Traditionally, it was unique architecture that created awkward living spaces. Given the royalty, luxury and abundance of space just about a few decades ago, elaborate and well planned homes were quite common. However, with rapid modernisation, technological advancement and crammed up city spaces, unconventional proportions are often seen with the recent builds. Not only do these unusual proportions seem odd to the eye, they also make it challenging to design and plan such spaces.
Understanding how to deal with awkward corners and spaces overall is to acknowledge the flaws, and cleverly modify them into comfortable, functional and visually balanced spaces that give the room the beauty it deserves.
There are varied approaches you can take while deciding on how to arrange furniture in an awkward living room. You can go from big to small, or choose to split the space into zones, or use architectural elements to your benefit.
Go Big To Small
When designing and arranging furniture in an awkward living room, create a base before moving onto the finer details. A quick tip is to begin by placing the biggest piece of furniture against the largest wall of the space. Doing this will open up the rest of the space of a much free arrangement while giving you a direction for placement of other pieces around the statement element.
More often than not, the largest piece of furniture in a living room is the sofa. Once placed rightly, you can then decide the positions of accent chairs and additional seating if required. A natural coffee table with unfinished edges can work to mask the irregularities of awkward spaces created by the furniture placement.
Create Zones
An awkward living room has the maximum potential to serve as a versatile space. Creating zones to tackle the abnormalities in the spaces can allow for multiple activities within the same area. The weaknesses of the space need to be converted to iconic areas that attract attention. When done tastefully, they might become the favorite spot for the entire family!
With a larger conversational area with a focal point of a fireplace or a television unit, the odd spaces may be used to create a cozy DIY reading nook with floor cushions and some throw blankets, while yet another nook may have a comfy floor standing swing for lazy evenings.
Bring It All In
Do not stick to the slant and awkward edges of a room. Instead, be bold to pull furniture away from the walls and slant surfaces. Create a comfortable and regular layout within the space leaving casual margins behind.
Pull your seating arrangement towards the centre of the room for a more organised layout that is visually pleasing. Place items back to back for better space utilisation – a console behind the sofa can act as a space divider or a standing workstation as your need may be. An open shelving unit is also a good idea to balance awkward spaces creating zones. You may use decor accent pieces to jazz up such free standing furniture items.
Get Creative With Shapes
An odd living room means uncomfortable spaces and crooked corners. Bring in furniture with rounded edges or curved silhouettes to add fluidity to the space and soften the look. Some movement can break the visual rigidity of the area making it seems much more pleasing to the eye.
Curved couches, S-shaped sofas, round coffee tables are some furniture pieces you can use to break the monotonous rigidity of awkward living rooms and make them much more interesting. Woven baskets and plants with dramatic leaves are decor items that are organic and dynamic enough for such spaces.
Utilise All Corners
Look at all nooks, corners and niches in your living area as spaces you can use to your advantage. Instead of calling them off as awkward, liven them up with some fresh green plants to add a breath of fresh air to the space. Not only will they add a pop of color, they will also make the room look more vibrant and dynamic.
Opt for a variety of plants to suit the space and your needs. A quite obvious awkward spot can be masked with a plant with statement leaves, while a corner can be decorated with a cluster of three potted plants. An odd corner behind a sofa may be well utilised to house a floor lamp that highlights the sofa corner from behind lighting up the area.
Go Minimalist
When designing spaces that are oddly shaped, minimalism is the key. Place only essentials that will free up floor space for better circulation. Quality over quantity is the rule of thumb in such situations.
Long narrow living rooms have limited layout options, and placing only required furniture items can enlarge the sense of space. Living rooms with windows spanning across walls also limits the choices for basic furniture placement. Some quality activities for the family can be the deciding factor for the furniture arrangement for such spaces. Multifunctional furniture pieces are great options for such times.
