-sized hall is curtains throughout the wall, always light and with vertical drapery.
Large perspective paintings, mirrors, modular images, family photos and interesting panels are suitable for decoration. Vases with flowers or branches, indoor plants will also be appropriate in the living room.
Collector's editions of books, figurines and interior candles can be placed on open shelves. In order not to disturb the harmony of a small space, it is advisable to use the decor very sparingly.
Placement of furniture and equipment
The location of the sofa, TV, coffee table, shelves and other important things in a small living room largely depends on its layout.
So, in a studio apartment, you will have to combine a recreation area with a dining room, and perhaps also provide for a folding bed; the walk-through living room should somehow be protected, made more comfortable; a rectangular room will need to be balanced using geometric techniques.
Small square living room
The symmetrical harmony of the square allows you to beautifully arrange any furniture under the wall or in the center. Using corner structures, the situation can be made diamond-shaped.
Narrow (rectangular) small living room
In such rooms, usually the door is located opposite the window and the effect of the corridor is obtained. You can improve the situation as follows: curtain the window with white curtains with a smooth horizontal drapery, make the front door large and light - this will increase the narrow walls. Free areas should be trimmed with elements like brickwork or racks with elongated shelves should be arranged.
The broad sides should be mirrored, glossy, with prominent vertical lines of contrasting color and clear form from floor to ceiling.
Plank flooring should be laid parallel to narrow walls.
It is advisable to choose furniture with high backs - a squat one will “smear” the room.
Small irregular living room
If the living room turned out as a result of complex zoning or the owners decided to equip the attic for this purpose, the problem of non-standard planning arises.
In this case, it is worth ordering corner or semi-circular furniture, walls with beveled edges, unusual tables and taking care of the access of light to every part of the space.
Small living room lighting
Proper placement and aesthetic appearance of luminaires can greatly transform any small space. The living room definitely needs at least one powerful lamp on the ceiling, but you should not hang a bulky chandelier if the actual height of the room is less than 4 meters.
Neat spot diodes can be installed around the perimeter, a sconce can be attached to the wall near the sofa (to make it convenient to read books, for example), and decor or shelves with favorite things can be illuminated with flexible ribbons.
In some design options, stylized lanterns, garlands and luminescent elements will look very nice.
Get rid of the feeling of hanging overhead ceiling will help the light coming from below, vertically from the floor. Reflected in a glossy film, it will make the room look higher.
Design of a small living room in Khrushchev
In Khrushchev, as a rule, one cannot do without redevelopment - in such cases the living room is often combined with the kitchen. This helps to increase the area and turn a familiar room into a modern studio.
To save space, it is recommended to stick to minimalism: use compact narrow shelves, doors without handles, hang a flat-screen TV on the wall, and not install it on a bulky cabinet.
Upholstered furniture is better to choose folding - so in case of spending the night guests will have an extra bed.
A free corner of a small living room in Khrushchev should be equipped as a workplace: put a computer, a lamp there and attach hanging shelves for books.
Integration with other premises
In cramped conditions, a good way to increase the area is to combine the living room with adjacent rooms.
Combination of a small living room and kitchen
This is a very logical option - in the living room they receive friends, relax, and can not do without tea or festive feasts. It is enough to visually separate the cooking area with a bar counter, and on the other hand put a sofa, TV, wall - and you get a comfortable multifunctional studio.
Combination of a living room with a balcony or loggia
By removing the partition between the small living room and the loggia, due to the latter, you can significantly expand the space, as well as arrange a greenhouse or work area. To prevent heat from escaping from the apartment, the balcony will have to be glazed, the cracks closed and well insulated.
Combination of a living room with a hallway or a corridor
This redevelopment option is often found in private houses, but it is also quite suitable for apartments.
