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How to style a long living room


Ideas for Decorating a Long and Narrow Living Room

By

Lauren Flanagan

Lauren Flanagan

Lauren Flanagan is an interior design expert with over 15 years of experience writing, editing, and producing articles for renowned Canadian publications and shows for HGTV on home decor. She worked in high-end home decor retail before discovering her passion was to share what she knew in publications and on television.

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Updated on 12/10/21

The Spruce / Alyssa Vela

If your living room looks like a long hallway, use a few clever illusions to open up the space so you don't feel like you're living in a bowling alley. You may be tempted to push furniture up against the walls in a long, narrow living room to open up the space, but the effect will only highlight the shape of the room, making it feel longer and narrower. Minimize tunnel vision in your home with ideas to manipulate the space.

Watch Now: 5 Clever Tips for Decorating a Narrow Living Room

Form a Straight Walkway

Creating a pathway for foot traffic in a narrow room is tricky. By tweaking your arrangement, you'll create an intimate atmosphere instead of an awkward footpath through the middle of your furniture. Arrange a seating vignette on one side of the long wall of your living room. For example, place a sofa up against one wall and pull close two chairs that face the couch. By creating a small seating area, you've created a clear path behind the chairs on the opposite long wall of the space. The effect is a well thought out sitting area that isn't interrupted by foot traffic.

Create a Curved Pathway

Break up a lengthy space by creating a curved path through the room. Achieve this visual trickery by using both long walls for your furniture and dividing your space into two separate seating zones. You can quickly sketch this out for yourself or use a free room planning app so you can see the curvy pathway on paper. For example, here are two zones that create a curved flow in a long, narrow living room.

As a result, you've broken up the tunnel feeling of the room, maximized the space with two zones, and created an easy flow throughout the living room.

The Spruce / Alyssa Vela

Pull Furniture Away From the Walls

Furniture pushed up against a wall in a narrow living room emphasizes the length of the space. Instead, pull all of your furniture away from the walls and float a seating arrangement in the middle of the room. It helps even if your furniture is only a few inches away from the walls. The result will be a cozy seating area with two narrow walkways on either side of the sitting area.

Use Circular Pieces

Eliminate long horizontal lines with furniture that has soft, rounded edges. There are several easy ways to break up an abundance of straight horizontal lines.

Tip

Along with round furniture, consider upholstery with circular patterns and use round area rugs that call the eye to the floor.

The Spruce / Alyssa Vela

Create an L- or U-Shape Seating Area

Place a sofa on the wall and put a love seat or two chairs perpendicular to the couch to break up the length of the room. Add another love seat or set of chairs on the opposite side of the sofa to create a U-shape seating arrangement. It's another way to create a path along the opposite long wall of your room.

Divide the Space

If your room is particularly long, divide it into two separate zones. Consider two different conversation areas. A seating area and a small office or dining area is another option to make the most of the space. Use area rugs to define each area. Help the two spaces appear organized and orderly by placing all of the legs of each piece of furniture on the rugs.

Tip

Consider creating two zones in a long, narrow living room by using one piece of furniture. Place a sofa perpendicular in the room and put a console table or short cabinet against its back. Use the table or cabinet as a desk for a small home office zone.

Maximize Vertical Space

Draw the eye high by making the most of vertical space. A tall armoire or bookshelf breaks up an expanse of long horizontal space. Move the eye upward by creating art and photo arrangements that go high and close to the ceiling. Hang floor-to-ceiling drapery, preferably with vertical stripes, to create the illusion of height.

Watch Now: 3 Ways to Make Your Small Space Appear Bigger

Tips to make a narrow space seem wider |

(Image credit: Rikki Snyder / Becca Interiors)

These long living room ideas will help you turn a narrow living room into a space you will love for years to come.  

If you have, or have ever had, a narrow, long living room at home, then you’ll be more than aware of the tricky task of making it look wider than it actually is, while desperately trying to make every corner look cozy. 

You’ve probably spent hours rearranging furniture in a frenzied attempt to make your rectangular space look more square, but in the back of your mind you know that unless you knock down the walls and rebuild the room from scratch, there’s just little you can do. 

Never fear – with some clever small living room ideas and tricks of the trade, there are in fact tons of ways to help turn that awkward living room layout into something stylish and sophisticated. 

1. Keep a long living room clutter free

(Image credit: Future)

If there’s one thing that’s going to create the illusion of more space in a long living room, it’s decluttering – it can actually make a room feel wider in seconds. 

Make sure you keep your room tidy and organized by using clever small living room storage ideas to remove toys, plants, knickknacks and other unnecessary items, and your space will instantly feel bigger and more pleasant to be in.  

2. Use the right furniture for a narrow living room

(Image credit: Haris Kenjar / Hoedemaker Pfeiffer)

Furniture in long living rooms can be a cumbersome business, so it pays to invest in the right pieces – and consider the arrangement carefully, as interior design firm Hoedemaker Pfeiffer have done in this small, narrow space. 

A great tip is to choose a sofa and chairs with open arms and exposed legs, and a glass coffee table. Both will keep the appearance of a much more open and free space, allowing light to filter under and around the furniture far more easily.

3. Pull furniture away from the walls 

(Image credit: Future / Mel Yates)

Another important pointer is not to place large pieces of furniture against walls. And, just because a room is long, doesn’t mean you need to fill it all with furniture. Use the middle of the room to center the furniture arrangement, leaving the sides as open, but not dead, space. 

4.

Scale the furniture to fit a long living room

(Image credit: Future / Paul Raeside )

Scale the furniture to fit the size of the room and don’t block walking pathways. Pick the perfect couch for a small living room by avoiding oversized sofas, or too much furniture that will make the living room look smaller. Furniture and accessories blocking the view into a room will make the space look cramped – if you can see the floor, the room will look larger.

5. Light up a narrow space

(Image credit: Rikki Snyder / Becca Interiors)

Light helps to brighten up a room instantly, so first and foremost allow any natural light to stream indoors by taking down heavy, dark window coverings. If looking for apartment living room ideas , try sheer window treatments or install white wooden blinds or shutters to let the natural light flow into your room during the day, while simultaneously providing nighttime privacy, like in this narrow space designed by Becca Interiors .

6. Use mirrors to reflect light

(Image credit: Future / Jonathan Gooch)

Not surprisingly, decorating with mirrors can make a long living room look a lot larger. Hang a large mirror on a wall opposite a window or very near one to reflect the outdoors, broadening the feel of your room. 

Mirrors reflect both natural and artificial light to make a room brighter during the day and night and they bounce light deep into the room, making it appear larger. Mirrors on the walls and glass tabletops will make it seem like there’s a more open flow. 

7. Use paint to visually enlarge a long, narrow room

(Image credit: Future / Richard Powers)

You can visually widen a rectangular-shaped living room by painting the two end walls a darker color than the other two walls. The gradation of shade and color of paint on opposing walls can either lengthen distance by using a lighter shade – or shorten a distance with a darker shade. 

8. Zone a long room with accessories

(Image credit: Sarah Shields Photography / Whittney Parkinson Design)

Long living rooms rarely feel homely, but here Whittney Parkinson Design has used a few ingenious tricks to zone the space to make it feel far cozier.  

Decorating small spaces with a rug can visually draw together the furniture, giving rooms focus and adding comfort. While a focal point that contrasts with the rest of the scheme can be visually interesting, disguising the awkward layout, something like quirky piece of art, vase or striking lampshade.

9. Hang pictures correctly

(Image credit: Future / Paul Raeside)

Walls that are covered with pictures and other wall hangings tend to make a room feel closed in or busy, so simply hang one or two large pieces of artwork to make the room feel wider and more spacious. 

Choose art that can sit wide but low over the sofa or fireplace for example, to bring the eye level down and help make the room seem wider.

10. Unite two rooms

(Image credit: Sara Tramp / Ginny Macdonald Design)

If you’ve got a long living room that’s divided in two – like a living room one end and a dining room the other – it might be worth picking a couple of your favorite colors and using them as key tones to coordinate the one space, as interior designer Ginny Macdonald has done here.

Plus, try and turn your sofa so it goes against the length of the room, to help break it up – you don’t want the line of your sofa running into your dining table, too.

How do you arrange furniture in a long living room?

If possible, try to avoid arranging all your furniture on one side of the long living room wall. By alternating furniture groupings – or by utilizing the middle of the room better – it will effectively force the traffic flow to take on an 'S' shape, and stops the space looking too straight and narrow, much like a hallway.

How do you utilize a long living room?

Select furniture pieces that are in proportion to the size of your room – oversized cabinets, sofas and chairs can make a small room feel narrow. 

Make sure you arrange your furniture at an angle to create a sense of depth to the room, otherwise if you place all furniture against the walls you might end up with a narrow look.

What's more, as long as your ceiling is painted in a paler color than your walls, no matter what the color, your ceilings will feel higher, helping a narrow living room feel more light and airy.

Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens. Having worked in the interiors industry for a number of years, spanning many publications, she now hones her digital prowess on the 'best interiors website' in the world. Multi-skilled, Jennifer has worked in PR and marketing, and the occasional dabble in the social media, commercial and e-commerce space. Over the years, she has written about every area of the home, from compiling design houses from some of the best interior designers in the world to sourcing celebrity homes, reviewing appliances and even the odd news story or two.

Narrow living room design (65 photos)

Many owners of apartments built in modern and Soviet high-rise buildings encounter narrow living rooms. Compared to a square, an elongated rectangular shape creates more conventions and nuances that should be taken into account when organizing the interior decoration of a room. However, if you successfully cope with this task, you will get a harmonious area that does not create the illusion of a tunnel.

Design highlights

Quite often, pencil cases are found in Soviet "Khrushchev" and other typical panel buildings. Such houses have an inconvenient layout, poor lighting, small room sizes. Typical "wagon" spaces are only 2.2 meters wide, and the ceiling rises only 2.5-2.7 meters. An explosive combination gives a lot of trouble to the owners.

Nevertheless, it is possible and even necessary to overcome these difficulties. Various tricks and tricks are used - from a well-chosen color palette to organic zoning. The most important thing is to rationally use the entire available area and visually embody square proportions.

According to its main functional purpose, the living room is a space for gathering the family and receiving guests, and therefore the most spacious part of the house is allocated for it. If this role needs to be performed by a long narrow room, you should take care of the correct delimitation of space. In fact, you have to break it into several small zones for separate needs. But we will talk about this a little later, but first we will figure out which stylistic and color solutions are most appropriate in this case.

Style choice for a narrow living room

As a rule, the living room is an excellent basis for any stylistic content. Here you can unleash your inner artist and enjoy the act of creativity to the fullest. However, in the case when an oversized narrow space is at your disposal, you have to compromise and work within the framework of modern styles that stand up for space and freedom in the room.

First of all, pay attention to minimalism. Discreet monochrome colors do not hide the space and do not weigh down the space. Straight lines create the correct geometry and add expressiveness to the overall look. In addition, principles such as the absence of unnecessary details or the ultimate functionality of objects actively contribute to the achievement of the task.

You can also try loft-room techniques:

1. Get rid of partitions. For example, combine the hall with the kitchen. Subject to proper zoning, such a move will add real meters to the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe room and create a free atmosphere.

2. Finish the ceiling in white. This will visually increase the height of the walls.

3. Use space-saving furniture. There were simply no walls in the huge industrial premises, and therefore the space had to be delimited in other ways, including with the help of furniture.

4. To complete the factory interior, add characteristic details - brickwork, rough plaster, exposed pipes, as well as bold decor elements.

Scandinavian style suggests an abundance of white, which visually expands the space and partially compensates for the lack of natural light. To achieve the latter goal also contributes to a large number of artificial light sources. Accessories typical of the Scandinavian style in the form of bright textiles, rugs and pillows will help to dilute the white.

Not the best solution is to decorate a narrow living room in such styles as shabby chic and empire, as they are characterized by excesses in decor and furniture design. In a small room, there is simply no room for such excesses. Although individual elements of style can still be applied, but in very limited quantities.

Colors

An effective way to correct the shape of a narrow living room with color is to cover the oblong walls with a light shade, and the short ones with a rich deep one. A pair of black and white will come in handy here. In addition, this combination can make the design interesting and expressive, and it will also fit perfectly into any modern design direction.

Shades of beige create a bright, spacious and soft interior. If you decide to combine the hall with the kitchen, then warm undertones in coffee, milk, cream variations will promote appetite, but at the same time act relaxing and unobtrusive.

Southern and eastern rooms that do not lack natural light can be decorated in cool blues, grays and whites. This range creates an incredibly fresh and stylish room. At the same time, it would not be superfluous to dilute the restrained colors a little with warm beige, woody notes.

A light background can be left without adding bright colors, but it is quite appropriate to decorate the monochrome with beautiful pink, red, green, or the same blue or blue accents.

Finishing a narrow living room

As we have already found out, minimalism and simplicity are the principles that will help organize a narrow space harmoniously. The interior decoration is no exception. It is important not to overdo it and do everything with taste.

Floor

The floor covering also has an impact on the overall impression of the room. In the living room, it would be advisable to put parquet, laminate, linoleum with a pattern perpendicular or diagonal to the oblong side, so the contrast between the length of the walls will not be so noticeable. It is generally possible to lay laminate with a pattern parallel to a long wall, but in this case it is worth making sure that the flooring has a light shade.

For the same reasons, refrain from elongated rugs along the larger wall. Stop for a small version of the oval or original asymmetrical look. It can be decorated with a strip parallel to the small sides.

Walls

For walls it is reasonable to use neutral light colors of paint or plain wallpaper. A short part of the room can be painted in an active dark or bright color using wall covering or curtains. If you have a lot of windows and lots of light fixtures, it's a good idea to finish with a washed-out variation of an unobtrusive bright color like light blue.

Perspective wall murals will also visually expand the space of a narrow living room. By placing them on a long wall, you level the difference in the size of the sides.

Ceiling

The best way to finish is in white. Painting, a matte or glossy stretch ceiling, or very small plasterboard structures in white or beige variations will not burden the atmosphere and create the illusion of height.

Furniture and layout options

Finishing an elongated room is the first step in the transformation. But in order not to spoil the impression of a proper repair, it is necessary to correctly arrange the furniture. A long space, by definition, does not withstand the standard arrangement and requires a special approach. Even a small detail out of place can enhance the effect of the tunnel, and the proper impression cannot be achieved.

It is best to place the sofa at an angle. However, this method is only suitable if the size of the room allows it. So we will create an original broken geometry that takes the eye away from the “carriage” shape. You can enhance the impression by using round elements: a coffee table, chairs, pouffes.

But still, we often meet conditions when it is more rational to place the main pieces of furniture along the walls. In this case, try to pick up low and oversized modifications of beautiful shapes and original textures. At the same time, be sure to use small tables, stands for a decorated tape recorder or lamps, flowers, beautiful floor lamps, unusual chairs located in the “wrong” places, somewhat chaotically. In this way, we can also form a slight asymmetry, which does not play by the rules of the shape of the room, but creates its own atmosphere.

In general, conditions of limited space require careful selection of furniture. Therefore, a good solution would be custom-made or do-it-yourself production. So you get exactly what you want and what your interior requires.

Decor and lighting

Most of the apartments in the post-Soviet space do not have high ceilings, and therefore it is important not to overload the space. It is better not to use chandeliers at all or to focus on the most light and “light”, airy options. Place small spotlights on the ceiling or floor. Also add additional light sources to the interior, which, by the way, do a good job of zoning. These can be: a variety of floor lamps, including curved ones, sconces, table lamps - at the same time they can play the role of decoration for the living room.

Complete the finished interior with decorations:

- The most successful decor is fresh flowers. Plants dilute the urban environment and help bring relaxation and comfort to the interior;

- Another good attribute for small narrow living rooms are mirrors that expand the boundaries of space;

- Beautiful bright textiles are able to create laconic colorful accents;

- The walls will be beautifully decorated with paintings and framed photos;

- Use open shelves or small cabinets with glass or mirror inserts to store small and medium decorative items and books.

Narrow living room design - photo

You have already learned the basics of organizing a narrow hall. Now we invite you to get acquainted with interesting examples of the design of such rooms to see how easy it is to play with the given parameters of the room and create a harmonious and beautiful interior. Happy viewing!

Video: Narrow Living Room - Interior Ideas

Long Rectangular Living Room Design | Domfront

The owner of a square room does not have to think long about how to design a living room. It is not subject to any rules or restrictions. The square is the perfect shape for any room, requiring very little: defining its functionality and creating a design that matches the tastes of the owners. The owner of an elongated rectangular room has more problems and fewer opportunities to let go of fantasy. He has to apply various techniques that help visually expand the space.

How to arrange furniture in a rectangular living room?

First of all, you should decide on the functionality of your room. It should contain everything you need for family celebrations, visits of guests, friendly gatherings and a comfortable stay with your family.

By itself, a rectangular shape, if the room is long, has to delimit the entire available area into zones. This makes the room cozier and masks its not the most successful configuration. Often, in a spacious living room, an area is separated in which a dining room is equipped. Here they put a dining table, chairs, pieces of furniture designed to store cutlery, and in the other part - the so-called compositional center (home theater, electric fireplace), surrounded by upholstered furniture. In such a room, sofas and armchairs can be placed both along the walls and closer to the center. However, one should not forget about the free space, which makes it possible to move around the room.

Long living room is divided into a recreation area and ...

... The dining room zone

The design of a long rectangular living room

Zoning in a long narrow room 9000

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Arrangement of furniture in an elongated rectangular room

Keep in mind that rigid symmetry will emphasize the shape of the living room. Therefore, it is preferable asymmetrical furnishings . It is advisable to place pieces of furniture both along long walls and perpendicular to them. Corner sofas are optimal for a rectangular living room. A coffee table is best placed in the center of a soft group or in front of a sofa. Some elements - for example, armchairs - can be installed diagonally. The compositional center in a long narrow living room is preferable to be placed on a long wall. All this visually "squares" the room.

A corner sofa is installed, some of the furniture is located closer to the central axis: this is the right approach

This makes the room cozy

Everything you need for a work area (desk, bookcase, shelves) can be conveniently placed near the window, especially if the room is elongated from it.

If the window is located on an adjacent, longer wall, a different arrangement of furniture is recommended - a closet with doors of the same tone as the walls is built in on the narrow side. The room becomes shorter by the depth of the closet, which makes it closer to the square.

It is important to avoid repeating the most common mistakes often made by owners of non-standard premises. The first error - placing furniture along the walls along the entire length of the room. The second - the concentration of furniture in one corner. One mistake leads to a visual lengthening of the room and even a completely undesirable increase in the "corridor effect", the second - to an excess of emptiness and a loss of space harmony.

Entrance door and floor decoration

The feeling of spaciousness is achieved with a wide doorway. It is best to install a sliding door. It is difficult to come up with a more suitable option for distinguishing between the kitchen and the living room, but only if the appearance of the door matches the design of these rooms.

Light laminate flooring is quite common. This coating is able to visually give lightness to all three-dimensional elements of the interior. You can visually shorten a long room with parquet planks laid parallel to short walls (across the room). On the floor, a pattern of squares will be appropriate. A soft square carpet in the center of the room will not hurt, which will emphasize the cozy and relaxing atmosphere in the recreation area.

Rectangular living room color scheme

When designing a room, it is useful to listen to the recommendations of experienced designers.

1. Light colors effectively mask the disadvantages of the layout, visually expanding the room. Use materials of white, beige, light gray, pale blue, light green, lilac, cream colors for finishing the ceiling and walls.

2. Stylish looking walls, the upper part of which is painted with paint, and the lower part is pasted over with patterned wallpaper of the same tone (or painted in a different color or paneled). This division of the walls horizontally contributes to the visual expansion of the room.

3. Do you want brightness? Add yellow, pink, blue, orange, but try not to overload the interior with them. Your living room will sparkle with colors if textiles and other decorative elements are correctly selected.

4. When choosing a color scheme, consider the location of your living room relative to the cardinal points. If the windows face south, you can choose cooler shades of blue, brown, purple, gray and white. For living rooms with north-facing windows, choose warm yellows, oranges, and greens.

5. For the expressiveness of the interior, it is useful to use contrasts in its design. For example, to give a richer tone to niches in a room with light walls.

To bring short walls closer to the center (and thus make the room look more like a square), use "hot" or dark tones for their decoration: for example, orange, red, terracotta, warm brown or black. Long walls at the same time remain light, cool.

Narrow living room design in loft style

Large rectangular living room looks like a square thanks to the play of colors

Narrow living room design

However, there are several additional ways to give the space of the “pencil case” room more harmony.

Experts advise not to limit yourself to just the correct arrangement of various interior elements. Do not use massive furniture. Preference should be given to light puffs, small open shelving, glass elements, furnishings that can transform. An interesting solution for decorating the floor in a narrow living room is proposed - a striped carpet, the lines of which are perpendicular to the length of the wall. A transverse pattern can also be introduced on the ceiling (light decorative beams, painting in a wide strip, etc.).

The illusion of an area that is much larger than the real one is helped by modern photo wallpapers. Their role in creating the interior of a long and narrow living room is truly invaluable. You can adjust the space with high-quality images of natural landscapes, historical landmarks, space landscapes, those places that you have already visited or dream of visiting.

Do not refuse mirrored surfaces and large paintings that can open up the space.

To make the process of furnishing your home happy with the results and give positive emotions, be bolder in experiments, show imagination and use the experience gained by interior designers.

Long living room design: good examples and mistakes

Large rectangular living room. It looks, however, too elongated. This could be facilitated by the arrangement of rows of lamps along the long walls, which visually lengthened the rooms. It would be worth changing the position of the lamps.

Red curtains make the short wall appear closer, making the room look more square. Part of the furniture is installed perpendicular to the long walls. The light floor creates a feeling of spaciousness. Everything is done right here. But the picture should be preferred neutral.

Dark colors. Narrow stripe and frequent pattern. All this visually narrowed the room even more. The mirror doesn't help. Stylish, but mistakes are evident.

Green, the color of space, well chosen. The striped carpet on the floor serves as a visual extension. The furniture is arranged correctly. Well thought out design and decor.

The area behind the sofa is overcrowded, but the room still looks quite wide. This is facilitated by the color scheme and the shelves behind the sofa, giving the illusion of volume.

The small, narrow room doesn't look like a pencil case at all. The living room turned out to be harmonious and cozy thanks to the color, asymmetry, the correct arrangement of elements in all directions (along the long walls, across the room, along the central axis).

In a long rectangular living room, a piece of furniture must always be perpendicular to the long walls and/or diagonally.

Very long, elongated living room. Uncomfortable and boring. Zoning not thought out. To remedy the situation, it is enough to put a large coffee table in front of the sofa, and place a couple of armchairs or a small couch perpendicular to the long wall on the border of the living area.

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