Learn Easy Principles of Interior Design for Problem Rooms

We are looking at the techniques and tricks that real interior designers use to decorate problem rooms...

Here you can learn how to overcome the problems of rooms that are too narrow, or too wide.

But don't worry...

Here are all the interior design tricks and tips you need to find decorating solutions to your awkward shaped room problems.

Remember a narrow, or wide room, can often be the same problem, just viewed from a different angle...


Is your room a long narrow corridor?


You can use this page together with the free downloadable How to Design checklist - keep your design on track.

Principles of Interior Design for Long Narrow Rooms

It might be the hallway, but it doesn't mean it has to look like a corridor!

It's not just hallways that can be a problem, either...

It's quite usual for kitchens to be built in a long, narrow room...

And living-dining rooms are quite often that shape too...

Here we will look at principles of interior design to cope with any long, narrow room...

...plus extra ideas for:

• hallways
• long, narrow kitchens
• long, open-plan living-dining rooms

Some simple principles of interior design will help you to manipulate your space - and do away with the corridor syndrome.

My Top Tips for Long Narrow Rooms

• Paint one of the end walls a dark color
• Paint one of the end walls a warm color (reds, oranges, some warm purples, some warm greens)
• Use wallpaper with a bold or large scale pattern on one of the end walls
• Use a wallpaper with horizontal stripes, or paint horizontal stripes (3 wide ones will do) on one of the end walls...

  Even a single stripe, or a chair-rail or border can help create this 'horizontal' or 'wide' illusion.










• Use mood lighting or ambient lighting
• Use lighting that does not cast too much light up onto the ceiling - down lighters are recommended
• Be careful how you arrange your furniture - don't line it all up down the long walls...

  ...you could end up looking like a waiting room - which is not a look anyone wants to go for!

• Where space allows try bringing furniture into the center of the space - choose smaller pieces if possible, as this will help.









• You could try positioning a rug crossways across your floor to emphasise the width of the room (as long as it doesn't end up looking too 'crammed in').
• Create a focal point in the center of your room - a lovely picture, a large vase of flowers, perhaps.

  This will bring attention to your special piece, and distract attention away from looking at the narrowness of the walls.

More help with understanding the principles of interior design room-by-room:

• Hallways
• Long, narrow kitchens
• Long, open-plan living-dining rooms

Long Narrow Hallway Help

You often expect a hallway to be long and narrow - especially in older houses... but corridor-like hallways and entrance-ways can feel dark, poky and depressing...

We don't want this! Of course not!

We like our homes to be spacious and light-filled, these days - and especially the entrance-way - to get a feeling of happiness when coming home...

Here's what to do to solve the problem...

• Keep paint colors pale:
  • creams
  • whites
  • pale blues and greens - good for adding space and light
  • pale lemons and yellows - good for adding 'brightness' and a cheerful, welcoming feel
• Horizontal stripes along the long walls will only emphasise the length of the room - so steer clear if possible
• It is common for long narrow hallways to have wainscoting, wood-paneling or a chair-rail along long walls...

  My advice for these is to paint in a similar (pale) color to the wall above.

• If you would like to use a different color, always use the darker shade on the bottom.

  Keep the top part of the wall feeling light and airy so that the hallway feels like it opens out into a sense of spaciousness.

• Use mirrors to reflect available light around the hallway
• Hang pictures in 'portrait' rather than 'landscape' positions on your long walls - to emphasise the 'vertical' rather than the 'horizontal' shape of the room.

There is more help for hallways, here...

Also look at the information for decorating small spaces, here...

Reader's long, narrow hallway problems:

Mary wonders about paint and wallpaper for a dark, narrow hallway

Elise paints her wainscoting and ends up with a choc-mint hall

Principles of Interior Design for Long Living-Dining Rooms

...but it had a window only at one end, and was a long narrow space, where it often felt as if the long side walls were closing in on us.

What to do in such a situation?

Here are the main interior design tips for a long narrow living-dining rooms:

• Use the principles above to start your transformation
• The main issues for a long, narrow open-plan living-dining room are with layout...
  • Don't just line furniture up along the walls - instant waiting-room!
  • Try to bring furniture into the center of the room
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  • Position a sofa, open shelving unit or table cross-ways (at a right angle to the long walls) - and use it as a 'divide' between the areas for eating and relaxation

You can get much more information about successful open-plan living-dining rooms, here...

Readers' narrow living-dining rooms:

Janine wonders about layout for her narrow living-dining room

...and so does Luke

Principles of Interior Design for Long Narrow Kitchens

It's actually quite common to have a long, narrow kitchen. So there are lots of kitchens available which have been designed to suit this shape room.

Look for information about galley kitchens which are great for long, narrow rooms.

You can find more information about layouts for long, narrow galley kitchens in the section on the Kitchen Work Triangle

Don't forget to use the basic tips for long, narrow rooms in your kitchen design...

For example, you can paint the end wall a strong color, like this lovely red kitchen...

More Real Readers' Narrow Rooms:

Take a look at Peggy's narrow room

Donna's dark, narrow lounge

Ideas for Bon's narrow living room

Ask your own questions about your problem room...

Don't forget - to add any information that is useful for your own design project onto your free downloadable How to Design checklist

More Problem Rooms

Decorating Small Spaces

Dark Rooms

More help for problem room sizes and proportions

What's Next?

If you've solved all of your room's problems with size or proportion, you can move onto look at layout and arranging furniture

Or look at decorating with color if you haven't already checked this out

Go back to the main 'How to Design' page to make sure you consider all the important questions for your design.

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