The role of the living room in the apartment is changing, so the focus of its design is changing. Previously, this room was a gathering place for family and friends for all special events and holidays. Now, when the celebration of many events is transferred to cafes and restaurants, the room becomes a more individual, homely and welcoming space. Here you can decorate everything so that you feel comfortable spending time there with your family, and not emphasize your status. Unfortunately, the living room in many apartments does not differ in a large area, therefore, in modest square meters, you need to equip a recreation area, and often also a work area. You can choose absolutely any style of interior, but when organizing a small living room, remember a few rules, thanks to which the boundaries of space are magically separated, and the living room turns into a fairly spacious and functional room.
Many designers are familiar with the problem of small living rooms and have accumulated many ideas and solutions. Everyone will be able to use effective tips, and as a result, instead of your small and narrow living room, you will get a high, spacious and bright room, where there is a place for all the necessary furniture and for free movement.
1. RIGHT COLOR
To organize the space of a small living room, it is better to use light shades that seem to erase the boundaries of the walls. The ideal option would be to paint in white, beige, sand, cream, peach, as well as all light and pastel shades. You can also use light wallpaper in a small pattern, a large bright pattern is contraindicated in this case, it will only emphasize the limited space.
Using only light shades can turn a living room into a rather boring space, which is why bright accents are a must. Therefore, you can paint a wall in a contrasting color, use bright pillows for a sofa or blankets, hang a bright picture, etc. You can create a contrasting wall with paint or wallpaper of a slightly different shade, photo wallpaper, etc. You can choose a very distinctive color or work within the same color.
The ceiling and floor should also be as light as possible: sand, yellowish or gray is suitable for the floor, and it is better to make the ceiling white. In this regard, it is justified to arrange glossy stretch ceilings in which the room will be reflected and, accordingly, double.
Living room floor tiles are now often decorated with small rugs that only cover a specific area. It is better to choose a carpet in light shades, and so that it does not get dirty so quickly, pay attention to the lint-free options.
2. SUFFICIENT LIGHTING
The more light there is in the room, the more the living room will look. That is why it is necessary to make the most of natural light, and not to clutter the windows with heavy curtains and curtains, the best option is light tulle, Roman shades or roller blinds.
Artificial lighting should not be limited to a single chandelier in the center of the ceiling, otherwise individual areas will be very poorly lit, which means that the corners will show the clear boundaries of the room. It is better to use zone lighting in combination with the central one, so the sleeping area, the work area, some cabinets can be illuminated separately using floor lamps, lamps or sconces. You can use LED strips that will illuminate the area with a television, some type of paint, or photo wallpaper. Wall murals, especially those with a pronounced perspective, are another great way to visually expand your living room space.
As you know, a mirror is capable of reflecting light, therefore it will make the room visually more spacious. Mirror hanging can usually double the space of a room, so its presence in a small living room usually becomes a necessity. The size of the mirror surface can be different: it can be an oval or rectangular mirror in a frame, it can be several mirrors hanging on a wall, it can even be a mirrored wall, a mirrored closet, a mirrored ceiling, etc. . A well-placed mirror surface creates an unrealistically believable sense of extra space.
3. COMPACT FURNITURE
Probably, it is not worth explaining for a long time that in a small space it is better to use compact furniture, which, with its functionality, will take up as little space as possible. That is why it is better to give preference to a loveseat and compositions of small soft poufs, rather than a large soft corner. It is worth adhering to minimalism and choosing furniture with laconic, simple shapes, without pretentious elements. The number of furniture should also be kept to a minimum. Pay attention to those options that simultaneously perform several functions. For example, sofas, which have storage space, coffee tables that can be expanded, ottomans, which also have room to fold all kinds of small things.
By the way, the rule of using compact furniture in a small living room is explained even by Titchener’s theory of circles. He noted that the same figure appears larger if it is surrounded by smaller objects, and smaller if larger objects are used around it. We perceive the sizes of objects to each other, so compact furniture creates the feeling that the living room is made larger. It is important to create an optical focus in the living room so that the space is balanced and harmonious. Such a focal point could be a sofa surrounded by other seating areas.
As an additional seat, you can use folding chairs, which are removed as unnecessary. Remember that transparent and translucent furniture dissolves into the room, as it does not block any part of the living room from your view. Maybe you should go for clear plastic chairs or a glass coffee table? Try to use a minimum of furniture in the living room and get rid of everything that is not really so necessary here.
4. WE USE DIAGONALS
There are a number of simple rules that can be used to achieve amazing results in furniture placement.
One of these rules is the diagonal rule. Most of us place furniture parallel to the walls, but we try to break this habit and place, for example, the television at a 45-degree angle to the walls. Diagonally from it, you can place two sofas at an angle or a large corner sofa – everyone sitting will watch TV at a right angle, and the distance from the eyes to the screen will be optimal. A large distance from the sofa to the TV will benefit the living room, and it will seem more spacious, especially if the center of the room is also free.
5. METHOD OF REFLECTION
The method of reflection is that identical paired objects are used to decorate and organize the territory. These can be elements of decoration or furniture. Buy two identical small sofas, two flower pots, two identical coffee tables, etc. They are placed opposite each other, as in a mirror image. If all this is complemented by mirrors, which are also capable of reflecting, then in the end it is possible to confuse the brain so that it initially perceives a miniature living room as something more spacious, comfortable and welcoming.
6. WE CREATE THE ILLUSION OF PERSPECTIVE
The human brain is very complex, but some tricks can fool it and alter the correct perception of space. To do this, you can create the illusion of perspective, as if to dissolve those objects that are further away. To move a wall, an object, you need to decorate it with soft light colors, and bright colors and textures are needed for those parts that need to visually approach.
If you need to create a sense of perspective, then in front of those who entered the living room, there should be no unnecessary objects cluttering the space, and the path from the door to the windows should be free. In this case, the gaze involuntarily penetrates the window, towards the external environment.
7. HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL LINES
Professionals have long been demonstrating in practice the influence of lines on the perception of space. So for a living room with low ceilings, you can use vertical striped wallpaper or paint one of the walls in a similar way. The room will transform beyond recognition and you will feel more space for your own life.
If the height of the ceilings suits you, then the horizontal strip can expand the room a bit, creating the illusion of more space. Not only wallpaper, but also decorative elements with a pronounced vertical or horizontal pattern can also change the perception of space in a small living room.
It is worth noting that there is still a debate about the direction of the fringes and their effect, as many scientists demonstrate the opposite effect: they claim that the vertical fringe expands the territory and the horizontal makes it higher.
8. ZONING WITHOUT PARTITIONS
Most often, the living room combines not only a corner of family recreation on the TV screen, but also has to accommodate a mini office or even a dining room. To delimit these zones, many designers recommend using all kinds of zoning effects: partitions, partitions, podiums, the use of different finishes, etc. But scientists have long shown that it can be done much more easily by playing with the characteristics of our brain.
At the beginning of the last century, the Italian psychologist Caniss showed that if you place all the furniture in a room at the vertices of an imaginary triangle or square, the brain will unconsciously close this figure and delimit different areas. Real physical separators are no longer required: the characteristics of perception will do everything for us.
9. BALANCE IN DECORATIONS
A living room without accessories will look dull and uncomfortable. That is why you can use vases, pictures, photographs, plants, etc. to decorate the space. – There are many options. But it is important not to overdo it, because the abundance of accessories will make the small living room even smaller. It is better to use one large image than a dozen small ones, then it is she who will attract the attention of the person who entered, distracting herself from the main drawback – a small space. The more details there are in the room, the more they look up and the less the already small living room seems. Therefore, in our case, fewer accessories means more space. Adding art to the walls is definitely the most challenging since it’s difficult to decide on texture, style and color. If you have your own photos to create art from it’s also tough to decide on a favorite! That’s where a company like Bumblejax comes in which can offer a design consultation to help you choose the right photo for your space. Whether it’s uploading your own or choosing one from their online art gallery, they can help you pinpoint the perfect photo and photo presentation for your room.
10. STORAGE AREAS
If the living room is very small, then it is better to use only the most necessary furniture for this room, and this is a sofa, a table and a TV. If there is room for a closet, then this is very good, but the main thing is not to occupy all the free territory with it. To preserve the necessary elements, you can use sideboards, a system of shelves, places on sofas and poufs – in this way the walls of the room will be free, which means that the space will visually appear larger.
FINALLY
Ideal for a small living room, combining it with the kitchen in a single space, separated by a bar counter or an arch. But if this is not part of your plans, there are many other tricks that can turn even the smallest living room into a convenient and comfortable space for relaxation and family conversation. Also, it looks like that living room will be a bit larger than it actually is. Hurry to take advantage of the accumulated experience of many professionals in the design of your own living room.
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