Tips to Decorating an Odd-Shaped Living Room
An odd-shaped living room can be a decorating nightmare. Whether you’ve got harsh angles, recessed walls, or columns in the middle of the room, it can be tough to arrange furniture, decorate, and create a functional space.
But rather than seeing these weird features as obstacles, look at them as opportunities to get creative and decorate with some flamboyance.
Here are some ways to get around your irregular-shaped living room to create an awesome space that’s both functional and stylish.
Break the Room Down Into Segments
Living rooms with unorthodox layouts can be tackled by separating them into different segments, if the space permits. Then you can arrange specific furniture pieces and décor in these different areas to suit various tasks.
For example, one section could be reserved for a sofa and television, while another space can be dedicated to an office/study area. Or, you might choose to create a reading area with a chaise, small table and bookshelf.
If the room allows for different functions, then make use of this space accordingly so even the most bizarre spots can be functional without leaving them bare.
Arrange Around a Focal Point
Take the attention away from peculiar spots in the living room by creating a focal point. You can literally make this central point whatever you wish, whether it’s a large coffee table, fireplace, chandelier, wall art, or an area rug.
Once you’ve decided what you want your focal point to be, decorate around it. Just make sure that it’s placed in an easily visible spot. Going this route will draw attention to the center of the space, rather than showcase its unusual edges and corners.
Use Rounded Furniture Pieces For Harsh Angles
Sometimes you wonder what was going through the minds of the architects and builders when they designed and built a home with rooms that feature corners and edges with no rhyme or reason. Whatever the case may be, it’s now up to you to work around it.
And when it comes to harsh corners and angles, one of the best ways to tackle this issue is to place furniture pieces with rounded edges to soften the area. Pieces with equally sharp edges will only accentuate the severity of the angled walls and corners. The opposite is true with round furniture; these pieces work to soften the angles and take the focus off of them.
Be Consistent With Repeated Elements
If you’re going to have elements in the space that will be repeated, such as molding or window treatments, make sure to keep them consistent throughout the room. This will help to take the attention off the irregular shape of the room and make it appear more conventional.
All the trim should be consistent, and every window covering should be the same. While this might not sound like a lot of fun, it can be really effective at normalizing the layout of the room.
Give Purpose to Tight Corners
What are you supposed to do with a corner that’s less than 90 degrees? Simple. Transform it into a space of its own by placing items such as reading chairs, potted plants, tall vases, or small accent tables. While you might not necessarily hang out in that corner much, adding elements such as these can breathe life into the corner and give it some purpose.
Create Balance With Free-Standing Shelves
Rooms that have strange layouts can often appear off kilter. Your job is to bring back a sense of balance in the room, which can effectively be done by placing a free-standing bookshelf wherever the space calls for it. By including a shelving unit that can be accessed from all sides, it can make the room appear more symmetrical.
Make Odd Walls or Columns a Feature
Lots of older homes tend to comes with a random column in the middle of the room, or an unexpected wall protruding from the perimeter. If you’re faced with one of these traits, use them to your advantage and make them features in the room.
You might want to paint the wall or column a different color than the rest of the walls in the space, or use it as an area where you hang all your collective art pieces. Turning it into a feature is a much better option than trying to camouflage it in some way, which can actually make it stand out even more.
An oddball living room definitely makes it more challenging to outfit, but you’re really only limited to your imagination when it comes to making it work. In fact, an unusually shaped room can even turn out to be the most memorable part of your home if it’s used properly.
