Narrow rooms can be extremely difficult to work with in terms of home decorating. The trick to solving this decorating dilemma is to draw the eye away from the long walls, and incorporate specific accessories that will help give the illusion of a wider space.
A normal reaction people have to sitting in a narrow room is to feel closed-in and uncomfortable. Some homeowners simply give up on decorating this space and use it as a pass-through, or storage area, instead. That's simply a waste, and there's no need for it. What we want to do is use a few decorator's tips to open it up and make it feel inviting.
Create a focal point
When you currently walk into your narrow room, you see...the long walls. That's because your eye has nothing else to focus on upon entering. To easily solve this decorating dilemma, create a focal point on one of the short walls of the room. This will draw attention from the length of the room, and direct it, instead, to the focal point. A focal point can be a fireplace, piece of artwork, window, or any number of items already in the room. Learn more about 'Easy Focal Point Ideas for Home Decorating'.
Choose the right paint
You can never go wrong with a fresh coat of paint. This is especially true when decorating a narrow room. With the right paint choice, you can give the illusion of a larger, wider space. Cool colors give the illusion of receding walls, while darker ones bring the walls in closer together. Therefore, to open up a space, choose cool light colors.
Square things up
Square shaped furniture and accessories will help give the illusion of a wider space. Bring in cube-shaped tables, square-shaped mirrors and artwork, and use a series of modular square built-in bookcases to help decorate one wall of a narrow room. Sleek lines, and solid shapes are going to be your best friend when solving this decorating dilemma.
Furniture arrangement
When decorating a narrow room, bigger pieces of furniture look better when placed on a diagonal. In the living room, catty-corner the sofa. In the bedroom, do the same with the bed. By doing so, you will, once again, incorporate that lovely square shape into the room that is so flattering. Additionally, use furnishings of slim design to help maximize walking space in the narrow room.
Is the room long too?
If your decorating dilemma involves a room that is long, as well as narrow, you likely feel as if you've been dealt a double whammy. As if the lack of width isn't challenging enough, you also have to come up with ideas for all that room space too! Believe it or not, too much room length can be a blessing. Divide up the space by creating more than one purpose to the room. Use furniture, or groups of furniture, to help define each area and create a room everyone in the family can enjoy at once. Get more ideas for 'Decorating a Family Friendly Room'.
More from Jennifer Wagner:
Secrets for decorating an inviting guest room
Home decorating tips for small rooms
6 ways to glam up your home office
SOURCE:
Personal knowledge and experience
