Living room and bedroom in one room have become a fashionable design move for small apartments and houses. By wisely dividing one standard room into two completely different zones, you can get a fairly secluded resting place and a cozy living room. This tandem (bedroom-living room) is a good solution for small city apartments and for families with children. By placing the bedroom on the far side of the room and visually separating it from “unnecessary views”, you can put the child to sleep and continue doing your business or watching TV in the living area. You don’t have to pack up your bed every morning just because “someone might come in.” To create comfort, in addition to choosing the right zoning method, you will need to pay attention to the selection of optimal furniture and the interior of a room in which you can fully relax and spend time with friends.
Room zoning
Both zones should look like “halves” of one whole, obey the unity of style, but have their own individuality. The simplest, “roughest” design solution is considered to be the installation of a solid partition, that is, an ordinary wall. It is finished, covered with wallpaper, hung with photo collages, thematic paintings, and hanging shelves. This option is too “straightforward”, and the already small space will lose its “airiness” and lightness. Partial decorative partitions look good. For example, an arch with a soft curve, to which delicate beaded curtains are attached, will play the role of an illusory “demarcation line”. Simple curtains shouldn’t be written off either: you can tie them up during the day and curtain your bedroom at night.
In modern design, the idea of installing through shelving is popular. The rack fits harmoniously into the interior if its color is matched to the tone of the wall decoration and the rest of the furniture. It is better if it “stretches” all the way to the ceiling, since in this case the delimiter divides the space completely, leaving no hope of “merging” the two rooms. In general, in such combined options it is not recommended to use cabinets, cabinets and other “closed” pieces of furniture for storing things. Shelving can be installed not only between zones, but also in the living room itself. They help add lightness to an already limited room and visually expand it. It is convenient to zone the space if we are talking about a rectangular room. If the room is square, designers recommend abandoning the division and, for example, combining a bed with a sofa or placing a sofa at the “foot” of the bed. Alternative options use a portable screen, which, if not needed, can be easily assembled and placed in the far corner.
It is important to know! Such an original solution will significantly save space, which is “vitally” necessary in standard one-room apartments in old Khrushchev-era buildings, for example. The apartments in them are of the same type and there can be no talk of a wide “scope”. In private houses, living rooms are usually combined with a dining area, and bedrooms with boudoirs.
Features of the interior of the bedroom and living room 18 sq. m.
The main feature of the interior design of the bedroom and living room is the proper combination of these two rooms. This takes into account many factors, which include:
- the need to comply with ergonomic rules;
- use of combined furniture;
- zoning of space;
- visual zoning of space;
- elements of increased comfort.
Zoning involves separating the sleeping area from the general area by artificial partitions (parts of walls, cabinets, shelves, etc.). Visual zoning is the highlighting of certain zones with distinct colors that sharply contrast with each other.
An accordion partition easily separates the bedroom from the living room
The most practical zoning option, which does not require material costs, would be to use a cabinet or rack
Elements that will increase comfort are partitions made in the form of sliding doors, curtains, curtains and tulle.
Such measures are necessary for a person’s beneficial rest at night, as well as to hide the sleeping area from the eyes of visiting guests.
Transparent furniture helps make the interior more spacious
If an apartment was purchased relatively recently in a new building, then most likely its internal layout will be combined. In this case, you will have the opportunity to decorate the interior yourself in any way. When renovating an old Khrushchev building, you cannot do without drastic measures related to the dismantling of the internal wall.
Furniture layout
Before renovating and decorating the premises, a detailed design project for a bedroom-living room with an area of 18 square meters is developed. m. Each square meter in a limited space must have its own functional purpose. Avoid an abundance of small parts and a large number of furnishings. If a bed, then a transforming bed; if it’s a sofa, then a folding sofa; If it's a table, then it's multifunctional. In the sleeping area, adhere to the golden rule of minimalism when choosing furniture: a bed, a pouf or two armchairs and a compact bedside table are enough.
In the guest area, only the basic furniture elements are placed, which are vital for proper rest and convenient holding of guest “audiences”. This is where you should put a soft, cozy sofa, which, if necessary, will be folded out and become another sleeping place for those guests who have nowhere to go at night. A small, low table and a couple of armchairs will allow you to organize leisure time or read away from the noisy “sofa” company. Open shelving will accommodate books, trinkets and functional items. As an alternative, niches in the walls are sometimes used, which are designed not only along the perimeter, but also on the partition between zones. Of course, the question will arise about storage space for your wardrobe. If you still decide on a closet, it is better to use a corner one. It is not so noticeable, and visually “eats up” a tiny space so imperceptibly that it does not at all spoil the microclimate in the room.
It is important to know! The popular Art Deco style can save even tiny rooms. In a small living room, instead of a sofa, it is enough to place a couch with soft blue velor upholstery. The couch is decorated with a pair of pillows and a casually thrown plain blanket. Several compact poufs in light shades with floral patterns will replace massive armchairs. A white through shelving unit made of wood, which rests on a gray wall with rough-textured wallpaper, will become a spacious place to store “all sorts of things.” The picture is completed by a couple of touches in the form of neat lamps on the shiny decorative tiles of the walls.
Screen
A sliding screen is a decorative design. Installed where there is no need for a static partition. The screen can be removed or removed at any time.
The design is based on several frames. Made from wood and other popular materials:
- Rattan;
- Bamboo;
- Rice paper;
- Grace.
Quite often, interior screens are used for oriental-style rooms. The design is easy to move from place to place; this is a common option for dividing a room into zones.
In order for the charm to transmit light, transparent materials are used in which light shades are used. The disadvantage of the design is the lack of sound insulation between rooms. The screen should fit harmoniously into the interior.
Color design
For such a small room, which has two functions at once, it is better to use pastel colors. They can be combined with bright shades, but the emphasis should be on light wall decoration. Typical apartments with low ceilings (Brezhnevka, Khrushchev) will have to be “inflated” with the help of lighting and light shades of the top. Colors can also be “woven” into the zoning of space. For example, the same divided wall can be decorated in different colors to emphasize its different functional purposes. Designers love to “play” with such combinations:
- Lilac, gray;
- Blue, beige;
- Burgundy, coral;
- Mint, gray;
- Black, yellow;
- Orange, gray;
- Green, beige;
- Blue, walnut;
- Purple, yellow.
Any of these duets will look harmonious with white and any shades of pastel colors.
Innovative ideas in design
To increase the usable space, the living space is combined with a balcony.
Free space can be arranged for a desk, dressing room, bar counter.
If the loggia is spacious enough, this space can be turned into a sleeping area. This eliminates the need to install a dividing wall.
In order to connect a living space to a loggia, you need to carry out all the necessary work on insulation, glazing, and installation of heated floors.
Using the same color scheme on the balcony will look like one common room, but at the same time it will allow you to turn the living room into a hall.
Lighting
Try to avoid heavy, bulky chandeliers that used to be so popular to hang in the center of the room. Firstly, there are now two “centers” in the bedroom-living room. Secondly, all the efforts in playing with color will come to naught if a standard chandelier appears. This should be taken into account even if the room is decorated in an elaborate Rococo or Empire style. It is better to use elegant sconces or luxurious lamps, abandoning the “central” lighting. Modern styles use spot lighting around the entire perimeter of the room. Miniature light bulbs are also placed on the shelves, as if illuminating their contents. Don’t be afraid to “play” with metal surfaces, imitation metal and glass, if you need to make a room of eighteen square meters. even more spacious. In the living area, which is decorated in one of the modern “cold” styles, it is allowed to use “cold” light. Softer lighting is installed in the bedroom.
It is important to know! Multi-stage lighting, in which devices are placed at different levels, is also welcome. But be careful with this option: you can unconsciously highlight the shortcomings of the room, hiding the advantages. If you do not know how to calculate the finished result of such design in the future, then it is better to contact specialists.
Windows and doors
Most designers advise installing large floor-to-ceiling windows. This French version will harmoniously resonate not only with traditional Provence, but also with modern Scandinavian style, chaotic eclecticism or restrained art deco. Do not clutter up the beautiful view with heavy curtains. There will be enough light curtains that will cover you from the eyes of curious passers-by, but will not prevent you from admiring the views. It is better to choose window frames in classic white. When developing the design of a room of 18 sq.m. The bedroom-living room does not lose sight of such an important point as the color scheme of the curtains. It should resonate with the overall style, but a couple of tones lighter than the colors chosen as the main ones. If it is not possible to change the windows, then simply change the frames and get rid of the window sills. They lose their functionality if a special stand for a couple of flower pots is placed in the room. Therefore, it is enough to leave “bare” windows, which in their “nakedness” are ideal for decorating a bedroom in a minimalist or high-tech style.
Podium
This is the most interesting way to divide a room. A podium in the interior will not only be a decoration, but also an excellent place to store things that can be hidden behind the stairs. You can buy a podium or make it yourself.
To do this you will need:
- Make a project.
- Select a material.
- Create a frame and cover it.
Decorative finishing.
We use the loggia
The balcony or loggia adjacent to the bedroom-living room is used as additional space. They serve as a continuation of the bedroom or become another, third functional area. On the balcony there are offices, cozy places for relaxing and drinking tea, mini-dining rooms or gardens blooming at any time.
What exactly this “addition” of several meters will turn into will depend entirely on the designer. Placing a dining room and an office with an exit from the bedroom remains an amateur decision. Another thing is a garden that will wake you up in the morning with pleasant aromas, or a resting place with a good view. The latter is relevant for apartments on the upper floors and beautiful views of the park, forest or street.
Doors and window frames are removed if the balcony is well insulated. The partition under the window frame can be left and used as a stand, or removed completely, thereby expanding the passage. Properly installed lighting, a narrow sofa with a mountain of pillows, a couple of poufs and a coffee table will surround you with coziness and allow you to create a soft and warm corner for adult gatherings from a “Soviet-era closet.”
Redevelopment options
The simplest redevelopment solution would be to combine a room and a balcony. If the living room is combined with a loggia, it is enough to insulate it, glass it and remove the internal partition. This wall is not load-bearing, so it can be easily demolished if necessary.
However, if there is no balcony, it will not be possible to increase the living room area. In this case, the main redevelopment will be carried out inside the room. However, even with the original 18 squares, you can create an unusual and multifunctional interior. This can be done through zoning.
Closet ideas
If there is an acute shortage of space in the house, and there is a whole “heap” of things, then classic wardrobes can easily be replaced by a single mini-room. In the dressing room, any girl will place the entire “assortment” of her things: from fur coats to summer sundresses and shoes. In children's bedrooms, the dressing room will accommodate not only clothes, but also toys.
The dressing room is considered a universal “closet” for things of different kinds. It unloads space, but it is quite difficult to fit such an additional room in the bedroom-living room. It is installed in the sleeping area, since relatively free space remains only there. Dressing rooms are placed against the wall opposite the bed. The narrow wall of the dressing room is used as an additional “delimiter” of functional areas and is decorated with niches with decorative souvenirs or “various-sized” photos suspended on chains and ribbons. The level of the front wall of the dressing room should coincide with the level of the location of the main element of space zoning.
Interior decoration of the room
Particular attention is paid to furniture in the bedroom and living room. It should be universal, fold up or hide in niches. Any space that can be used for storing linen and things must be used without fail.
A folding sofa will help combine the living room and bedroom in one room
A movable wall is an interesting solution for a small room
Interesting. Even the window sill can participate in organizing the interior decoration of the living room. Depending on which area the window is located, it can be a desktop, a soft place for reading books, or the main element of room decor, harmoniously furnished with flower plantings in several rows.
A small workplace can be equipped by simply making the window sill wider
The bed on the podium looks chic and will allow you to organize a convenient storage system
If your living room has a high ceiling, then you can make a structural element in the second tier. It is most convenient to organize a sleeping place at the top. If you live in your own home, then such a place can be transformed by a window in the ceiling of the building. In rainy weather, you will feel a surge of romantic feelings watching drops of water rolling down to the edge of the window frame.
