Corners are always among the most difficult spots to decorate and, in my experience, ones that lend themselves all too well to inelegant solutions. You can’t comfortably hang art in a corner, most furniture doesn’t fit comfortably in a corner, and corner windows are more of an architectural feat than a go-to solution. Comparatively, it’s pretty easy to plunk down a decorative floor lamp or a plant in a corner and call it done, but if you ask me, with a little thought, corner decor can be a whole lot better.
Corner Furniture?
Perhaps the simplest solution to dressing up an empty corner is maybe the most obvious: just choose a piece of furniture that’s designed to fit in a corner. Of course this will work for some corners (and some types of furniture) better than others, but corner facing desks, corner chairs, and even corner sofa sectionals slightly offset from the wall all work to fill a space and won’t look awkward doing it.
Store It
I know from personal experience that it’s almost impossible to make two bookshelves meet in a corner. Custom, built in shelves? Sure. Shelves from Ikea? Of course – that’s practically what they’re made for. But almost any other kind of shelf sort of falls apart, no matter how pretty, falling solidly in the – you can do it but it won’t look pretty category. But that doesn’t mean that storage is (or should be) immediately out of the running in terms of corner decor. In fact,there are plenty of bookshelves (and other shelves) that are designed specifically to fit in a corner, either as a connector piece or all on their own. This not only maximizes the space if you’re building a wall to wall bookshelf, but also works well to add just a little bit of storage in a place you might not otherwise know what to do with.
Display It
Similarly, decorative corner shelving units or display pedestals make it possible to turn a boring, empty corner space into a perfect place to display some of your favorite small items. This can be anything from decorative jars to family photos that wouldn’t hang well in the space, or even plants, flowers, books, or any other small or collectible items you want to be seen. Because corners aren’t suited for much else, this type of corner decor is the perfect way to turn a blank area into one that showcases your personality.
Make A Sitting Area
Finding the right corner decor can be especially troublesome in larger spaces like a great room or large living room. If the positioning of your primary furniture (sofa set, entertainment center, game table, coffee table, etc.) leave a big gaping hole in one corner of the layout of your space, you need to think bigger in terms of the solution. One of my personal favorite options here is to create a small sitting area or reading nook. A single high backed chair facing outward or at a slight angle to the room can completely transform the space. Combined with a small accent table or decorative TV tray, this offers a perfect, slightly private spot to read, sip a cup of coffee, or listen to music.
…Or A Game Space
If you have slightly more room, you might even want to consider extending your corner decor to include two to four chairs instead of one or a small built in corner booth and table to create a cozy space for dining, drinks, or board games. A built in chess board is great for a chess enthusiast, while a slightly larger table is ideally suited for playing cards. In a large enough room, this type of set up will be spatially and visually removed from the rest of the room without making it look too crowded, affording an intimate setting while adding utility to a very large space.
Screen It Off
This might seem like a dramatic choice, but one simple way to fill out an empty corner is to simply screen it off with a decorative room divider. I would recommend this for a medium sized space – too small a room and a screen will make it seem crowded, while the extra space in a larger room could probably be better used. But in a medium sized space, a screen can round out and push in a too-large room while providing a beautifully patterned or colorful backdrop to the rest of your decor. Positioned well, you won’t realize how much (or little) of that unused space is partitioned off, you’ll just have a slightly exotic or outdoorsy touch to help fill out the room.
How do you handle the empty corners in your home? Do you have a favorite type of corner decor?
