Do You Have an Odd-Shaped Living Room or Space? Here’s How to Design it with Ease

We all have that one space in our homes or rental apartments where the room, or your stuff,  just doesn’t seem to fit. Whether you’ve got a room with low ceilings, a bedroom with lots of angled walls, or you live in a unique home like a railroad apartment where your hallway flows from one room into the next, it can be challenging to design an odd-shaped living room or space.

Designing your space should be fun and reflect who you are, but you may find it tough to bring those special touches into a strangely configured room. But it doesn’t have to be challenging. With these design tips straight from the experts, you’ll be decorating your oddly-shaped room in no time. Then you can enjoy every space your home or apartment offers. 

Tip 1: Define the room’s focal point

Start by figuring out the room’s main feature or the focal point that you want your space to revolve around. Is that a unique fireplace in the corner? Or is it a set of windows in the middle of the wall you want to highlight? 

For example, Julie Pawlowski, associate ASID principal designer and owner of MOD: matter of design, suggests, “The best way to arrange furniture in an odd-shaped room is to start with the focal point of the room and design around that. Whether this is the fireplace, tv, or set of windows, by orienting the rug and furniture around the focal point, you can create “zones” within the room that offer diverse functions. Be open to moving the furniture away from the walls and even using the furniture as visual dividers to break up the space. Odd rooms can be difficult at first but offer so much opportunity in the end.”

Another great set of tips comes from Jennifer Laraia of Jennifer Laraia Designs. The Knoxville, TN, interior designer shares three points, “1. Define the main feature of the room or your focal point. This will give you a great jumping-off point when deciding on furniture placement. 2. Pull the furniture off the walls. Don’t be afraid to float your furniture in the middle of the room to create more intimate zones and better flow. 3. Unify with color. If you have a lot of unusual angles or low ceilings, one unifying color on the ceilings and walls can make your space feel larger and more uniform.”

Tip 2: Don’t shy away from a room’s unique characteristics – embrace them

Your first instinct may be to hide or camouflage the odd-shaped living room or space. But embracing the quirky features can make all the difference when designing the room with your style. 

Alex Woogmaster of Woogmaster Studios highlights the benefits of having unusual spaces in your home, saying, “Some of the most impactful spaces are those that are unusual, idiosyncratic, even bizarre – they’re opportunities. We’ve always used odd nooks and outcroppings to feature equally unusual elements. Built-ins are always great, but your strangest little corner can also be a great place for a special sculpture, a cozy workspace, or storage for something meaningful. If you make an experience out of the space, it will feel less ‘lost’ and more ‘purposeful’.” 

Juliane Mazzarella of Avenue Interiors comments, “For rooms that are split by a hallway or walking path, area rugs are a great way to help define the space. Try using a rug on each side to bring separation to a room that may have multi-functional purposes. You can also use a large rug that spans most of the room to give a bigger sense of space.”

You should also consider incorporating furniture that complements the space. For example, Amy Youngblood, Principal Designer of Amy Youngblood Interiors, says, “find pieces that reflect the character of the room. If the room has a strange curve to it, find a couch that is also curved and float it instead of pressing it against a wall. This will help the flow and create a sense of comfortability.”

And Industrious Interiors’ Cerissa McKinnis, highlights, “Many times, when people are faced with odd shape rooms, their initial thought is to hide it, to make it fit into a typical square box. My approach is to shift their perspective and highlight these unique qualities in the room. For one client, I positioned a rug along the same angle as a corned fireplace. In another, I placed a large pattern wallpaper along a wall with a fire chase in the middle of the bathroom.”

Tip 3: Know your space and work with it, not against it

It’s important to know your space well before you begin designing and furnishing the room. When it comes to angled walls, Sandra Chavez of Sandra Jessica Interiors suggests, “Instead of fighting the weird angled walls, work with them. You‘ll find much more harmony and unity when you place furniture that compliments the odd-shaped walls. Here are some important key factors: 1. Find the room’s focal point. 2. Less is more. 3. Find a rug that fits within the space. 4. Opt-in for built-ins for a more unified look.”

And Aspen Leaf Interiors’ Principal Designer, Marcio Decker, comments that you should measure all the areas and ceilings carefully first, to ensure your design is comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, and precise. Sketch a floor plan for the space. If your time and budget allow, consider designing built-in cabinets, daybeds, bookcases, or banquettes that will potentially conceal odd corners and ceiling intrusions. Alternatively, look carefully at the dimensions of the furniture you’re purchasing for the room and think that you’re putting a puzzle together. What are all the functions that can take place in this room? Wall coverings or paint can disguise a weird angle, and lighting can help expand, highlight, or narrow focal points in your design.”

Another important point to consider is creating balance within your space. Yadi Acevedo of Yadesign Interiors suggests, “consider ways to balance the space. If one end of the room has a large architectural feature or oversized furniture piece, you can achieve visual balance with an opposing feature, like an artwork collage series, or evenly spaced floating shelves.” 

Tip 4: Make use of large spaces by dividing them

Sometimes, the room in your home may not be that oddly-shaped. It may just be that it’s too big and you can’t decide the room’s function or flow. Here’s what you can do to make a large space work for your needs. 

Las Vegas, NV, interior design firm International Design House suggests, “Dealing with a complex space in your home, I say: “Divide and conquer.” Decide what is missing, then create it. Use a free-standing room divider to section off an area for a decorative space, office, private lounge, or hobby workstation. Applying decorative molding to the ceiling will visually section off an odd place. Then add a different color of paint or wallpaper to the ceiling in that area. Now you have created your new usable space.” 

Jennifer Janeway Designs advises, “Get creative with how you use an awkward space. As we’ve all shifted to working at home more, functional desk areas are a premium for today’s families. By adding floating shelves and a built-in desk to an awkward corner in a room, you gain an instant productivity zone. Integrated task lighting creates a bright work area, and decorative storage boxes, bins, and folders help to keep everything organized. A fun pop of floral wallpaper and a bit of décor will turn your new workspace into your favorite place for weekday conference calls and answering emails.

Britany Luth of Brit Interior Design Co. also highlights how you can create zones in a large room, saying, “Maximize the function of every square inch of your space by creating intentional zones conducive to supporting your everyday life. If you walk in and drop your things on the counter every day, maybe borrowing a bit of your entry for a custom drop zone is perfect for you. Frame out those zones by using rugs to define your spaces and incorporating as many multipurpose items and hidden storage as possible.”

Tip 5: Ultimately, your space should be warm and inviting

Lighting can make or break your space. But ultimately, it should tie your odd-shaped space together to make it cozy. And don’t forget to add personal touches to the room – it makes all the difference. 

Interior Design by Kimberly states, “First and foremost, consider the lighting. Utilizing the natural light of the space or adding in wall sconces or LED can lighting will help ensure the space feels larger than it is. Secondly, make each area of the room a destination. For example, in a live/work room, put the bedroom area in one space and keep the office area separate and facing out the window to promote tranquility and focus while in the room.”

Eleanora Morrison of ELEANORA, says to design your home to feel warm and inviting. “When I design the spaces in our home, my primary goal is to make them feel warm, eclectic, and collected as opposed to lifeless and manufactured. I recently designed my home office space in a small nook at the top of our staircase. I started by finding a desk and chair on Facebook Marketplace that fit the unique measurements of the space, and I layered it with other objects, textures, and patterns to build an area that felt cozy, creative, and inspiring. I used an area rug under the desk to define the space, made a big editorial mood board that rests on top of the desk (it gives me a visual focal point because there are no windows), and moved a small bookshelf over from our bedroom that closed in the area to make it feel more like a room than an open landing.”

Catherine Montague, Founder and Principal Designer of Montague Design, shares how you can design your space to fit your needs. “You might need to create a multi-functional room or solve the issue of a hallway in the middle of the living space. With multi-functional rooms, using rugs to define the different spaces will help create the different functions. If you decide to have a sitting area and an office, add a rug in the sitting area and place the furniture on it partially. Then place a sofa with two chairs across from it, creating an inviting sitting arrangement. Place the desk in the other part of the room, facing the room if possible, and add a rug under it. Add artwork around your desk area that is different from the artwork in the sitting area, to help define the separate spaces”.

The Pittsburgh, PA, based interior designer continues, “Sometimes a hallway runs through a room and divides it. One area might be much smaller than the other. It might be the perfect opportunity to either turn the smaller one into a small office or a cozy reading area with one or two chairs, a small table, and a lamp. The larger space becomes its own room.”

You can use plenty of strategies to make your odd-shaped room shine while still reflecting your home’s style. With these expert tips in mind, you can create the space of your dreams and enjoy your home or apartment’s unique characteristics. 

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