Decorating a Rectangular Living Room? Here's How to Make it Stylish and Spacious

Decorating a rectangular living room comes with its own set of challenges. The elongated layout can make the space feel narrow and cramped if not designed properly. However, with some thoughtful planning and clever furnishing tricks, you can create a stylish and open rectangular living room perfect for entertaining and everyday life.

Follow these tips to make the most of your rectangular living room layout.

Choose the Right Furniture Layout

When arranging furniture in a rectangular living room, avoid placing pieces in the center of the room. This usually creates a cluttered feel and disrupts the flow of the space. Instead, position most of the seating and storage furniture along the walls.

Placing furnishings like sofas, console tables, and bookshelves against the walls frees up valuable floor space in the middle of the room. This allows for better movement and traffic flow while giving the illusion of a more expansive area.

Use Multifunctional Pieces

Look for furniture that serves multiple purposes when furnishing a narrow living room. Pieces like storage ottomans, benches with hidden compartments, and entertainment units with extra shelving maximize functionality while minimizing clutter.

You can also use the corners of the living room to place multifunctional furnishings like floor lamps with built-in shelves or a secretary desk with a hutch top.

Opt for Furniture with Legs

Furniture like sofas, consoles, and side tables with exposed legs have an airier, lighter visual effect than solid base pieces. Visually, open air space beneath furniture expands the look of a room.

So when choosing seating options and storage pieces, look for items with slim tapered legs in metals, wood or Lucite to maintain an open, uncluttered aesthetic.

Use Lighting Effectively

Proper lighting can make a rectangular living room feel more inviting and visually appealing. Use a combination of natural and artificial lighting to brighten up the space.

Install Pendant Lights in Corners

Hanging pendant lights in the corners of your living room provides both task and ambient lighting. Position them above seating areas to create a cozy atmosphere perfect for reading nooks. Pendants add light without cluttering up the ceiling like a large chandelier might.

Opt for drum or cone shaped pendants to cast light in a downward direction right where you need it most.

Add Wall Sconces for Ambient Lighting

Wall sconces installed at eye level provide soft, ambient lighting to warm up any living room. Place matching sconces on either side of windows or focal points like over the fireplace or TV unit. The addition of wall lighting adds definition and visual interest to living room walls.

Opt for adjustable swing arm sconces to control the direction of light as needed.

Decorate Walls Strategically

With careful planning, you can decorate the walls of a rectangular living room to enhance visual appeal and draw the eye vertically rather than horizontally. Here are some ideas to try:

Hang Mirrors to Visually Expand Space

Oversized square or rectangular mirrors instantly widen the look of a long narrow living room. Place one mirror on a focal wall or hang matching mirrors opposite one another to reflect more light around the room.

Position mirrors across from windows so incoming daylight bounces off the reflective surfaces, brightening up the entire space.

Add Colorful Gallery Walls

Gallery walls with framed photos, prints and mixed media artwork bring visual excitement to plain living room walls. Keep the arrangement minimal for a clean look. Hang pieces in an asymmetrical formation for the best effect.

Go for a colorful palette to enliven a neutral room or choose pieces in analogous tones for a soothing look.

Use Wallpaper or Panelling on Accent Wall

Wallpapering or paneling one wall creates a dramatic accent without overwhelming the room. Choose patterns like vertical stripes or a printed mural to draw the eyes upwards, making the ceiling appear higher than it is.

Mirror panels or reclaimed wood planks also make attractive accent wall options. The textural look adds depth and definition.

Incorporate Greenery

Incorporating plants into your living room decor helps breathe life into the space, while improving indoor air quality. Here are some ideas for adding greenery to a rectangular layout:

Put Tall Leafy Plants in Corners

Floor-to-ceiling palm plants or leafy banana trees make excellent choices for rectangular living room corners. Their vertical shape saves floor space and brings the outdoors inside.

Plants help add height without blocking views or natural light from windows like bulky furniture would.

Display Succulents on Floating Shelves

Floating corner shelves with an assortment of low maintenance succulents add an unexpected living touch without taking up valuable floor space. Their sculptural shapes create visual appeal against bare walls.

Opt for hardy varieties like echeveria, aloe and jade plants that thrive with minimal care.

Add Pops of Color

Use punches of vibrant color throughout the living room to create excitement and balance out neutral hues. Adding colorful accents prevents a sparse, uninviting aesthetic.

Use Patterned Throw Pillows and Blankets

An inexpensive way to incorporate color is with printed toss pillows and cozy throw blankets in bright solids or graphic prints. Arrange them on sofas or chairs to instantly liven up the living room.

Change them up seasonally or when you feel like giving the room a fresh new look.

Choose Vibrant Rugs and Decor

Make a bold statement by laying down a room-size rug in a saturated jewel tone or vibrant pattern. The eye-catching floor covering sets the tone for the rest of the room.

Vases, sculptures or artwork in bold hues also enliven a neutral color scheme.

Paint or Wallpaper a Single Accent Wall

Transform one wall into a focal point by painting or wallpapering it in a dramatic color like emerald green or sapphire blue. Keep the rest of the walls light and neutral so the accent hue really pops.

The color makes the wall a center of attention without overwhelming the entire room.

It's easy to turn a narrow rectangular living room into a stylish space with some thoughtful furniture arrangements, lighting and pops of color. Focus on expanding the layout visually through the strategic use of mirrors, multifunctional furnishings and airy, open designs. The result is a welcoming living room perfect for entertaining or everyday relaxing.