Narrow rooms are really challenging to furnish. They offer limited living space, which often presents a challenge when it comes to choosing furniture and other furnishings. Such rooms also often appear overcrowded, even if there is only a few pieces of furniture inside. Luckily, with a few tricks you can visually enlarge small or narrow rooms. Today we present an interesting project for a narrow house, the rooms of which appear visually larger with the right selection of colors and materials. Read on to learn more about this space-saving project from Canada.
The Saint George House in Canada
A 20-foot-wide lot might deter most designers, but not architect Randy Bens. He designed the Saint George House in Vancouver with Falken Reynolds Interiors. The narrow plot is just 6 meters wide and 60 meters long, which meant the designers were creatively challenged to think outside the box to visually create more space. To do this, they have used light colors and materials in the interior, which creates the impression of wider rooms.
How can rooms be visually enlarged?
This question interests many homeowners who live in the city. Nevertheless, the problem can also arise in a house built on a narrow lot, like in this example. The architects used a total of 11 skylights and a courtyard to create the Scandinavian-inspired interiorto fill with natural light. A white color palette and light wood tones create a bright, open feel to the interior. In this way, the narrow spaces appear larger than they actually are.
In addition to brightness, the arrangement of the furniture in the room also plays a crucial role. There should be as little furniture as possible in the middle of the room, but an empty middle of the room is also not recommended. In principle, the largest pieces of furniture should be arranged along the long wall and the smaller or secondary pieces can also be placed in the middle of the room. In this way, narrow rooms can be visually enlarged.
Although dark colors are generally to be avoided in narrow rooms, if used correctly, they can also contribute to the optical illusion of more space. For example, you can choose a dark sofa, but the wall behind it should definitely be painted in a light color - ideally white. TheContrast between dark and lightcreates more space in the room.
The living room in this house opens to the backyard through a massive sliding glass door, further creating the feeling of expansion of the space. When the door is open, there is a seamless transition between the indoor and outdoor areas. The daylight flowing in can therefore visually enlarge the rooms.
Furnishing for narrow rooms using the example of a modern house
The interior of Saint George House is a good example of how to...House with narrow roomscan set up. Now we take a closer look at the individual areas of the house in order to present the innovative spatial solutions from the architects and designers.
The kitchen is minimalist in design and benefits from a large kitchen island and plenty of hidden storage space. All cabinet fronts are white and handleless, which in combination with the built-in appliances ensures more order in the room. The kitchen continues to act as a passageway between theLiving room and the dining area.
Designer pendant lights from Bocci hang above the light wood dining table, which offers both a bench and dining chairs as seating options. Directly opposite the table is the exit to the inner courtyard, which also has a sliding glass door. The large window fills the dining area with natural light and gives the room more spaciousness.
The staircase leading to the second floor features a modern, minimalist design. Steps made of light wood harmonize with the white wall and give it a Scandinavian flair. The metal fall protection lets the light through and transforms the stairwell into a part of the interior.
Light also plays a big role on the second floor. Skylights in various shapes create light-filled spaces that appear larger than they appear on paper.
The bedrooms are small but invitingly furnished and have large windows with light wood frames. There is also a separate reading corner in the hallway, which is housed by the house library. To optimize the available space, the designers pack in plenty of storage space, such as at the entrance, making the most of every square inch.
In the narrow bathrooms, geometric shapes create a feeling of space. In this way, the wet rooms can be visually enlarged and made modern at the same time. Mirrors and skylights are further means that complete the optical illusion.
The Exterior – White house facade with standing seam metal cladding
Project byFalken Reynolds
Photography by Ema Peter
