• A narrow living room using a sectional couch.Living image by Raulmah?3n from Fotolia.com
  
  Designing and decorating a narrow room can be challenging. Preplanning where you want each piece of furniture and other items in the room may be helpful. Make the proportions of the room correct so it doesn't appear lopsided with all the furniture on one side. With planning and finding furniture to work in the space you have, you can make each narrow room pleasant and efficient.
  
  

Narrow Living/Family Rooms

• Evaluate what your needs are for the room, like if the central use for the room is watching television or just a sitting room. Mydeco.com recommends dividing a narrow living room into different zones or sections. They suggest making one focal point the center of attention, like a fireplace, large wall hanging or the television.
  
  Have the furniture centered on the focal point. At one end of the narrow room, you can have a zone for a small office area with a computer desk and chair, and built in bookshelves on the far wall to make use of wall space. At the other end of the room, have a sitting area with a few comfortable chairs or use it for a small dining area, if needed.
  
  Dividing each zone of your room can be done with either furniture or colors and décor. Divide the central TV area with sectional L or U shaped furniture facing the viewing area and add a coffee table or area rug in the center of it. The zone for the home office can have a desk or bookshelves as a divider from the TV area. You can also change the paint or wallpaper from one area to the other and add small half columns to divide the TV area from the dining or other part of the room.
  
  

Narrow Kitchens/Dining Rooms

• Narrow, long kitchens are sometimes called galley kitchens and usually have all the cabinets and appliances on one side. An idea found on designboom.com is to fan out the countertops on the open room end of the kitchen to offer a small snack bar or sitting area if the kitchen is wide enough to allow this. Interior-design-it-yourself.com suggests in a galley kitchen to have the sink in the middle of the counter space with work areas on either side of it.
  
  For narrow dining areas, make use of the wall space, if possible. The corner bench dining nooks can take up less space but still provide adequate seating for all. Another option is to find a long narrow table with removable sections or leafs and keep it close to the wall with fewer sections until you need full capacity of the table.
  
  

Narrow Bedrooms

• Your bed is the one thing you do not want to compromise on when it comes to a narrow bedroom. If you require a king size bed, find one with a smaller frame or no headboard to make it fit. Using narrow bedside tables or wall mounted shelves next to the bed and a tall floor lamp to save space. Also, place dressers, desks or other furniture that is too big for the room in hallways or other rooms or eliminate them and only use closet space if necessary. Use light colors and mirrors or bright décor to give a more open atmosphere.