The combination of a guest room and a dining room is an excellent design solution not only for small apartments. A living room with a dining area will allow you to make some bright accents, and will also help guests sit comfortably in the apartment for dinner or just friendly gatherings over a board game.
Combining the dining room with the living room makes it possible to get rid of small cramped spaces and end up with a fairly spacious and comfortable space
Rules for creating an interior in the living-dining room
The decision to make a dining area in the living room will allow you to rationally use the available space. The main thing is to immediately decide on the style and color scheme of the room. The design of the dining room and living room in the apartment should be uniform for a harmonious picture. You can look at a photo of the design of the living room-dining room and choose the option you like as a guide.
The design of the living-dining room largely depends on the available space
Living room dining room in a small apartment
The small footage and small number of rooms do not allow making a separate dining room, and you have to install it in the living area. This layout is not always bad; you can choose a convenient location for all the furniture and even save space.
Combining a dining area with a seating area in one room provides more opportunities for family communication
If two rooms are located together, then you need to choose light furniture to visually increase the space.
To make a small room functional, you can install a corner wardrobe, a bar counter and a small sofa in front of the TV. This design will be convenient, the living room dining room will be able to fully fulfill its function.
The photo shows an example of the arrangement of a small living-dining room, made in light colors
Arrangement options for different layouts
How to arrange furniture in the hall depends not only on the lifestyle of the owners, but also on the shape of the room. With the help of the correct arrangement of furniture, the geometry can be adjusted and corrected.
Furnishing a rectangular room
A rectangle is the easiest to furnish; the main task is not to turn it into a narrow carriage. To do this, do not place furniture along opposite walls, leaving the central part empty.
In a rectangular living room, it is most convenient to do zoning. If you divide the space into two squares, in one of which there will be a relaxation area, and in the other for work or eating, the interior will turn out to be harmonious.
The photo shows a modern interior of a rectangular hall
What is the best way to arrange it in a square room?
The most successful solution for maintaining a square shape is a symmetrical or circular layout. Decide on a focal point and arrange furniture around it for a perfectly designed living room.
The photo shows an example of using the symmetry of a square living room
Furniture arrangement in a narrow living room
An initially narrow, long room presents a problem that can easily be aggravated. Therefore, abandon the method of arrangement along one or two elongated walls.
Give preference to asymmetry, use compact furniture (2 small sofas instead of a huge one), choose round and oval shapes.
Mirrors, transverse flooring, horizontal stripes on short sides, light colors and other techniques will also help to visually expand the space.
The photo shows an example of visual expansion of space using furniture
Convenient location for a small room
Your task when decorating a small living room is to take into account the dimensions and not make it even smaller. For these purposes, give up large furniture sets, and also reduce the total number of items.
In a small room there is a corner sofa or a straight ottoman and a couple of armchairs. In the first case, the room is more spacious, but there is no possibility of rearranging it. The second set takes up more space, but remains mobile.
The photo shows a small living room in bright colors
Smart arrangement in a large living room
A huge hall can and should be zoned! Start by identifying functional areas: what do you plan to do in the room besides relaxing? From the answer to this question you will learn a list of additional furniture: a desk, a bed for the bedroom, a wardrobe.
If there are not many objects in the room, focus on their dimensions: allow yourself an impressively sized sofa, a projector instead of a TV, comfortable large armchairs.
In a spacious living room, you don’t need to place all the furniture along the walls - it’s better to group it into zones and place it as ergonomically as possible. For example, the sofa and armchairs are closer to each other and away from the TV.
Examples for a living room with a non-standard layout
Before drawing a plan, decide for yourself: do you want to emphasize or neutralize the features of the room?
If the living room has a sloping corner, it is highlighted with a fireplace and a TV, and the seating is placed opposite.
The highlight of the “wrong” apartment can also be a bay window: in the dining room-living room they place a dining group next to it, in an ordinary one they make a couch out of the window sill and place a bookshelf next to it.
Hiding imperfections is more difficult; for this you will need custom-made furniture: for example, an unusually shaped cabinet will smooth out asymmetrical corners.
Zoning the space in the room
When zoning a living room combined with a dining room, the size and type of the room are taken into account. In a separate room, you can choose the design of the living room dining room to suit your taste, but in the walk-through room you will have to place furniture in limited places.
When combining zones in one space, it is important to correctly separate the living room and dining area
Zone division options
To divide a room into several zones you can use:
- Partitions – cabinets, cabinets.
- Tabletops and bar counters.
- Arches and beams.
- Color accents in furniture.
In a living room with a dining table, you can create a division even with the help of a sofa and carpet, which will symbolize the guest area, and a table and chairs standing on linoleum or parquet will symbolize the dining area.
The choice of zoning tools depends on the area of the room, and the design style determines the features of the implementation of the same techniques
Arrangement rules
How to properly arrange furniture in the living room is the first question you need to ask yourself even before the renovation begins. There is no one perfect formula here, but there are certain rules that must be followed.
- Choose large furniture for spacious rooms and compact furniture for small ones.
- Place the coffee table at a distance of up to 0.5 m from the sofa and armchairs.
- Do not make passes narrower than 0.6 m.
- Place the TV at eye level no further than 3 m from the seats.
- Use transformable cabinet and upholstered furniture for small living rooms.
- Place chairs at such a distance that all interlocutors can hear each other well.
Room decoration
When choosing an interior for the living room and dining room, you need to immediately think about all the details. Choose the type of covering and furniture so that they are in harmony with each other, decide on the color scheme.
When choosing a color palette, use a simple rule - the smaller the room, the lighter the finishing materials should be
Floor finishing
Linoleum, tile and laminate are cheap and durable covering options that are suitable for a combined dining room. Of the more expensive ones, you can take parquet and cover it with carpet in the guest area. You can also use a multi-level floor to separate zones, but this is for those who are not afraid of tripping.
The podium is a convenient and effective way to divide a room into functional zones
Ceiling finishing
An economical and effective option is to make a plasterboard ceiling on two levels. It will be lower in the dining room and higher in the living room to visually enlarge this space. You can also use beams if the room is not three by three meters. In a modern style, contrasting colors are allowed, as long as one of the colors (the largest area) is light.
A two-level ceiling is a convenient option for zoning space, equally well suited for both a cramped room and a spacious room.
Wall decoration
There are no clear criteria or wishes here; a person proceeds from his own budget. The only rule is not to combine two styles and different materials. If in the guest area it is wallpaper with a floral print, then in the dining room there should be no painted walls in the form of a mosaic.
To decorate the walls of a small room, it is better to choose neutral shades from a light color palette
Modern small living room
A small living room in a modern style is, first of all, furniture of simple shapes with a sleek, minimalist finish (no handles). 3-4 colors are currently fashionable. White or gray are often used. This combination looks fantastic with colorful accessories such as pillows, a vase or a pouf.
For a modern living room, we will choose furniture with a lacquered or glass facade or with a glued mirror. Currently, the most fashionable colors for the living room are white, gray, black, pastel colors and natural wood colors.
In a small living room, a sofa in a versatile, bright color (no patterns!) would be great, as long as you make it a main color piece—black, bottle green, or indigo.
Too many additions are certainly not suitable for a small living room, so if you want to add decorative elements to it, let them be items that also have a practical function: airy curtains, pendant lights, statement lamps, a mirror on the wall or unique colorful pillows on the couch.
Creating the necessary lighting in the interior
A living room with a dining area requires good natural and artificial lighting. If there is a choice, then the table is placed closer to the window, and the furniture is forced into a dark corner, where floor lamps or additional lamps can be placed.
Correctly placed lamps automatically become a room zoning tool
It is better to install several lighting systems:
- recessed lamps in the ceiling for intimate light;
- large chandelier for bright lighting;
- a small lamp with soft light in the relaxation area - near the sofa or armchair.
The design of lighting fixtures must correspond to the chosen style direction of the interior
Style directions and colors for the design of the living-dining room
The size of the room and the type of housing do not play a role when choosing a style; it all depends on the taste of the owner of the room.
The atmosphere in the house or apartment depends on the choice of style for the living-dining room. It is important that the interior matches the lifestyle and worldview of the home owners
Modern
The most popular and simple style, which is easy to match with furniture. It has many directions - Art Deco, Provence, Modern, Minimalism. Almost always, the furniture chosen is light, made of plastic, with a minimum of details and small details, everything is modest and stylish. Any color scheme, with bright accents and contrasts.
Modern interiors, such as minimalism or hi-tech, are characterized by simple and laconic forms, a small number of decorative elements
Classical
Often chosen for large rooms and country houses. You can install large soft chairs with a sofa, a massive wooden table and strong chairs with backs. Pastel colors, if contrasts are made, then only in small details. You can make a pattern on the walls, install carved cabinets and even order antique furniture.
Luxurious interior, implemented in a classic style, always looks expensive and elegant
And others
A wide range of styles (Scandinavian, eco-style) makes it difficult to choose furniture and finishing materials. Therefore, if you choose an unusual option, then consultation with a designer is required, who will select everything with taste.
Bright living-dining room in a studio apartment designed in Scandinavian style
Spacious living-dining room with bar counter in eco-style
Design styles for a kitchen combined with a living room
Let's take a look at three of the hottest modern design styles that love large spaces.
Remember, you don’t have to adhere to any style perfectly; you can simply take its idea and individual elements.
Scandinavian style
Current, practical, cozy and inexpensive to implement, a modern design style is ideal for a kitchen-living room. For brightness, colors are added with textiles and furniture. White, gray and wood finishing are the base. Dirty pink, dirty blue and mustard are accents. Interesting style without kitsch.
The basis is natural materials, the colors are white and wood.
By the way, we are in:
Loft
Still relevant in 2022, the style is best for combining the living room and kitchen. The combination gives a large free space, exactly what the loft needs. Nowadays the classic definition is no longer relevant, and loft refers to any interior where there are not hidden technical aspects. Concrete, brickwork, exposed wiring - it's beautiful. If this seems strange to you, the photos will convince you.
Loft loves surfaces with a heterogeneous structure, such as brick or concrete. And surfaces with a non-uniform texture love light that is directed along them. Due to heterogeneity, contour light creates shadows, and the surface looks three-dimensional.
Although initially everyone perceives this style with suspicion, it has already burst into modern design and has even become fashionable by 2022. Nowadays they don’t just stop hiding rough finishing materials, they are now imitating them. It would seem crazy to imitate dirty concrete with smudges and traces of formwork using expensive decorative plaster. But this is exactly what a good third of orders from decorators sound like now, and there will be even more of them.
If not a full-fledged brutal loft, then at least its elements are worth using. Read how to make a loft-style kitchen in an ordinary apartment.
Choosing furniture for the interior of the living-dining room
Must be:
- table and chairs;
- sofa or soft chairs;
- small coffee table;
- shelves or cabinet.
All this will not take up much space and will easily fit even into a small apartment. If the space of the room allows, then you can cover the free space with a fluffy carpet, put a chest of drawers or a bookcase. The furniture material is selected based on the style of the room.
The dimensions of the dining room and upholstered furniture are selected relative to the total area and shape of the room
Different sets of furniture look good if the chairs and table are from one set, the sofa and armchairs are from another, but everything is done in the same tone.
Upholstered furniture is often used to zone a room. For example, a sofa will clearly mark the boundary between two territories if you place it with its back to the dining area
Dining room lighting
Well-designed lighting is essential in a dining room. To properly illuminate the table and its surroundings, you must carry out the electrical installation in advance. This is why the dining room is often located next to large windows that provide natural light. Above the table there can be one lamp located in the center and high, which will brighten the table well.
An interesting option is a lamp or a series of lamps located low above the tabletop, which will provide “intimate” lighting. Around the table on the walls of the dining room you can place sconces that provide discreet light.
Examples of room decoration
You can look at the photo of the dining room combined with the living room to find out the different views. There are now a lot of options and it’s easy to choose even according to a template or take a specific living room as an example of a color scheme. See what details you like, what repels you, and choose the ideal option for yourself.
Carved details, openwork elements, expensive textiles - this decor is suitable for decorating a room in the Baroque, Empire or Art Deco style
Antique objects, vintage lamps, handmade wooden products - suitable decor for a living-dining room in country or Provence style
Photos of successful examples of the interior of a living room combined with a dining room
Connecting the zones is a good solution, which many people are now resorting to. Look how interesting and unusual it looks. A room of any size can be easily furnished so that it does not lose its functionality.
A modern studio apartment in which only conventional elements are used to divide the space
The interior of the dining room-living room, in which minimalism is successfully diluted with loft elements
Spacious living-dining room in loft style
Dining area in the living-dining room, decorated in high-tech style
Now there is no need to sacrifice space and street light, no need to separate guests from the owners of the house while the latter are setting the table. A place for eating and guests in the same room is an ideal solution to a lot of problems.
Style
Today there is no strict framework for following a certain direction. Eclecticism and individualism are encouraged. But mixing different styles so that it looks harmonious, with rare exceptions, only a professional designer can do. If you do not want to take risks, then try to adhere to the chosen concept and the simple rules listed below:
- follow the chosen style throughout the room - both in the kitchen area and in the living room area;
- stick to a single color scheme, placing color accents in the right places.
Let's look at the most current and popular destinations.
Modern
The modern design of the kitchen-living room gravitates towards simplicity, clear and geometric lines, and laconic forms. Basic shades are always relevant - gray, white, black, beige, which in varying degrees of saturation can make up monochrome interiors.
A modern kitchen-living room is a room where there is nothing superfluous: a minimum of decor, a maximum of light and free space. Therefore, for a small room this is the most suitable design option.
Provence
The French country theme will be appreciated by lovers of romantic interiors and outdoor recreation. Therefore, this style is especially relevant for decorating country houses and dachas.
For the best ideas for decorating the interior of a kitchen-living room in the Provence style, see a separate article - go.
Art Deco
The brilliant brainchild of neoclassical and modern, art deco is an exquisite combination of steel, glass, leather, mirrors and silk. All this may well end up in your kitchen combined with the living room.
The originality of the style is manifested in strong lighting, the play of light and shadows, multi-stage design, contrasting stripes or cages. But the style decoration of the room will be considered complete and fully consistent with the style, provided that the interior contains objects of art and elements of luxury.
High tech
Are you nervous about new technologies and high-tech systems? Then a high-tech design is more suitable for you.
It has:
- strict lines;
- straight, simple, but at the same time very functional designs;
- monotony with small rich accents;
- minimum of natural materials;
- chrome elements;
- high ergonomics;
- no textiles;
- smooth surfaces of furniture, walls, floors and ceilings.
Well, if modern trends are not to your liking, let's go back to the roots.
Scandinavian
To make the kitchen-living room in the Scandinavian style cozy, do not be afraid to add color accents characteristic of this style - red, yellow, blue, light blue, green. Wooden surfaces in the design of flooring, countertops, and dining tables will add warmth and neutralize the cold asceticism of Scandi.
Neoclassical
Have you already seen that most modern music carries classical motifs? Something similar is happening with apartment design, where classic elements take on a stylish and modern look.
Restraint, neatness, symmetry, mirrors, stucco molding, monograms, a little antiquity combined with modern materials and forms - this is what characterizes neoclassicism. This is a wonderful and most suitable choice for connoisseurs of elegance and tradition.
Modern
Especially for refined natures, connoisseurs of exclusive products and accessories, we will consider a fabulous version of the Art Nouveau style (Tiffany).
Imagine it as if in a classic kitchen combined with a living room. Now you asymmetrically stretch the doors and furniture, giving them curved shapes, add stained glass instead of glass, optical illusions on the walls and ceiling, and make the combination of white and blue colors dominant. You're almost there!
American Art Nouveau - and Tiffany also bears this name - is characterized by simplicity, elegance, practicality, and the presence of the latest technologies and objects of applied art.
Country
Having considered Provence - a type of French country - it would be unfair not to pay attention to other national village styles, united by the simplicity and comfort of design. The meaning of style is the ability to escape from the bustle of the city by simply returning home.
All that remains is to choose a country that is close to your soul - your native one or a distant but beloved one. It turns out that there are many types of country music - Russian, Italian, Indian, Egyptian, American, Japanese, and they differ in objects, materials and colors.
But here's what they have in common:
- eco materials;
- antique, vintage items;
- knitted, patchwork, hand-made textiles;
- authentic decor items;
- often - a round wooden table with a “great-grandmother’s” tablecloth.
Classic style
If you:
- are obliged to correspond to high status in everything;
- want to emphasize your noble origin;
- you simply do not accept changes and are not ready to part with antique interior items;
- Do you consider decor an integral part of comfort?
– think about decorating in a classic style.
It accepts expensive, noble materials in the decoration of floors, ceilings, walls and furniture, a symbiosis of laconicism and decorativeness, elegance and strict symmetry of forms.
A classic kitchen combined with a living room is and will remain timeless, as these photos will confirm.
Loft
The loft style for the kitchen-living room is one of the most suitable, as it originally originated in free, spacious industrial premises. Here it is better to abandon partitions, and use techniques with furniture arrangement and lighting as zoning.
For information on how to create an ideal loft-style interior, see a separate article - go to.
Minimalism
Minimalism is modern elegance, functionality, monochrome, maximum open space and minimum decor.
The kitchen-living room in the minimalist style is characterized by straight furniture facades, strict geometric shapes and smooth, non-textured surfaces. If your life credo is “nothing superfluous,” perhaps this style was invented especially for you!
