Have you bought or are you renting a home with a long living room? It is true that this type of room is not at all easy to arrange and decorate. However, if its layout is successful, this part of your home will be remarkable and radiant to impress your guests! The lounge area must hold your full attention since it is a main living room, so it should not be neglected! In order to feel comfortably settled in this place, symmetry and order must be an integral part of it by focusing on a soft and refined decor and layout, without patterns and without striking colors. So, are you ready to roll up your sleeves to optimize space and make it cozy? Let’s go!
The floors & the walls
First of all, you will have to take care of the ground. It is strongly recommended to lay parquet in this small room, prefer parquet with long and wide blades to enlarge the room and break its long effect. Two positions are possible: lengthwise at the risk of translating a piece that is too long, or widthwise at the risk of creating the impression of a narrow piece. Otherwise, the herringbone parquet that inhabits most Haussmann apartments is an alternative that brings dynamism with its pointed shape. If you absolutely don’t want parquet, consider waxed concrete or faux parquet vinyl.
Now let’s talk about the wall appearance! Light shades will be preferred such as off-white, gray, taupe or even beige to enlarge the space and bring light. In addition, they are easy to combine and round off the contours of your room. The trend is now for pastel colors such as water green or powder pink which also work for your long room. However, we do not recommend dark or showy colors that mark the corners of a wall. To furnish your walls, create and play with colored shapes to add a touch of character. For those who prefer, wallpapering is also possible.
The sofa, the star element of the living room
The sofa is the flagship piece of your living room and for this type of furniture, we are often ready to invest so that it lasts over time. For this, we recommend that you think about your purchase and choose it with precision. Two opinions are expressed on this subject: some say that a straight 2-seater or 3-seater sofa is more suitable; for others, the corner sofa or the sofa with chaise longue is ideal for delimiting the living-dining area. To partition the dining room from your small living room, the use of a pouf, armchairs or chairs is also recommended.
However, everyone agrees that sofa beds should be avoided as they are more bulky and can overwhelm your space. In any case, your sofa must be low and on legs without being imposing to give the impression of saving space visually. Finally, if your room is large and bright, you can afford to opt for a colored or dark sofa. Otherwise, we advise you to go for a sofa in light colors like those belonging to the Nordic style for example.
Functional and smart furniture
The furniture is to be selected with care since depending on its shape, color or layout, it can have a significant impact on the comfort of your living space. First of all, be aware that the realization of custom storage is possible. Indeed, its price may be higher than classic furniture, but storage furniture will be perfectly suited to your narrow living room area. Check for models now at homary! Thus, your TV unit can be combined with storage units, bookcases or even seats with cushions for a cocooning corner.
These are smart and multifunctional storage to save square meters! Then, it is better to opt for low and shallow furniture, you can try furniture in a row, for example. This proposal is very trendy at the moment in long interiors and allows an intelligent, functional and aesthetic living room layout. Regarding coffee tables, we advise you to vary from the rectangular shape to break the length effect and choose one in a round or oval shape. Alternatively, nesting tables can be chosen as a side table to best suit your needs.
Traffic facilitated by the layout
The most important rule in the layout of a long living room is to declutter it as much as possible to save space, but also to have plenty of storage space. This can go through wall shelves, niches, a small retractable table, a modular bench, a coffee table with a shelf or a sofa with a functional storage box. This operation is ideal for rooms with a low ceiling height. Conversely, if your ceiling height is high, you can afford to use all the space including the heights.
It is possible to separate the living room into several small corners : dining area, relaxation/television area, reading area or office area. In order to delimit these different poles, you can paint a wall or lay a carpet. For the relaxation area, several tips can be applied: move the sofa away from your walls to break the impression of length, turn your living room towards an opening and leave 40 centimeters between the sofa and the coffee table to be comfortable.
Decoration, a necessary tool for enlarging rooms
Now that your surfaces are arranged and the space is furnished, let’s move on to another interesting point: the decoration! To begin with, the must-have for this type of room has many advantages: these are mirrors. In addition to bringing light and diffusing it, they make it possible to enlarge the space and give depth to your cocoon. We reveal a few tips that will make your living room shine. Place your mirror facing an opening and admire the effect! The vision of a second window appears reflecting the landscape.
If your room is large enough, you can afford to place a large mirror lengthwise. Conversely, for small spaces, we recommend that you put several small mirrors. Let’s move on to an essential accessory in a living room: the rug! Indeed, it makes it possible to create a cocooning space or to delimit a landscaped area. For example, install an office corner in your room using a carpet underneath to mark this extra place. We recommend a natural fiber rug with long hairs, round, oval or square in shape and without patterns for a warm atmosphere. Drop lengthwise for best effect!
If you are afraid of being vis-à-vis with your neighbours, do not use large curtains, but just a veil that will keep you away from prying eyes while letting in natural light to illuminate your living room. When night falls, light fixtures will be needed. For this, a long suspension or LED strips at the top of the longest walls will do the job perfectly. To finalize the decoration, what could be better than a touch of greenery! Plants bring freshness and life. Opt for a classic plant or a hanging plant.
