Living room 18 sq. m. is often found in panel houses and in “Khrushchev” buildings, so experienced designers have developed many original solutions for arranging such a room. The main condition for success is the creation of a comfortable and beautiful space designed for relaxation of all family members and receiving guests. It is based on a rational approach to organizing space with the efficient use of every square centimeter of space. As a standard example, it makes sense to consider rooms in the shape of a regular square or rectangle.
Brief overview of the article
Square room layout
The square shape makes it possible to choose ergonomic furniture that will fit well along the walls, which will allow you to save free space in the middle of the room. Living room design 18 sq. m. in the shape of a square allows you to practically arrange the room, while showing a creative approach. When placing furniture, you can use one tricky trick. If possible, upholstered furniture is installed along the wall opposite the window. In this case, the person in the room perceives it as more illuminated by natural light.
Corner sofas or upholstered furniture with the possibility of transformation will help to practically use the space of the room. Classic sofas and armchairs, unfortunately, will take up too much space.
Another technique for properly arranging a room of this type involves the use of wardrobes, as well as sliding doors at the entrance to the living room.
The best solution for decorating a small room is a light color palette. This rule applies not only to walls, it applies to textile elements and furniture. Milky, vanilla, white, cream, beige, sand colors will add comfort to the room. In addition, a bright living room will seem more spacious.
When choosing types of lighting, it is important to pay special attention to the central lamp. There should be enough light from it to cover the entire room. The modern living room has 18 sq. m. should be provided with central (top), zonal lighting, as well as effective decorative lighting.
Lighting
It’s easy to zone a space using a variety of products. LED strip, table and wall lamps of different designs can clearly and unobtrusively separate the sleeping area from the guest area. At the same time, flows of light in different directions will give the atmosphere uniqueness and visually delimit the room.
Lighting is another easy way to separate rooms
Paired installation of sconces or floor lamps in the sleeping area will replace natural lighting. A chandelier or a row of spotlights is the center, and spotlights illuminating paintings or photographs create a cozy atmosphere in the living area.
Color scheme and design ideas
Modern style leads the list of the most suitable trends for decorating a room with an area of 18 square meters. It is practical because it allows you to harmoniously combine details from different directions in order to create a comfortable space. When arranging a room, it is recommended to abandon unnecessary elements in order to preserve free space. To highlight individual zones, it is appropriate to add color contrasts against the background of the overall light palette of the interior.
Loft-style design involves unfinished brick walls and wooden interior details. A minimum of furniture and soft lighting will result in a comfortable room. The style involves the bare minimum of necessary furniture, and living plants and original paintings as decoration.
Practical living room 18 sq. m. with a sofa is easy to decorate in Scandinavian style. The characteristic features of “Scandi” include natural materials in decoration, natural colors with a predominance of white, and high-quality lighting.
A minimalist direction would be a good option. Refusal of decor and unnecessary pieces of furniture in favor of functional products with the possibility of transformation will allow you to use the space of the room with maximum benefit.
Setting up an office or workplace in a small apartment
Often in small apartments in the living room there is space for a mini-office or a child’s work area. It is very important that this zone does not stand out from the general space, but fits harmoniously into it.
The work area can be fenced off with a partition or a lighter structure - a shelving unit, as if isolating it from the living room space.
Another solution for a mini-office or a small workshop in the living room is to place them in a closet or in a niche, complemented by special lighting. At the end of the work, the table and chair are moved into the interior space, the doors are closed, and the interior of the room, with an area of 18 square meters, again has a single function - that of a living room.
Due to the impossibility of allocating a separate space for an office, it is often arranged in the bedroom. In order not to interfere with your other half's rest, it is still better to isolate the work area. Partiers made of thick fabric are ideal as partitions and light barriers.
Decoration Materials
The choice of finish depends on the style of the living room.
Wallpaper remains the most popular material for wall decoration. Light-colored with a plain surface or vertical stripes, they will help to visually enlarge the space by correcting its geometry.
For flooring, laminate or linoleum is most often used. It is important to choose the shade and texture of the material to match the overall decor of the room.
It is recommended to make the ceiling light and monochromatic, abandoning complex multi-tiered structures. With the help of lighting around the perimeter, its height can be visually increased.
Thus, it is not difficult to equip 18 square meters. m. comfortable, stylish and functional space for the whole family.
Studio apartments
A distinctive feature of studio apartments, which have been fashionable lately, is the absence of partitions. The exception is the partitions of bathrooms and bedrooms. The option of a one-room studio apartment is suitable for people living alone, or for a family consisting of no more than two people, since a single space does not imply privacy - everything and everyone is in sight. As a rule, such housing is chosen by creative and active people, young couples or bachelors.
A studio apartment is usually not overloaded with furniture; the room is only visually divided into zones. And initially a small living room of 16-18 or even 20 square meters. m. becomes more spacious due to the addition of a kitchen and hallway (in whole or in part).
Nowadays, thanks to redevelopment, small apartments in Khrushchev-era buildings are increasingly being converted into studio apartments. Agree that it is much more pleasant to live in a spacious room than in a small space squeezed by walls and ceiling.
An opening is made (after appropriate approvals) between the living room and the kitchen, and the passage from the corridor to the kitchen is closed. A refrigerator is installed in the resulting niche in the kitchen, and on the side of the corridor you can make a small pantry or closet.
Photo of living room design 18 sq. m.
TOP 14 recommendations for combined premises
1 refuse bulky furniture;
2avoid models with an elaborate design;
3choose cabinets and shelves with glass inserts or through ones with high legs;
4do not use wallpaper and window curtains with large images for wall cladding, so as not to visually reduce the space;
5use plain materials for background design;
6an excellent accent for a certain area - a panel or a photo gallery;
7use roller curtains instead of classic ones;
8 solid glass partitions will create the impression of an ultra-fashionable interior;
9 for sufficient lighting it is better to use transparent materials;
10it is necessary to choose products made of tempered glass that do not form sharp fragments;
11 stained glass or tinted surfaces will protect the bedroom from bright light;
12 purchase a podium with full-roll-out guides that can withstand more weight;
13use furniture without legs to make the room visually more spacious;
14 use soft ottomans instead of armchairs.
An original way of zoning
Where is the best place to put the bed?
If there is a bay window, the sleeping area is usually placed there, and the guest area in the rest of the space. The area of the bay window, which is usually slightly larger than the dimensions of a double bed, does not allow doing the opposite.
Designate a place for the bed so that it does not disturb you or your guests
In other cases, it is better to place the sleeping area in the farthest corner from the doorway because this is the least accessible area in the room. In addition, the presence of natural light does not play a special role for sleep. Wall and ceiling light sources, sconces and table lamps perform its functions perfectly.
A common method is to install a bed behind the backs of a pair of chairs or a rectangular sofa . With this layout, we look at the decor of the wall surface at the head of the bed.
Popular method of dividing into zones
When using a low through shelving, the bedroom is located both at the entrance to the room and next to the window.
What furniture to choose?
The most common option for a combined bedroom and living room is transformable furniture, which significantly saves space in the room. Beds built into a closet and models combined with a sofa or chair are quite popular. Thanks to a special mechanism, they are easy to fold, unfold and move.
The photo shows a loft bed in the interior of a living room with a sleeping area.
It is recommended to give preference to multifunctional furniture that has hidden storage spaces, as well as to rationally use the space under the ceiling.
For example, a loft bed or a hanging bed, which can be lowered down only at night and raised up during the day, will ideally fit into a high room.
The photo shows a bedroom and living room, equipped with a folding transforming bed.
Children's room and living room in one room: creating a comfortable interior
In the process of arranging a children's area in the living room, you can use almost all of the above techniques. Partitions, screens, multi-level floors and ceilings, curtains - everything is acceptable. The age of the child matters. For a preschooler, 5-6 m² is enough; over the years, the number of meters needed will increase. This point must be taken into account when planning.
It is worth highlighting several conditions that should be observed when creating a children's area in the living room:
- the partition, in addition to its direct purpose, must protect the child from intense light penetrating from the guest area;
- the presence of a window in the part of the room where the space for children is equipped is mandatory;
- the difference in floor levels in the children's and guest areas should not create problems when moving;
- When designing an area for a child, you should use practical, easy-to-clean materials.
Many interior design ideas for living rooms and bedrooms may well become the basis for creating your own design project. There are many options on the Internet for living rooms combined with children’s rooms, the design of which does not require changes: with small isolated corners for infants, with loft beds for schoolchildren, with fairly large areas for teenagers, including all the necessary furniture.
Sliding doors
This design has an advantage over conventional doors. The product range allows the buyer to choose not only the material from which the sliding door will be made, but also the design of the door.
Frames are mainly made of chipboard, PVC, and wood. The canvases are mainly plastic, glass, and wooden boards.
Options with different patterns and designs, as well as material combinations, are also available. The sliding design most often has a standard linear shape, but corner or semicircular doors can also be produced upon request.
