What to do with empty space in the living room: helpful ideas to fill empty corners
How do we want our living room to be? Of course, stylish, beautiful, and trendy, but first of all – cozy and relaxing. This is what the design projects that we order, the furniture we choose, and the palettes that we like are dedicated to.
Trends are changing, but our craving for a cozy corner, where we can forget about the daily hustle and bustle and relax the body, eyes, and soul, remains strong. That is why, even in modern trends in design, paradoxes are not so rare. And one of the most critical paradoxes concerns precisely the fullness of the living room interior – what is the number one factor and, in general, a kind of must-have for those who dream of complete harmony. From this point of view, empty corners and spaces in the living room are highly undesirable, if not unacceptable – and such a contradiction sometimes leads to a stupor.
The fact is that today, in the period of minimalism dominating in design, the majority prefer to focus on the principle “less is more.” Indeed, ergonomics, brevity, lack of clutter, and excessiveness seem to us quite logical and the shortest path to perfect balance, but this is not entirely true. Excessive emptiness in the living room causes a feeling of discomfort, disorder, and even fear – a lot of philosophy books are devoted to this phenomenon.
Today, militant minimalism, preaching the principle of “less is more,” has changed its rhetoric. Now designers prefer to work based on the new – “each thing has its own place.” That is why now you can relax: the voids in the living room are no longer trendy. All that remains is to decide how to fill them correctly – and now is the time to talk about this. Let’s discover the secrets of a balanced and inviting living room interior without sacrificing ergonomics and restraint.
Ideas to fill and decorate an empty area in the living room
It is not always possible to understand that an unwanted void has formed in your interior. So, for example, if classic, traditional styles presuppose harmonious and united by a common idea of furniture sets in all living room zones, then the same minimalism and loft tend to use less space for furniture and decor items. So how do you determine that an empty space needs additional arrangement and decoration?
In fact, everything is simple: be guided by personal feelings. Suppose your living room has minimal furniture and decor, but you feel absolutely comfortable. In that case, you don’t have to change anything: such brevity is really in tune with your views on the world around you, and you are in absolute harmony with it.
It’s another matter if you constantly feel discomfort, the interior seems to you unbalanced and somehow blurry, and an empty corner or part of the room along the wall gives you a distinct feeling of anxiety. In this case, it’s time to get down to business: achieving the ideal is much easier than it seems, and designers have many ideas in this regard, which we decided to split into several groups for your convenience. So let’s get started.
Furniture
Let’s start with the most popular option – filling an empty corner or space with furniture. This option is remarkable not only for the opportunity to harmonize the interior but also to create an additional functional area or corner for relaxation. What piece of furniture to choose is up to you; however, the undisputed leaders today remain:
Decor
When the soul is drawn to beauty, and there is an unfurnished area in the living room at your disposal, it’s time to occupy it with things that are dear to your heart. Depending on the size of the living room and the design you choose, decorators offer several options:
Hobbies
It happens that when furnishing a living room, some angle or space with apparent asymmetry remains unaccounted. Why not use it effectively – for example, as a corner where you can indulge in your hobbies?
So, empty space is often designed as a library with bookshelves and an comfy armchair or a study with a pull-out desk or console table on which you can place a laptop and the necessary office supplies. However, suppose your activity is not connected with a computer and the Internet. In that case, you can equally well adapt the space for any hobby – from quilling and sketching to sewing and modeling. Shelves above the table and a box for the necessary accessories under it, a comfortable chair or armchair, an elegant folding screen – and you have a personal area in the shared living room!
Lighting
All the options for using the empty zone, which we talked about above, were more related to a relatively large part of the living room. But what if only a small and somewhat cramped corner brings discomfort? There is an action plan for this case too – just add lighting.
The most popular options for such an area in the living room are an elegant floor lamp, stylish sconces combined with the chandelier design, or a combination of both. The latter method provides adequate multi-layered lighting that can be adjusted to your liking.
All the best for children
A children’s play area in the living room is one of the best ways to use unoccupied space in the living room if your family is large and friendly. What this corner will be, depends on you and the wishes of your child. However, the following turned out to be especially popular with children:
Also, do not forget about the place for storing toys – it can be a large beautiful box with soft walls or a pretty rack.
A little about eco
You don’t have children yet, you are not fond of anything special, you do not need additional light, and chairs and racks do not fit in an empty corner? We act simply – decorate it with live plants!
Ideal if you manage to get a tall, spreading tree like a palm or ficus or another plant with robust wide or extended leaves. However, you can try an alternative option – beautiful multi-tiered stands for flower pots, thanks to which you will equip an entire green area.
You can apply wallpapers, paints, etc. on walls and see how they look in various interiors.
How to determine which option for arranging an empty zone is right for you
The decorative and design potential of any living room is, unfortunately, finite. That is why not all options for filling empty spaces in the living room may suit you. So, if you have such a zone at your disposal, pay attention to its following features:
How to fill empty space in the living room: Conclusions + Photo gallery
As you can see, dealing with uncomfortable emptiness in your living room is easy. A little attention to your thoughts and desires, a sober look at the possibilities of the room, and quite a bit of imagination will ensure perfect harmony on every square centimeter of one of the main rooms in your home.
