A room that combines the functions of a living room and a bedroom is usually a forced, but always a popular option among owners of small apartments and connoisseurs of multifunctional spaces. We figure out what options designers offer to those who are not ready to compromise in the choice of furniture: they want to find a place for both a comfortable sofa and a full-fledged bed.
1. Bed in an alcove
A room with a niche, as if by itself, suggests the best recipe for how to delimit the zones of the bedroom and living room. The bed, set in an alcove, creates the feeling that it is, albeit a miniature,but the separate bedroom. To create a more comfortable and private environment, a niche is fenced off with partitions – for example, made of glass and metal, glass blocks, or textiles. In this case, it is important to provide ventilation outlets so that it is not stuffy to sleep. And sometimes the niche is left open so as not to visually “eat up” valuable meters of space – then the bed can serve as an additional seat for receiving guests.
2. Sleeping area in a box
If there is no niche in the room, you can create it yourself – build a box for the bedroom area to create the effect of a room in a room. Among the advantages of such a solution is an individual approach. The “cube” can be built exactly to the size of the mattress to save space, or, conversely, to make the micro-bedroom a little more spacious. And also choose a place – at least in the far dark corner of the room, at least right by the window, to admire the views without getting out of bed, and read books without a lamp during the day. Another advantage is the ability to supplement the walls of the box with storage systems, which will always come in handy in a small space. If there is no desire to build a whole box, you can limit yourself to a podium, which will also visually separate the bedroom area.
3. Low partitions
Dividing the room into a bedroom and a living room will help partitions at about half the height of the room: the zones will be clearly separated from each other, while the natural light from the window will be able to penetrate even into the farthest corners of the room. The upper part of the structure is left open – for free access to fresh air – or completed to the ceiling, using transparent glass, which does not block the light, but slightly muffles the sound.
4. Glass walls
Transparent and translucent floor-to-ceiling partitions are a great way to zone a space, which is suitable for both compact and relatively spacious rooms. For example, when combining two rooms. Due to the transparency of the glass, the entire room is visible through and through. This is important if you want to maintain a sense of spaciousness. Curtains or blinds will help make the bedroom area more closed at night.
5. Bed behind a curtain
It is also possible to separate the bedroom area from the living room without erecting permanent structures. One of the easiest ways is to hang a curtain that can be moved as needed, like window shades. The curtain will give the bedroom area an atmosphere of warmth and comfort, and if you choose beautiful textiles, it will become an effective decor element in the interior. The curtain can be pulled at night or during the visit of guests – to hide the private part of the house from prying eyes.
6. Bright color
If something cannot be hidden, it is worth trying to highlight it. In the combined bedroom-living room, different zones can be marked with color. For example, choose a bright accent color for the bed, and neutral, calm shades for the rest of the space. Let the corner with the bed become the visual center of the room – after all, we spend almost a third of our lives in a dream.
7 Bedroom on the mezzanine
High ceilings provide a lot of opportunities, especially with a small area of the room. If the room cannot grow “in breadth”, let it grow up. When space allows, you can build on the second level and take the bed to the mezzanine. Or get by with less effort – equip the “attic” with a bed in an existing niche, by analogy with a two-level bed.
