Decorating Ideas for Shotgun Style Houses

A Decorating Dilemma

• The unique floor plan of the shotgun house traditionally features three to five rooms that lead directly into one another, with no hallway or other transitional space. Additionally, most shotgun style homes feature little to no storage space in the way of closets, which means that storage often becomes a feature of the decor. As a result, most decorating decisions are often about creating easy, unimpeded transitions between rooms and finding ways to cleverly incorporate storage into the design.

Smooth Transitions

• The most important decision you'll make when decorating a shotgun house is how to transition between rooms. If rooms in your shotgun house are open to each other, this becomes even more important. To create transitions between rooms that are easy on the eyes, use the same flooring throughout your shotgun house, and paint rooms in complementary colors, or use the same paint color throughout your home. Likewise, use complementary colors and similar furniture and accessory styles in each room to create a unified look.

Clear the Clutter

• If you like a lot of objets d'art in your decor, a shotgun house may not be the right home for you. The key to decorating a small space like this is to keep decor items to the bare minimum to prevent a cluttered, disorganized look. Choose furniture that does double duty, such as ottomans that can act as tables and/or extra seating, or bookshelves that can hold TVs and other electronics. Use sconces or other mounted lighting to elevate lighting from tables and floors. Drop-leaf dining tables can provide extra dining room that can easily disappear when not needed. Most importantly, make sure that furniture and accessories are arranged in such a way that access between rooms is easy and safe; since part of each room in a shotgun house is essentially hallway, movement between rooms should be unimpeded.

Create Storage

• Perhaps the biggest decorating challenge posed by shotgun houses is the lack of closet storage. This problem becomes magnified when you consider that bedrooms are often open to the rest of the house. Using tall storage cabinets in the bedrooms rather than dressers or chests provides room for your clothing and accessories. Elevating beds to create storage space underneath is also a good idea.

  In the kitchen, opt for baskets or other bins that can go on top of cabinets to store items you rarely use. Hang pots and pans from ceiling racks or the walls in order to create more cabinet space.

  For living rooms, rely on storage furniture, such as ottomans, tiered tables and lots of shelves to create spaces for the items you need.