Stylish Solutions for Awkward Spaces in Your Home

a living room with examples of stylish solutions for awkward spaces in your home

A residence is an extension of the owner's personality - that's a fact. No two living spaces are the same, just as we're all unique. And those unusual nooks and alcoves? Those seemingly useless, uneven, and unused niches? They are your home's most fascinating personality traits. Hence, do your best to fulfill their potential by exploring and applying some of the most stylish solutions for awkward spaces in your home. And then, enjoy the harmony they create with your wonderful, dapper, and trendy self.

Awkward spaces demand creative solutions

Every home has them, and yet they are most often completely overlooked. That's right, nooks and crannies seem to be a home's appendix. Nobody truly knows what to do with them, so everybody just leaves them be. Except, you can breathe new life and purpose into alcoves and other similar spaces easily after a consultation with a professional designer. You will boost the aesthetic value of your living space and make it an oasis of calm and joy - for you, your family, and your guests.

Softening the edges

"I like corners", said no one ever. People usually cut them and, those who don't, fill sharp angles with soft curvy plant life! It's partly for eye-catching contrast, partly for walking in pace with home design trend

s, and partly for bringing nature into your living space. The latter has health benefits, too. More interested in aesthetics? Faux indoor plants have gone a long way and now are firmly rooted in home design. Yours is only to choose the right one and make visitors guess if it's real or not.

When shallow isn't that bad at all

Shallow closets and alcoves are a treasure, mostly overseen due to insufficient storage capacity. It still doesn't mean they can't serve the purpose. Depending on the room, these niches can aim to become a mudroom sitting area, an open shelf library, and, if they're deep enough, even a bar cabinet. It's up to you to take measurements and decide - pleasure or more pleasure?

The famous space under the stairs

What two-story homes have that most high-rise apartments don't? Under-the-stairs space. While some homeowners dread the construction work needed to make this square footage more functional, it's worth the effort and investment. Also, imaginative designers have transformed these specific nooks into walk-in closets and arts and crafts/tiny space hobbies/pet areas.

There’s so much you can do with the space you have under your stairs.

When it comes to living space, you have plenty of options at your disposal. The beauty of finding a home is having so many different types of homes to choose from. Do you want to purchase a detached single-family home? Will a small condo work well for you? Or do you prefer brownstone living vs. high-rise living, like the one NYC’s residents enjoy? Ensure you find the right choice for you first, and then think about the best way to use up the available space - including the area under the stairs.

Wherever you find a spot, plant a home office

Have we or have we not rediscovered the importance and benefits of closed floor plans? Most will agree that privacy in family homes has suffered in the last couple of years, particularly when dividing home and work-life wasn't entirely possible. Some clever owners of open floor plan homes utilized every nook that could fit a desk and a laptop. Turning a bay window area into a home office is one of the stylish solutions for awkward spaces in your home. However, if your little alcove doesn't get natural light, pendant lights are an elegant choice that doesn't take desktop space.

If you can't beat them, disguise them.

If your home features unsightly beams, pipework, and/or radiators that you can't remove or replace, simply mask them. Partner with a designer and custom furniture manufacturer, and voilà! Your new stylish vented cabinet will allow for the passage of heat and provide you with limitless design opportunities for the space above the radiator or pipes. If the space isn't too wide to hold anything artistic (read: pricey), a trendy mirror or a painting suspended above might be a much better fit.

Things to keep behind closed doors

Once you close the bedroom doors, there's a gaping wall space that is annoying. It's not a secret anymore: this space can be used in many ways. Fill the area behind the doors with thin shelves like those holding greeting cards - with a twist - these will hold your limited-edition vinyl records or your colorful and thin kids' books. Bring Renaissance to your residence by having this wall artfully painted.

From placing shelves to hooks, there are plenty of stylish solutions for awkward spaces in your home – such as the ones behind closed doors.

The opposite of a nook

Often, filling a niche isn't the challenge but styling the narrow wall that sticks out into your living space is. And yet there are things you can display here like hanging and floor planters in a stalactite-stalagmite manner. Otherwise, this may be a strategic spot for a tall minimalist floor lamp.

Above the kitchen cabinets

Sometimes it's about using every square inch of space for storage, and sometimes it's all about creativity and style. You might have sufficient space in your home to showcase your museum-grade pottery or wine collection, but why keep them in the usual place, on the shelves and counters? Space above the kitchen cabinets is notoriously underutilized, especially in the aesthetic sense. Why shouldn't you create a closed exhibition space right where it should be - where people can see it but not touch it?

...And below the bathroom sinks

Introduce a few baskets into your bathroom and watch how everything changes

Open sinks are elegant, but you still need a place to keep your bathroom accessories and cosmetics. Why not place eco-friendly bamboo baskets or crates beneath and fill them with items better kept close to hand. It doesn't matter if you fill them with clean towels, toilet paper rolls, or your stash of bath salts. It's not about what you store but how.

Take a break under the window

Who says that there's no space for a lounge area at the foot of your tall windows? With a bit of imagination, soft drapes, and elegant but comfy furniture, you can create a relaxed and refined space for long talks, some sorely needed escape into a book world, or meditation at sunset.

The endless opportunities of custom-made

Fitted furniture manufacturers are your best allies, along with creative interior designers. They will envision and produce clever and stylish solutions for awkward spaces in your home and bring out its character.

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