17 Easy Ideas for Decorating Corners of a Living Room (or Other Zone) at Home

Trying to figure out how to decorate a corner of a living room at home? They can be awkward zones to furnish, right? Fear not, decorating junkies, because I have so much style inspiration for you in today’s post!

The eternal dilemma of decorating those awkward corners at home is a tough one. In some spaces, the corner of a room isn’t an issue because it’s where a bedside table goes. Or where your couch is wedged. Or where a standard cube shelf is showcased. You know, there’s an obvious purpose for it.

But then there are those other corners – like in a living room – that don’t feel right bare, and you’re left with trying to figure out how to fill them perfectly.

So that’s what this post is all about; giving you tonnes of ideas for decorating corners of a living room (or other zone) to make it feel complete. And I’ve gotta say, there are some really genius ideas here if I do say so myself. Let’s get into it.

1. Single Sofa Bed

I didn’t want to suggest an armchair in this post, because when it comes to decorating ideas for corners of a room, that’s kind of a no-brainer.

Of course, if you were considering it, here’s my top 50 armchair options split up into different design styles. There’s nothing wrong with heading in that direction if you’re keen to put a nice reading nook together, of course.

But to take the concept a step further and to give you some added functionality, why not consider popping a single sofa bed in the corner of your living room? Not only is the Aero Single Sofa Bed above a slimline option that doesn’t take up too much visual space, but it offers guests another place to sleep if someone extra turns up.

This decorating idea for a corner is a pretty good option for an adult snooze, but it’s even better for kids. I’m all for it.

2. Gallery Wall

Placing art in an awkward corner can be tough because you’re often faced with the issue of which of the two walls to place the artwork on.

Another approach altogether is to place a few pieces on both walls, to create a gallery wall vibe. You can even choose to wrap art or photos around the wall, which makes the corner the new focal point in the room. Why not be completely unapologetic about the fact that there’s a corner in question and draw the eye right to it? I love this concept. It’s packed with drama.

Figuring out how to put the right pieces of art together in a gallery wall configuration can be tough, but don’t stress. Here’s my top tips for mixing different art styles on a wall like a pro.

3. Large Plant

Not only does an indoor plant bring some life to a space, but it can also take away the feeling of a sharp corner altogether. By using a large plant with leaves that are spread out (like a fig or bird of paradise) you introduce fluid lines to the space. If you put the plant in a round decorative pot packed with texture, you’ve struck designer gold.

The image above showcases this concept beautifully. See how the corner of the living room has now become a design destination? So lush and so lovely.

If you’re considering a fig for your home, you might want to read my guide on how to keep a fiddle leaf fig alive first.

I have to admit though, of all the decorating ideas for corners, this one has gotta be a fave.

4. Leaner Mirror

This is a great concept for any size space, but an even better one if the room is small because it’ll bounce light around the space and make it feel larger.

Leaning a tall mirror in a corner takes the sharpness out of this zone too. And if you choose an interesting frame, it allows you to give the pocket some real visual interest. The room above is a bedroom, of course, and it makes sense that you’d need a mirror here. But this idea goes well beyond the bedroom. It’ll look great in a living room as well.

There are tonnes of suppliers for arched mirrors, which seem to be a big trend at the moment. A retailer I’d recommend is Life Interiors. They have loads.

5. Corner Bookcase

There’s no solution greater for a corner than a bookcase that’s specifically made with corners in mind. You don’t see them as often as you used to, which is a bit sad, but there are stores still making them.

Fantastic Furniture has this one which is super affordable and great for small spaces. But you don’t necessarily have to pop a triangle shelf in a small corner like this. A tall square column shelf will work just as well.

My advice would be to go for a shelf that’s open like the one above though. If it has a back to it there’s a chance it’ll dominate the space too much.

Need design tips for shelves? Here’s my advice for styling cube shelves like the one above.

6. Hat Stand

A hat stand is not only a great idea for decorating the corner of a room from a visual perspective, but they’re super-useful too. It’s the best of both world’s really; merging form and function.

You’ll hang your hats, coats and jackets here all the time in winter, helping your home to look lived in but stylish at the same time! Plus, because the shelf is rather tall it’ll work nicely in a smaller room because it’ll draw the eye up away from the small footprint of the room.

It’s all about visual trickery in small spaces, so this one’s a winner if your room’s a bit cramped.

7. Floor Lamps

One of the easiest and most affordable options when it comes to ideas for decorating corners in a room is a floor lamp. But you don’t want to choose just any old floor lamp. If you opt for one that’s thin and tall, on just one stem/leg, it’s not going to adequately fill the corner enough.

Instead, choose either one with three legs and a lampshade on top, or one with multiple arms that branch out into the room (like in the image above). Both options give the corner in question some interest and fill it up a bit more. Kind of the same way branches on a plant/tree would.

A floor lamp will also cast a nice light over the zone of a night, which is a glorious win-win in my books.

8. Sculptures

You don’t need to go to an art gallery to collect an expensive sculpture for your awkward corner. Think outside the box and go in a DIY direction, or hit your local op shop/salvage store.

You can find all sorts of unique things to lean in the corner of the room at places like this and they’re generally pretty inexpensive.

Or if salvage stores aren’t your thing, you can go to an antique dealer or local artist and find something more one-of-a-kind, like the image above. That sculpture in the corner is kind of amazing, don’t you think?

9. Pendant Lights

You don’t have to place anything on the floor when it comes to decorating the corner of a room. Go up instead and consider hanging a few pendant lights in this area. Drape three at different levels and create your own artistic light installation.

An exposed bulb is a nice idea here too, as long as the bulbs aren’t in your line of sight when you’re trying to watch TV. Or for a safer alternative, go for some interesting shades instead.

The image above shows a sofa under the pendant lights, but trust me, a simple round side table with a plant on it (or nothing at all) would look just as good in the corner of your living room.

10. Floating Shelves

I hate negative space as you already know, so I love the idea of installing a floating shelf because it gives you even more room to display your treasured vignettes.

I’d recommend you install a few, one above the other, to really fill the zone and have the shelving make an impression. You can choose to have them the same colour as your wall, so they blend in a little more and look seamless. Or you could decide to have them contrasting so they become more of a focal point.

Grab some plants to pop on top, along with a few books and photo frames and your awkward corner just got majorly decorated.

11. Corner Desk

Everyone is working from home more these days. I wonder if we’ll ever actually return to the office again. So when it comes to ideas to decorating corners in a living room or bedroom, a corner desk is where it’s at.

If your space allows for it, of course. You don’t want to crowd the room too much. But if the corner does allow for it, I really like this as a work-from-home zone, or even just a nook to pay bills, do admin or drop your keys on. Alternatively, place a vase of flowers on it and make it a floral display pocket.

Need some tips on decorating your work-from-home desk? Here’s my 6 must-haves when it comes to sublime desk style.

12. Decorative Screen

In a larger space, you might decide that you don’t want to decorate the corner at all. Perhaps you want to pretend it’s not even there. In this case, a decorative screen really comes in handy.

The one above looks rather elaborate and probably an antique or something collected on travels. If you can find one like this, you’re on lucky shopper. But you can also opt for a more modern, easy-to-find one. More and more retail stores are starting to stock them, so tracking one down won’t be a challenge.

Why not try this cane partition from Trit House as an option if you want to splurge.

These are no longer screens to get undressed behind in your bedroom. These are now purely decorative and look right at home in a living room.

13. Hanging Chair

Ok I’ve changed my mind. Ideas for decorating corners of a room don’t get better than the hanging chair. I thought my fave concept was the large plant, but I was wrong.

One look at the divine image above and you can see how good a hanging chair is in the corner of a room. You can place it diagonally across from a sectional sofa to balance the room out, or you could just have one in the corner of your bedroom to sit and read in. It’s the ultimate cocoon and the ultimate escape from the world.

Need to find a supplier for this type of chair? Try Byron Bay Hanging Chairs. They have, as the name suggests, loads!

14. Shadow Boxes

This one is like the idea of the wrap-around gallery wall and the idea of the floating shelves all rolled into one. But what putting a shadow box in a corner also gives you is added storage and functionality.

The system above from IKEA is an absolute stunner and allows you to configure the boxes in any orientation you like. Mix and match sizes and colours, and then fill them with your fave trinkets and keepsakes.

This is a really nice way to fill a corner, but I also love how it allows you to bring personality to a room. Because Lord knows that so many homes these days are void of them.

15. Clothes Rack

So the image above is all rather minimal, chic and designer (which I adore), but I know it won’t necessarily work for a lot of you. If you have built-in wardrobes in your room this deems an idea like the one above null and void.

I really wanted to include this clothes rack in the roundup though because I like that it encourages us to think outside the box. It brings such an interesting shape and focal point to this zone. And if you took the clothes hangers away you’d barely even read it as a clothes rack at all.

The moral of the story: don’t be afraid to consider some left-of-centre ideas when decorating the corners of your room. It can really pay off.

16. Designer Cat Furniture

Having two cats of my own, I can tell you one thing when it comes to finding beautiful cat furniture: the struggle is real.

Enter some glorious cat scratchers/trees from Tuft + Paw. Sadly they do not yet ship to Australia but I’ve spoken to the founder of the business and I’m told international shipping is on the way. I’ve not seen anything locally that looks as good as these, and I’ve searched high and low, near and far.

If you have cats, a stylish piece of furniture like this is ideal for the corner of your room.

17. Decorative Ladder

I love me a decorative ladder to decorate the corner of a room with. It’s such a lightweight option and won’t dominate the space too much.

You can use it in just about any room too. Pop one in the corner of your bedroom and hang coats and hats on it. Use one in your living room like in the image above, for throws and blankets. You can even use on in the corner of your bathroom and showcase towels on them.

Ladders are so multi-purpose, and they look great regardless of whether you found an older second hand one, or purchased brand new.

What are some of your fab ideas for decorating corners of a room at home? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below if there’s an idea you have that I’ve not showcased here.