If the apartment has an unsuccessful layout, you can solve the problem with the help of decoration or a good organization of the space.
Let’s consider the most common causes of not the most successful architectural solutions and ways to fix them.
Long narrow corridor
Usually, many doors from different rooms go into such a corridor; as a result, it is impossible to put a full-fledged wardrobe or a modular hallway here. The room looks dark and rather gloomy.
There are several ways to correct the situation:
- Demolish the wall between the corridor and the rooms: you will get a spacious, open space that gives a feeling of freedom and looks more presentable and cheerful;
- If redevelopment is impossible, it is worth installing a large mirror on one of the long walls or even turning the wall into a mirror: the corridor area will visually increase, and the room itself will become brighter.
The following techniques are suitable for decorating such a space:
- Replacing bulky cabinets with light mezzanines and shelves;
- Wall decoration with paintings, photographs;
- Transverse or diagonal laying of parquet boards or laminate;
- Decoration of short walls in a darker color range than long ones.
Spacious hall
In some apartments, on the other hand, the entrance hall occupies too much area, which, however, is challenging to use. The result is a space of 16-20 sq.m remains useless.
It is difficult to make a large hall functional because many doors enter into it, meaning there is practically no free space along the walls. But you can try to emphasize the advantages of the room:
- Furnish the hall by placing a small sofa, ottoman, chest of drawers in it; a large mirror in a massive frame and a wardrobe will look appropriate here.
- Make a visual accent on the central part: highlight it with a carpet, a complex pattern of tiles or unusual laying of parquet, a massive chandelier or decor on the ceiling is also suitable – this will distract attention from the space.
Carriage room
It is challenging to organize the space of a room if its length is much greater than its width. To make the area more harmonious, you can
- “cut off” part of the length by installing a closet along the short wall or by equipping a small dressing room there;
- Divide the room by installing a corner sofa in one of the zones – this will help increase the number of seats in the recreation area and visually shorten the length of the room;
- Use furniture with thin legs: sofas, wardrobes, armchairs, and cabinets will look lighter, and the floor area remains free, visually expanding the space.
Small kitchen
A modern kitchen where you can place everything you need is a room of at least ten sq. M. However, options with an area of 1.5 or 2 times less are not uncommon. To make the kitchen more spacious, you can go different ways depending on your budget.
Among the costly ways there are:
- Dismantle the barrier between the kitchen and the dining room, turning the space into a kitchen-dining room;
- Order a set according to an individual project with an everyday tabletop and an upper-tier under the ceiling;
- Move the sink to the window area;
- Embed household appliances into the headset.
If a large-scale reorganization of the kitchen space is not included in the plans, expand the area visually.
- Eliminate “visual noise” by freeing countertops as much as possible from small household appliances and kitchen utensils;
- Abandon bulky closed wall cabinets, placing everything you need on open shelves and wall rails;
- Replace tulle and curtains with roller shutters or blinds installed on the sash – this will free the surface of the window sill;
- Use folding stools, a folding table to organize the dining area.
Walk-through room
Some layouts make it possible to turn a walk-through room into an isolated one with minimal loss of space. Faithful, in this case, the agreement will be required.
If such a solution seems irrational, you can separate the private space with a rack, screen, or curtain. In a spacious room, a sofa or a composition of upholstered furniture can also act as a probing element – in this case, the layout will look more attractive.
Poor natural light
It happens that the room itself has the correct geometry, but there is little light in it: there are not enough windows, they are too small or face the north side.
In this case, it is worth compensating for the lack of insolation with artificial lighting. It is best to use LED elements with a color temperature of about 4000 K – their light is as close as possible to the solar spectrum.
The following design techniques will help to correct the situation:
- Light shades of walls, ceiling, floor, and furniture;
- Light air curtains on the windows instead of massive curtains;
- White window frames and sills.
Irregular room
A room with a geometry other than a regular rectangle or square looks original but problematic in furnishing.
Custom-made furniture will help correct the situation – with its help, you can align oblique corners if they are present.
You can visually beat the “irregularity” of the space, focusing on bright furnishings or decor. For example, some room features, a bay window with the right design, can become a “highlight” of the room.
