Modernise Your Home With These Long And Narrow Living Room Ideas

Designing a long, narrow living room layout can be tricky. Our quick guide will help you make an informed decision.

Wondering how you can make the most of a long, narrow living room? Each element in the long living room can be worked upon to make it more aesthetically appealing and optimally functional. Let’s discuss each interior design element in more detail for clarity. 

Furniture Placement in A Long Living Room

• Utilise the room’s corners efficiently by placing a single or a pair of armchairs, side tables and a small coffee table to create a relaxing reading nook. 
• Place your sofa furniture across the room’s width rather than along the long walls. This will push your walls outward and make them feel visually more expansive.
• Create specific zones within the large living room to create two different conversation areas, like a dedicated TV-watching area or a book-reading nook. Use lights and area rugs to make it look intentional. 
• Scale the furniture to fit a long living room design, but ensure that you do not block walking pathways or crowd the room unnecessarily. 
• Ensure that the furniture arrangement is in the middle of the room, leaving the sides as ‘open’ and ‘free’. This also helps you create two narrow walkways on either side of the furniture placement. 
• You can also opt for alternate furniture groupings so that the traffic flow forms an ‘S’ shape. 
• Add storage with shelves and closed doors to keep the room from collecting too much visual clutter.   
• When furnishing a long living room, pay attention to both the width and the depth of the sofa. 
• Use furniture with soft, rounded edges that de-emphasise the visually harsh long horizontal lines, such as a circular coffee table, ottoman, small round tables, etc. 

Decorating a Narrow Living Room

A narrow living room benefits from the fact that you can glance at the space in one go only so that every decor element gets equal attention. However, the ground rule is to get the decor to look ‘just right’ and stay high on the style quotient. There are many ways in which you can achieve this, such as:

• Hang decorative mirrors on the walls to make your narrow living room look more airy and bright. Choose from a wooden frame or an iron frame. 
• Accentuate your large windows with sheer curtains to bring in sufficient natural light during the day, and pair them with thick curtains for privacy during the night hours. 
• Add some medium-to-tall potted plants to bring a touch of natural greenery into the narrow living room. This will enhance the visual height of your living room without obstructing the eye-level view of the space. 
• Do not go overboard with artwork on the walls, as it creates more visual clutter. Instead, opt for wall murals, which look way more attractive as a long living room wall decorating idea. 
• Liven up your long and narrow living room dramatically by splashing a pop of colour here and there in the form of throws, cushions, pouffes, upholstery and colourful laminates. 

Choosing the Perfect Lights for a Rectangular Living Room

• A ceiling fan with inbuilt lights is a super space saver since it combines two functions into one. 
• A false ceiling for a long living room with cove and recessed lights brightens the space.  
• A ceiling hugger chandelier or pendant lights illuminate the corners of the living room perfectly. 
• A spotlight, sconce light or floor lamp adds warmth and a distinctive character to your living room. 

Finalising the Flooring and Walls for a Small, Narrow Living Room

• Opt for light-coloured, wide-sized floor tiles/planks as they create a seamless appearance.
• If you already have dark-coloured flooring, go in for a light-coloured floor carpet or rug.
• Use a mix of vibrant wallpaper and neutral paints to accentuate the walls of a long living room. 

Scroll through our collection of the most stunning long and narrow living room design ideas for modern homes and get inspired for your next project. 

False Ceiling for the Long Living Room

This long and narrow living room with the dining room combination is an absolute treat to the eyes. A single light grey fabric sofa with an armchair is placed along the wall to create a visual separation between the two zones. The yellow & black-patterned area rug and cushions lend a striking contrast to the furniture. The sliding door leading to the balcony and the false ceiling cove lights allow ample light to enter and brighten up the space.

Farmhouse-Style Long & Narrow Living Room

This farmhouse-style long and narrow living room has a very rustic appearance, thanks to the angular ceiling with wooden beam panels and the weathered-finish accent tiles on the wall. The vertical space in the room has been maximised by installing display wall shelves at different heights to give a sense of depth and drama to the entire setting. The beige-coloured furniture, curtains, and art decor reflect the aesthetic beauty of the space. 

Floral Long Rectangular Living Room Ideas

This rectangular room showcases a brown-shaded, geometric-patterned area rug and colourful floral-printed cushions across the length of the sofa. The green plants also add elegance and a unique charm to the space. The off-white floor tiles, the centre table, and the white walls provide the perfect base for the other decor elements to pop out visually. An L-shaped arrangement reduces the apparent length of the room.

Modern & Luxurious Long & Narrow Living Room

This long and narrow living room looks simple yet modern and luxurious owing to the installation of innovative interior design solutions in the space, such as the muted wallpaper on the adjacent walls, the large windows with sheers and draped curtains, the floating cabinet with translucent doors, and much more. The tall floor lamp makes it easy to read your favourite books during the evening and night hours.   

Nautical Small, Narrow Living Room

This small and narrow living room oozes nautical vibes in the blink of an eye, thanks to the blue sofa and armchair with a comfortable pouffe to rest the legs. The sheer curtains provide the much-needed privacy and make the space look larger. The tall reading lamp and the recess lights accentuate the aesthetics, too. 

Wrapping Up

We hope these long and narrow living room ideas have inspired you enough to take the next step if you’re planning a renovation or redesign of your home. If you have doubts or queries, you can book a free consultation with the interior designers at DesignCafe, and they’ll help you with customised designs. Good luck!

FAQs On Long And Narrow Living Room Ideas

Where should you put your television in a long, narrow living room?

• Move the television to the side wall.
• Keep the TV over a mantel fireplace.
• Install the television over a long console.

What common mistakes must you avoid in a long & narrow living room?

• Installing large, oversized furniture can overwhelm a narrow space and make it look cluttered.
• Lining your furniture along the walls can create an ‘alley’ effect, which hinders daily traffic flow.
• Not experimenting with the ‘layering’ concept of artificial lights and regulating natural lights.
• Overlooking the advantage of maximising vertical space as it can create the illusion of height.

What kind of sofa designs are best for a long, narrow living room?

• A corner sofa with/without a chaise
• An L-shaped sofa or a sectional sofa
• A sofa with legs and low/slim arms
• A love seat (seating furniture for two)
• A multi-functional sofa with storage