Design Help With an Odd Shaped Room

Dividing a merged family/ living room is one solution for an odd-shaped room.

An odd-shaped room doesn't have to mean a room with no sense of style. Oftentimes, it's these types of rooms -- when decorated properly -- that offer the most pizzazz because of their unusual shape. The shape of these rooms forces you to be creative in your decorating approach.

Identification

An odd-shaped room could be classified as a room that isn't perfectly square. For example, a room that is L-shaped presents a number of challenges in terms of designing a decorating scheme, because of the differing lengths of the walls.

Furniture

The type of furniture you select for this type of room will also have bearing on whether or not you're able to decorate it successfully. Be sure to choose furniture that's not too large for the space, particularly if you've broken up the room. A couch that's longer than the wall, for example, will look funny.

Solutions

One way to work with an odd-shaped room is to split it into several rooms. Going back to the L-shaped example, you could partition one side of the room off and set up a desk and office area. In the other part, you can put together a living or family room.

References

• "Trading Spaces: Make It Yours"; Brian Kramer, editor; 2003
• Home Decorating Room by Room: Furniture Arrangement
• Furniture for Small Spaces: Odd-Shaped Living Room