Do you have an awkward wall, empty corner, or other awkward space that has been a challenge to style? The wall space between our living room windows and sliding glass door has stumped me since we moved in. I love an open concept look, but it can be tough to make our breakfast nook feel intentional when it is so open. After many attempts, I am finally happy with it! Today I’m sharing awkward space design tips for adding balance and purpose to your home.
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Awkward Wall Space Before
It seems that a lot of builder basic homes have the same layout with the living room, breakfast area, and kitchen in a row. Since our breakfast nook doesn’t bump out in the back of the house (this was an upgrade we could have paid for but it wasn’t in our budget), we have a long wall with no definition between spaces. Previously, I tried to define this little wall with artwork and a bench or plant, but it still didn’t seem right to me. (Please just ignore the two types of curtains in this photo, lol.)
Awkward Space Design Tips
I finally realized that the space needed two kinds of definition:
- Visual: The decor I was using didn’t feel substantial enough, and left the area feeling unbalanced.
- Functional: The types of decor I was using didn’t suit the space, which needed a purpose.
I decided to go bigger in terms of scale–which is almost always better in design!–and redefine this space as a drop zone for the back door. While I like the look of a stool or plant for a hallway or corner, both felt too small for this wall. A narrow console would fill out the space and set a clear intention for it. I could also ditch my floor lamp, which always bothered me here, and use a table lamp instead.
After: A Balanced and Purposeful Space
And here is the after! Adding a small console table to this wall gave it a purpose. We drop phones and sunglasses here, and the basket underneath is an easy hiding place for shoes or toys. The larger scale of the console (compared to a plant or bench) grounds the look. Two stacked acrylic frames fill out the space above and I love the modern look.
Sources not linked above:
- Frames: Highland Hardware 16×20 standard frames with brass bolts. (The frames were gifted to me, but I was not required to write a blog post.)
- Blanket and basket: Homegoods finds, but I linked similar above.
- Artwork: BFF Print Shop (Dove Study and Shaded Hillside)
- Console table: Unfortunately no longer available from Target, but here are some similar options. For reference, ours is 36″ width x 14″ depth x 30″ height.
Here is the space in relation to our breakfast table! This whole area feels more intentional now, and I have something pretty to look at during the 10 snack breaks we seem to take each day 😉
If you’ve been following along on Instagram, you’ll know that I actually just replaced our white curtains with pinch pleat drapes from Amazon! This photo also shows another purpose for the console table: a central location for our Echo.
What do you think friends? What awkward spaces do you have in your home (or am I the only one?!). Stay tuned for a living room update coming soon! Xo,
