If you think through the interior carefully, then even the design of a room of 12 sq.m. may be more advantageous and aesthetically pleasing than a large room. Using advice from experienced designers and people who have furnished small homes with their own hands, you can create an attractive and functional design for even a very small room.
Yes, for some people, arranging a limited space can be an overwhelming task, because sometimes the only room in the apartment has such an area. Therefore, it is important to delimit all zones of the room with maximum benefit, which is what we will deal with today.
Room design 12 sq. m
Increased space
As strange as it may sound, a small room can be made much more spacious. Of course, this will require effort, time and money, but the result will be well worth the effort.
There are two ways to enlarge the living room: demolish the wall (part of the wall) separating it from the balcony, or attach an adjacent room to it. In the first option, the balcony will have to be additionally insulated; in the second, residents will lose a separate room. And in any case, the redevelopment will have to be legalized by the relevant services. This must be done before all work begins and even before planning begins.
Living room 12 sq. m. can be combined with a kitchen or bedroom. Sometimes the hallway is involved in the remodeling process. Although it will not provide much additional space, it can visually increase the existing volume.
If none of the options suits the apartment’s inhabitants, then they will have to make do with the space provided by the builders.
More about the features of the solutions
It is almost impossible to fully apply European solutions to our design conditions. According to Finnish building regulations, for example, a bedroom can have an area of 7 square meters. For many of our fellow citizens, this option is unacceptable.
The main idea of creating practical apartments with a small area is to reduce corridors and passage areas. Even in such conditions you can maintain comfort. It is enough to follow simple rules:
- Reducing wall area.
- Reducing unused territory. The instructions are simple and understandable for everyone.
Some people choose to combine the living room with the dining room and kitchen to add functionality.
Planning rules
The photo of the living rooms is 12 square meters. m. it can be seen that this room may seem quite spacious and suitable for all household members.
And simple rules of arrangement help to create such a cozy room: the use of light materials, the creation of a multi-level lighting system, a minimum amount of furniture and decorative elements, the use of glossy surfaces.
Color spectrum
Living room design 12 sq. m. begins with the selection of suitable colors. Preference is given to light colors. Particularly loved are soft shades of white, cozy beige and sand tones, refined wood and elegant gray colors.
For connoisseurs of non-standard design, mint, light green, olive, and peach shades are suitable.
Pastel colors are perfect as a background for any furniture and will help add more light to the room. At the same time, you should not completely abandon bright colors; they can diversify a monochromatic finish and give it the necessary dynamics.
Decoration Materials
Living room interior 12 sq. m. is not affected by moisture or dirt, so the choice of finishing materials is limited only by the financial capabilities of the owners and the chosen style of the room.
Types of bedrooms by accessory
The type of furnishings and style of the room should be used taking into account who will own the bedroom. There may be several options here.
- Marital (or parental).
This room should be as comfortable and aesthetic as possible. In addition, you definitely need to add at least a touch of romance here, because the spouses not only relax in the bedroom, but also want to be alone.
The central place here will be occupied by a bed, quite spacious and comfortable.
- Bachelor's.
The furnishings in this room are as close as possible to a marital one.
Quite often this room serves not only as a bedroom, but also as a home office.
- Children's room.
Typically, the child's bed is located in the children's room, which serves as both a play and learning area.
Special requirements apply here.
- In a one-room apartment.
These cases also require a special approach, since the bedroom is combined with the living room.
Such a room needs zoning.
Floor decoration
The flooring of a small living room will look good with warm materials. They will be traditional parquet, parquet boards, laminate.
A good addition would be a carpet or a small rug near a soft corner.
Wall decoration
Design of a small living room 12 sq. m. assumes even and smooth walls. They are painted, plastered or decorated with wallpaper. In a small room, you should not get carried away with too large or bright patterns.
A stripe that slightly increases the space and gives any decoration a stylish look, a classic checkered pattern that brings warmth and comfort, small floral patterns, and dynamic geometric shapes are perfect.
An excellent option would be 3D wallpaper, which will give the room a feeling of openness and “blur” the boundaries of the room.
How to decorate the interior of a dorm room?
When decorating a dorm room, you can use many modern styles. They will allow you to make your home as functional and beautiful as possible. The following areas are especially popular:
- Minimalism;
- High tech;
- Urban;
- Country.
It is appropriate to use minimalism. It involves placing only the most necessary items in the interior. As for color design, you should choose light, cool shades. This range will visually increase the space. You can dilute the interior with bright colors, but do not overuse them. The design of the room should be restrained and calm. Pomposity is not relevant.
Minimalism is very suitable for such housing.
You can use different styles to decorate a room.
Only the most necessary furniture should be used in the room.
As for furniture, it should be of simple shape and with a smooth surface. Products made of glass and plastic are used as decoration. Mirrors visually expand the space. Therefore, they are recommended to be installed in small rooms.
Cozy accommodation will allow you to get a different direction of country music. It involves installing wooden furniture, light curtains on window openings, and a lot of textiles in the interior. All this will fill the room with warmth and home comfort. You should not use a large number of decorative items. They will make the interior look pretentious.
You can use partitions in the room
Furniture in the interior should be functional
See also: Room furnishings
Ceiling decoration
At 12 sq. m. you should not get carried away with heavily decorating the ceilings. Wallpaper, paint, and suspended ceilings are perfect. The glossy surface enlarges the room and becomes an unusual design element. The matte ceiling will seem like neat plaster, as if transferred from antiquity.
Spotlights that softly illuminate the entire room will add additional charm to small rooms.
Furniture
Choosing furniture for a small living room will be the most difficult and important stage of room planning. The important thing here is not to get carried away or overdo it.
Even at 12 sq. m. it is necessary to place upholstered furniture on which it will be comfortable to sit while watching TV or communicating with family. A coffee table will be a pleasant addition to a sofa or armchairs.
A living room wouldn’t be complete without a furniture set. But instead of a massive wall, it is better to purchase a small slide, which, with its difference in height of the cabinets, will add originality to the room.
Modular living rooms look good, which, if desired, can be moved to another place or the missing cabinets and shelves can be purchased in addition to existing items. Modern living rooms usually include a shelf for a TV, but you can mount a flat screen on the wall.
If possible, the wardrobe is sent to its habitat in another room, but if this is not possible, then wardrobes with mirrored doors in a linear or angular arrangement are used.
Arrangement of premises for various purposes
Further advice on arranging a small room will depend on its immediate purpose - these are the factors that influence the features of the arrangement of a particular room.
The design of a room depends on who is in it most often
For all family members
In some cases, even such a small space has to be divided among all family members. In this case, you will have to use the zoning method. It turns out that the room will be at the same time a living room, a bedroom for the child and parents, as well as a place for pleasant gatherings.
In this case, the primary task is the placement of beds. Of course, a small child may sleep with his parents for a period of time, but soon he will need his own bed.
A clear example of organizing a room for parents and child
It is worth noting that depending on the location of the window in the room, the child’s bed can be placed not only opposite the parents’ bed, but also in one line.
The placement of the crib is in line with the sofa, which can serve as a sleeping place
The crib can be placed next to the parents' bed or sofa. This will leave free space on the side, which will be useful for organizing a work area.
An example of proper zoning using different shades
In the case of decorating a room “for everyone,” it is advisable to exclude the use of too bright, active colors. Large wardrobes and heavy curtains made of durable textiles will also be superfluous here.
Table 1. Furniture options for a common room
| Variant, illustration | Description |
Transformable sofa | Such furniture models will fit perfectly into any small space. During the day, this item functions as a sofa with a comfortable shelf, and in front of it there is a space that can be used as a play area for a child. Towards evening, the structure can be unfolded, resulting in a full-fledged double bed. |
Built-in wardrobe | The built-in wardrobe design can be installed if there is a free niche in the wall. Craftsmen will make such a cabinet exactly according to the parameters of the free space. |
Corner cupboard | For a small room, a corner closet would be an ideal option. There are a large number of different configurations of such products. All of them have a convenient shape, which is why they are often chosen when it is necessary to properly organize space. |
Important point! It is recommended to abandon all sorts of bulky decorative elements when arranging a common room: flowers in floor pots, floor mirrors, voluminous floor lamps with long legs, and the like.
For a girl
When the need arises to organize a small room for a girl, the difference between decorative options in a romantic style and airy ruffles immediately comes to mind, but in reality this is not the case. Modern girls increasingly prefer laconic interiors with a large number of functional items for study and relaxation.
An example of organizing a room for a girl
When decorating a room for a girl, you must adhere to the following rules:
- Style. Here you should take into account only personal preferences, but in the case of a small room, the interior in a high-tech or loft style will look most harmonious.
- Color. Here the choice should be made of soft pink, yellowish tones or mint, which has been fashionable for many years in a row (the “Tiffany” shade). As additions, you can add brighter color accents. It is not recommended to use too saturated, dark colors as a basis.
- Light. Particular attention should be paid to the installation of lighting fixtures, because in almost every girl’s room there is a table with cosmetics. You can also hang a makeup mirror on the wall with several LED lights.
- Decorative elements. Since this is a girl's room, you can diversify the interior with some decorations. These can be miniature vases for flowers, souvenirs. It should not be forgotten that there should not be many such objects in a limited space.
Typically, a girl’s room consists of several main areas, which include a bedroom, a wardrobe, a study area, and a dressing table.
Table 2. All possible options for dressing tables
| Option | Description |
Standard with legs | This design requires the presence of several drawers in which various small items can be best arranged. Most often, such tables have a compact appearance, so they will fit perfectly into a small room. |
Folding | When folded, such a table fits flush against the wall (some options even look like a painting). If you fold back the structure, you get a quite large tabletop, above which you can hang a mirror. |
Wall shelves | In our case, this is an ideal design option that occupies a minimum amount of free space. But, you should understand that all cosmetics and other items and accessories will have to be stored only on the countertop, due to the lack of drawers. |
| Corner design | Such a piece of furniture can be placed in any free corner, but it is best near the window, where there is the maximum amount of natural light. In addition, it is important to provide an outlet into which, if necessary, you can connect a floor lamp. |
Design of a 12-meter room for a girl
You can organize a living area and a sleeping place using a folding sofa. No less convenient would be the option of a loft bed with a work area below - you can put a large number of different functional items there, including a miniature sofa. In this case, the height of the ceiling is of great importance, because it does not always allow the placement of such a structure.
A loft bed with a work area is an ideal solution for a small apartment where all zones need to be rationally distributed. In order not to miss any important points, you should familiarize yourself with the features of beds of this type in advance. In a special article we will tell you more about loft beds and talk about how to make one with your own hands.
The best option for a loft bed
The design itself looks laconic, without any additional decorative elements. In the lower part we managed to place a sofa and a chest of drawers, and the side wall was used for hangers.
If a girl prefers more romantic details in the interior, then you can opt for a classic design or country style. In this case, pieces of furniture can be decorated with various details, decorated “antique” or choose a vintage option.
Romantic interior idea
For a guy
When decorating a small space for a guy, it is important to fill it with simple but functional elements. After all, young men rarely prefer having a large number of decorations. A young man’s room usually consists of the following areas: clothing storage, a study table, a sleeping area, and a mini-living room.
That is why the most optimal solution would be to buy a folding sofa, which will become a comfortable sleeping place at night, and during the day can be used to receive guests.
An example of decorating a small room for a guy
To store clothes, it is recommended to purchase a wardrobe, since the presence of swing doors is unlikely to be convenient in such conditions. Hanging shelves can be arranged as auxiliary elements.
Placing functional items in limited space
A young guy's room must have a table and a chair. It is not necessary that this table be too large, but at the same time it is necessary to place a computer, office supplies and possibly some other personal belongings of the young man on it.
In this case, it would be a good idea to take a closer look at the various options for transformers. It can be a table-bed or a table-sofa.
A practical option for a transforming sofa
When arranging a room for a young person, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- Don't choose too bright colors.
- The best solution would be to create a laconic interior. In this case, the ideal option would be the same high-tech or loft. Almost any guy will probably not like elements of classics or Provence.
- It is necessary to avoid having objects in the room that do not serve any important purpose (large flowers, extra cabinets, armchairs).
- It is recommended to choose the simplest finish that does not require any special care.
- The amount of textiles should be limited. This means that there should be no multi-layer curtains, furniture covers, or the like in the guy’s room.
An example of a room interior for a guy
Of course, when decorating a room for a young man, it is necessary to take into account not only the above recommendations, but also his preferences. So, some guys love exclusively dark colors, which are rarely used in small rooms.
An example of a stylish design for a guy’s room in dark colors without compromising the visual perception of space
Lighting
For a small living room, you need to consider a good lighting system. It is better to refuse a massive ceiling chandelier, as it will “eat up” too much space and bring the ceiling closer. Preference is given to laconic lamps or built-in spots.
Comfort will be created by wall sconces that illuminate a certain area. Floor lamps will help to reproduce the mood of ancient comfort. The LED strip will give you the feeling of floating in the air and create a custom design.
What about bathrooms and toilets?
Bathroom decoration
These functions also need to be combined in one room if the apartment is small.
- The bath can be replaced with a shower to save space. There is enough space nearby to install at least a narrow washing machine.
- To separate the toilet from the rest of the space, narrow partitions are usually used. It also serves as a stand where accessories are placed.
Decor
Decor for a small living room should be kept to a minimum. Most often, such design elements are beautiful curtains without complex and lush draperies, unusually shaped lighting fixtures, a soft carpet, and decorative pillows.
The walls can be decorated with paintings or photographs that suit the style, a small number of cute trinkets, beautiful dishes, and books can be placed on the hill.
A fireplace or an aquarium will perfectly complement a small living room.
A cozy and comfortable room can be created even from a small space; you just need to carefully plan all its elements.
Family nest
When arranging a dorm room, you need to be guided not only by the characteristics of the room, but also by the preferences of the owners. If the residents are students, then the interior should be stylish and modern. Light shades are suitable for girls; a large mirror is a must in the room. A design for a guy can be more vibrant and combine several rich colors.
As for a married couple, the situation here is different. Warm colors are good for decoration. You can dilute them with dark accents. They will give the interior a stylish look. If there are children in the family, then it is worth paying attention to the place for them.
Warm shades are best for married couples
The design of the room should be done based on your own preferences
Home improvement is an interesting process. If you plan the renovation correctly and highlight functional areas, then even a dorm room can be turned into a cozy and modern apartment. Each of the residents will be able to feel comfortable in it and have a good time.
See alsoFeatures of rustic style in the interior
Photos of living rooms 12 sq. m.
Category: Living room
