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Furniture Design Dilemma Living Rooms

tips on making a room look less like a shipping container

2 years ago

My living room has the proportions of a shipping container - long and narrow with a low ceiling. It also has various boxed-in ducts that lower the ceiling more and catch the eye. It feels very much like a box - there are lots of straight lines.

I wish it felt more homely so I'm planning to add some extra texture plus some furniture with curves (a pouffe, a table with barley legs, photos with round mounts). the walls and ceiling are also going to be the same colour (white). I'd love any other suggestions that would make this space feel more welcoming.

It doesn't get much light so I'm reluctant to change the blinds - although window stickers could be an option?

Featured Answer

Sonia

2 years ago

Definitely adding one or two floor lamps behind the sofa will add cosiness. Overhead lights can be a bit too glaring and we rarely use ours. A nice cosy rug will help, doesn’t have to be expensive. Dunelm sell some lovely ones. A cosy velvet footstool or coffee table in front of the sofa will help fill the space. As everyone has said, the pictures are too small and dotted about. I would bring them together and display them as a group. Some larger pieces of art displayed at eye level would look good. Here’s a few ideas, just look at the cosiness of a floor lamp!

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Comments (6)

tamp75
2 years ago
I can see you have a radiator under the window, which might be an issue, but adding curtains would soften the lines. Having an extra long curtain rail, so the curtains can be drawn right back would mean you wouldn’t lose light coming in. Removing those blinds would also soften the look. I also think the placement of the pictures on the walls doesn’t help, as your eye follows them around in a line. I think some larger artwork would help or group the pictures you have - they’re too small to be displayed individually. A rug would be great and possibly moving the sofa out from the wall slightly, even at an angle with a tall lamp or plant behind it in the corner (or a plant on a small table for height).
K R thanked tamp75
Kate
2 years ago
Your idea of adding texture sounds good. I would add that your pictures are too small and not impactful enough. A large piece behind the sofa or a gallery wall would give the room far more interest. Rooms that get little light are often lifted by painting the walls a definite colour, rather than using white. Perhaps a warm sage green would be cosy and help bounce around what light there is.
K R thanked Kate
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PRO
The Living House
2 years ago
Hi K R, a rug would add a cosy feel and texture to the room. Have you consider curtains even if they are only to dress the windows, you have enough room either side for these to stack back onto the wall. Hope this helps, if you would like help creating a cosy and welcoming room you'll love, I have linked our website below for you. - Sophie

www.thelivinghouse.co.uk
Little Jem
2 years ago
Some very obvious points about this room have already been made. I would just add that I think something living - a large statement plant, for example, perhaps floor standing, would bring about an improvement in colour and texture. The greenery would look very 'at home' if the walls were painted a sage green (as suggested above). I've noticed a lot of living rooms are basically 'shipping containers', but it's possible to overcome this !
PRO
Pearlosa
2 years ago
Soft furnishings always help along with a touch of nature as mentioned by Little Jem.

An additional option to soften the corners would be to use some sort of coving (dependent on wall height) but this generally helps for the kind of concern you have.

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