Stylish narrow living room ideas to increase your sense of space

If knocking down the walls and reconfiguring the space isn’t an option, you’re probably stuck with a narrow living room.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t clever tips and tricks you can employ to help create the illusion of more space.

In this post, we share our favourite narrow living room ideas to create a spacious yet cosy lounge area.

1. Choose a light colour scheme

Light, neutral colours on the walls and ceilings will help to reflect the light and create an open, airy feel.

However, this doesn’t have to mean stark white tones. Blending a variety of neutral tones across your paint and decor will create greater interest and warmth.

A popular narrow living room idea is to paint the two shorter walls one or two shades darker than the longer walls. Lighter colours recede (they seem further away) while darker colours appear closer. For this reason, you never want to paint the far (shorter) wall in a dark colour as it’ll shorten the room.

2. Avoid clutter

Avoiding clutter in a narrow living room is paramount. Of course, some carefully chosen personal or decorative items will help the room to feel more homely, but keep it minimal to avoid making the room feel too ‘busy’.

Similarly, it’s best not to cover the walls with photographs and pictures. One or two larger pieces of artwork are often more effective in a narrow space.

3. Create interest with colour and texture

In a narrow living room, if you keep your decor neutral, there are some simple tricks you can use to add visual interest.

Select cushions, lampshades, and artwork to add accents of colour within your scheme. While soft textiles such as rugs and throws will add texture.

4. Maximise the vertical space

Another great trick when designing a narrow living room is to take your curtain rail right the way up to the ceiling to create the illusion of added height.

Adding a vertical stripe, either using wallpaper, paint, or vertical wood panelling will create a similar effect.

5. Create the illusion of width

Flip your panelling horizontally and the eye is tricked into thinking your narrow living room is wider than it is. Add a lick of gloss white paint to help reflect the light around the room too.

6. Invest in the right furniture

In a narrow living room, clever furniture choices are key. Too many pieces of furniture will make the space look cramped.

A sofa bed, a coffee table, or an ottoman with hidden storage are both space-saving and multi-functional.

In addition, sofas, chairs, and coffee tables that have exposed legs will help a narrow living room to feel more open.

Be mindful of scale – choose pieces that fit comfortably in the space. Oversized pieces can risk overwhelming the space if not executed well.

7. Plan your layout

Think about how your eye travels along the length of a narrow room. If you arrange your furniture in a straight line on one side of the room, you’ll emphasise the long, straight nature of the space.

By alternating your furniture along both sides of the room and interspersing with a round coffee table, for example, your eye is drawn along the room in a winding ‘S’ shape.

Another tip is to bring your furniture slightly away from the wall to give the illusion of more space around the edges. Being able to see the floor will make the room appear larger. However, be careful not to block the walkways.

Finally, in a particularly long, narrow living room, zoning areas using large rugs will pull items of furniture together to create a cosier feel.

8. Use mirrors and glass

By placing a large mirror on one of the walls, you’ll reflect the light and create the illusion of more space. If you can place it to reflect the outdoors, even better.

Glass furniture such as a coffee table or side table will help to bounce the light around and can make the room feel less crowded.

9. Be clever with lighting

In a narrow living room, you want to maximise the available light. Keep window dressings sheer to allow plenty of light to flood the room.

Use a combination of different lighting – for example, wall sconces, pendant lights, and floor lamps, to create a cosy ambience.

10. Add open shelving

When it comes to shelving, rather than blocking off a narrow living room with bookshelves or cabinets, opt for open shelves if you need extra storage. They must, however, be well-organised and beautifully displayed to avoid cluttering the space.

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