Narrow-Room Solution: Split It Up
Breakups can be therapeutic when they yield distinct living and dining areas and great style to boot
Amy Renea
March 14, 2012
Many classic American homes are blessed (cursed?) with a long, narrow combination living room and dining room. Those rooms can be hard to decorate because they seem too slim and provide no natural division points. The challenge is to delineate the two spaces while keeping the look cohesive.
How do you combine the two without sacrificing function or aesthetics? Furniture arrangement, area rugs and height differences can have a big impact on the way the space works. Read on for some great ideas for splitting up the square footage.
How do you combine the two without sacrificing function or aesthetics? Furniture arrangement, area rugs and height differences can have a big impact on the way the space works. Read on for some great ideas for splitting up the square footage.
You can create distinct zones in a long, narrow room. The trick to this setup: The table sits perpendicular to the sofa so the spaces seem separate. The horizontal placement of the table also keeps the room from looking awkward.
If your dining room backs right up to your kitchen, you can also use this little trick. Setting a long table perpendicular to the line of cabinetry defines the dining space.
This technique also works with an island bar, placed to separate the two spaces visually and physically.
This example uses two strategies to create three distinct spaces. The dining room table lines up with the kitchen island for consistency, but is placed perpendicular to the sofa, providing a stopping point for the eye. The three elements work together with the grid window to provide a pleasing arrangement.
Working with the long, straight lines can also be effective. Here, placing the sofa and table on the same vertical line creates a hallway that mirrors the staircase. A tone-on-tone area rug separates the living room from the dining room.
Choosing an area rug the same color as a tabletop is a great way to tie two spaces together while keeping them distinct. The rug solidifies a collection of mismatched furniture. Meanwhile, the consistency of the dining room chairs defines the eating area.
Try using rounded shapes to offset the rectangular shape of a room like this. A circular dining table allows more seating in a small space and breaks up all the straight lines, which delineates the spaces.
Echoing a round dining table with a circular coffee table and mirror provides a link between the two spaces, while a rectangular rug separates them.
Elevating part of the room can be the perfect way to separate spaces. In this narrow room, the dining area sits several steps higher than the living area.
Try putting your sofa at an angle to divide spaces and create a walkway between them. Balance the seating with an additional chair and ground the arrangement with a showy area rug.
Delineating a dining space from the rest of a large living space can be as simple as painting blocks on the wall. This simple treatment creates a distinct dining "room" and adds a color punch to a white-on-white palette.
See more white-on-white rooms
See more white-on-white rooms
Whether through the use of art, unusual furniture placement or small architectural changes, it is possible to make a narrow room work. When planning your combination living-dining room, remember to consider shape, furniture alignment and color to design a space that works for you.
More:
Arranging Furniture in a Long, Narrow Room
Architect's Toolbox: Beautifully Layered Spaces
14 Ways to Maximize a Skinny Space
More:
Arranging Furniture in a Long, Narrow Room
Architect's Toolbox: Beautifully Layered Spaces
14 Ways to Maximize a Skinny Space
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Dont see any narrow rooms here