13 Corner Decor Ideas to Convert Empty Spaces into Functional Spaces

Houses come in varying shapes and sizes and naturally, there will be many corners available. A corner is formed at the location where two wall edges meet. These blank spaces in our houses can be too uncomfortable for the eyes. It is quite a headache to come up with creative ways to utilize these empty spaces functionally and aesthetically. A dead corner tends to suck out all the energy from the room, but these are also the spaces, which give scope for some wonderful corner decor ideas.

Designing the Corners

These corners can either be kept empty or decorated so that they add elegance to the room. These spaces are often tricky to design, as we end up over-designing or under-designing them. No space is complete until all the nooks are well-decorated and well-placed. The size of the house will be a deciding factor to analyse whether the room’s corner design will have a functional or aesthetic value attached to it. Interior stylist Gautam U has enlisted a few inspirations for corner design on the Architectural Digest webpage that will be helpful to create corner decor ideas with optimum design.

We can broadly divide design based on functionality and aesthetics.

9 Room Corner Design Ideas to Beautify Empty Corners

In the case of small houses, it becomes very important to convert every available place into a functional space. But even in other cases, if you are looking forward to utilizing all the space available in your house, then the following ideas would come in handy. Let us have a look at ways to do a room corner design.

  1. Meditation Corner
  2. Home Office
  3. Floor Seating
  4. Decorative Shelves
  5. Dry Bar
  6. Repurposed Furniture
  7. Cat Tower
  8. Green Corner
  9. Corner Hammock

Let us have an in-depth look at functional corner decor ideas.

01. Make a Meditation Corner

Meditation corner in house
A meditation corner with its elements

A corner towards the calmer side will be a perfect space to create a meditation space. A corner with a window will be an ideal location for this meditative corner decor idea. Interior stylist Tyagi P K, in his article on ‘Meditation Design,’ has emphasized the fact that the meditation corner design should have minimalistic decor. It is mandatory to have comfortable seating. Also, some accessories are a must for this room’s corner design. Abundant use of neutral tones like whites, beige, and other lighter pastel shades for walls and other elements will help to create the needed calm. Additionally, we can accessorize the meditation space at home with planters, meditative tools, fragrances, candles, etc.

02. Corner Home Office

Corner home office
Room corner transformed into a corner home office

When there is a space big enough for a human to twirl around and your office operates from home, a home office would be an ideal corner decor idea. Grab an old table or a new one, as per your choice, and order a comfortable chair to create your corner home office. Then adjust the lighting and check that there are enough provisions for electrical ports. After this, you are all set to create a home office as a room corner design.

If you are looking to revamp your office space, check out:

03. Floor Seating in the Corner

Corner floor seating
Beddings placed in corner of  a house to create a sitting space

If the whole length of the corner space is empty, don’t leave an opportunity to create floor seating. All you need for corner floor seating is a couple of sets of bedding stacked over each other. This stack can be covered with beautiful bright linen with contrasting floor pillows, adding to the charm of the room. This is also a wholesome corner decor idea for small houses that lack appropriate storage space for bedding. These bedding items can be used as mattresses if you have more guests staying over.

04. Decorative Storage Shelves for Corner

Corner decorative shelves
Different types of decorative corner storage

A decorative corner shelf design will always be a solution to your problem when you run short of cabinet storage or display units. A decorative shelf will always provide you with an interesting corner decor idea. The corner shelf idea will double as a storage as well as a display area. An open corner shelf can be used to display your mementos, photographs, and stylish accents. Closed corner shelves also provide you with an abundance of space for storing your books. A decorative shelf will create a dynamic range of colourful displays. Also, a wooden closed shelf will work well as a sound absorber. You can also try your hand at easy and unique DIY floating shelves.

05. Corner Dry Bar

Dry bar in an odd corner
A dry bar tucked in a an odd corner

Transform that odd little corner of your living area or dining room into a dry bar and watch how that corner will bustle with activities! This corner dry bar goes well if you like to host parties but don’t have enough space for full-fledged home bar decor. Bar cabinets without a sink can be easily tucked as a living room or dining corner idea design. This small corner dry bar cabinet will seamlessly blend into the room without much hassle. A smart and functional use of this area will make it stand out and amplify the corner, making entertainment a breeze.

Corner dry bar
A dry bar located in corner spaces

06. Repurpose a Furniture for Corner Space

Old repurposed wooden ladder and sofa for corners
A ladder and repainted sofa used in the corner of the house

A blank space becomes more interesting with just repurposed furniture, as suggested in ‘The House Book’ by editor Fionna B[386]. A refurbished item from the junk pile with thoughtful personalized touches can work wonders while you work out corner decor ideas. A rustic ladder can work as a shelf and add a little more storage for your extra stuff. This will be a wonderful corner decor idea. Also, a small bench can be transformed into a shoe rack, where the lower area can be used for storage and the upper part can be used for seating. An old refurbished console or repainted table can fit well in that corner and give you extra space to store your things.

Tailormade bench and a corner room decor
Corner bench and a full on corner setup of a house with repurposed units

07. Corner Showstopper Cat Tower

Corner Cat-towers
Cat towers where one is stuck to wall and one where an individual put in a corner

If you have pets and want to create a playful place for them, then a corner showstopper decor idea would just work for you. Cat towers usually come in various sizes and shapes, which provide too many options to look for. Add some bling to your space with just a small addition. A cat tower tree will also provide you with extra space to place your pet’s toys. Make sure that the cat towers are made of pet-friendly upholstery. You can also use it to hang your coats, scarves, and jackets.

08. Green Corner

Green corner of house
A usable green space created inside and outside of a house

Creating a green corner in your house will be an eco-friendly corner decoration idea. Empty corners can always be spruced up with a lively, leafy, and flowery plant without thinking about the theme and design of the space. A huge planter with flowers will give that natural look to the corner, along with a little bling that comes with the planter to add to the drama of your space. A plant always provides the hassle-free feeling of not worrying about the amount of space it requires and keeping warmth ready.

09. Add a Hammock to Corner

Hammock in corner
Hanging spaces created by hammocks

A hammock inside the house gives off a very breezy feeling. It also adds to the elegance, making it a cool corner decor idea. Corner spots tend to gather shade, so it is a perfect spot for you to relax, read a book, or watch your favourite movies without any disturbances. A hammock will provide a welcoming and interesting feeling to create a dedicated entertainment corner. A corner hammock can also be used as a decorative piece by adding some light-weight planters. Even dry decorations would suit the space.

Aesthetical Corner Decor Ideas

If you are looking forward to adding aesthetic value to the corner, then you can go through the following corner design ideas. 

  1. Antique Find
  2. Stylish Chair
  3. Art in Room
  4. Lighting Fixture

01. Antique Settling in a Corner

Antiques for corners
Antique finds for our house corners

Antiques are not old stars! They are not lost or faded forever items in your house. They can always add a bit of sparkle as corner decor ideas. Even tiny little rusted, old, chipped, and weathered pieces can add so much drama to your house’s corner design. Be it an old toy, a book, broken pieces of wooden furniture, or a rugged carpet from the old days that sat in a dusty trunk or your attic. The best part about antiques is that they are mostly carved and handmade, showcasing the personalities of the households. You can use it to flaunt your rich personal heritage.

Check out the tips for maintaining various antique articles in your home.

02. Well-Styled Single Chair

Stylish chair for the corner
Vintage, Modern and modern upholstered chair placed in a corner

An elegantly styled chair can be used as a prop to decorate empty corners. A stylish corner chair with a different design language from the rest of the sofa set will work well as a corner decor idea. It can also be pulled out for use when required. When a pair of chairs is not available, a single chair can be purchased for a lower price. But, if you like a personalized then you can get one made for yourself. There is a new range of living room corner sofa designs readily available.

03. Present Art in the Room Corner

Corner art space
Fill the dull corners of your house with attractive frames and antiques

Presenting paintings and artifacts can be a good living room corner decor idea. It will showcase the little artist inside you in that corner without compromising the wall space you have already filled with other things. You can have a small corner art gallery or sculptures placed on a corner, or even place some artifacts that you make with your kids during the fun time. This corner decoration can also be part of the routine playful activities that you do with your kids.

04. Add a Light Corner Fixture

Decorative corner lights
Lights fixed in different types of decorative fixtures

Lights can be added as an aesthetic element to the living or bedroom corner design. Decorative corner lighting ideas can include rustic-type lamps and lights for your home. These fixtures add to the styling of the corners and take up negligible space in your house. Light fixtures can be decorative old pieces or modern artistic lights or hanging pendants as per the space available and the taste of the house. 

Setting Up the Last Corner House of House

All the above corner decor ideas brighten the dull spaces in your home. You can utilize more than one corner design idea to decorate your house.

There is no need to leave your kitchen corners unused; do have a look at

Let’s Make Kitchen Corners Creative and Spacious

Image Courtesy: Image 1(a), Image 1(b), Image 1(c), Image 1(d), Image 1(e), Image 1(f), Image 3, Image 4(a), Image 4(b), Image 5(a), Image 5(b), Image 6, Image 7(a), Image 7(b), Image 9, Image 10(a), Image 10(b), Image 12

Author Bio

Neha Bhasin – Neha Bhasin is the Principal architect of Pramana Design Studio, a leading design consultancy firm with a strong design instinct in projects that range from recycling land and master planning to the design of spaces, hospitality, houses, and commercial buildings, thereby engaging diverse issues, multiple constituencies and varying scales from interior design and architecture to urban design and planning. She has a degree in Bachelors in Architecture from Apeejay Institute of Technology, SAP, Greater Noida with a Certification in Housing Planning and Policies focused on Housing and Human Environments from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. Neha has a well-demonstrated history of 7 years, and besides being a prodigious reader, she has assisted many professionals in editing books from an architect’s perspective.

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