Ideas for L-Shaped Houses

Modern Design

• L-shaped houses allow you to broaden your potential view. Many of these houses feature windows all along one side of the house --- usually the side of the L that angles inward. This allows for privacy and shelter from the elements, while enclosing the yard space. Some L-shaped houses feature courtyards between the two sides of the L, giving you extra patio space and a walkway from one side of the house to the other. The inside portion of the L often features a pool that the design of the house keeps hidden from view from the road.

Minimalism

• Because of its modern style, the L-shaped home often works best with a decorating scheme that leans toward minimalism. Furniture that's not adorned with ornate carving or busy patterns often find a home in the L-shaped house. Light colors like sand or off-white dominate. The furniture and the accessories serve a function as well as being decorative. When decorating in this style, select artwork in modern metal frames, couches or futons with straight lines and block-shaped coffee tables. Keep the floor bare except for a plain throw rug on the floor (see Resources).

Challenges and Solutions

• The problem with an L-shaped house or room is that the space really looks like two separate rooms, but often doesn't have visual dividers in place that give these rooms their own identity. To overcome this decorating challenge, you need to place your furniture in a way that gives each part of the space its own flavor. You can tie the two areas together using color. For example, if you have an L-shaped living room, paint two of the walls in the most recessed portion of the L a vibrant color like burgundy. Paint the surrounding walls a contrasting color, such as butter yellow. In one side you'll feature your living room contents and use accents that feature the less predominant color. In the yellow side you might place a burgundy couch and butter yellow accent tables and artwork on the wall with burgundy frames. The key is to mark off the two spaces with the paint color you apply on the walls.

One Room or Two

• In decorating an L-shaped room, consider breaking the space up into two separate rooms. Some possible two-room combinations are living room/dining room and living room/office. In addition to using color to provide a visual barrier between the two sides, invest in items like roll-away or folding screens. Set up both areas as completely functional, self-contained rooms to give the impression of walking from one room to another. In the living room/office example, one side could have a completely set up living room while the other side has an office complete with desk, shelves and an armoire for file storage.