7 Ways to Combine Living Room and Bedroom

If the living room is a public space, then the bedroom is intimate and private. In an ideal scenario, it's better to always isolate a space for rest. However, in cases like a studio or a small apartment, it becomes necessary to combine functions within one space. We've found 7 successful projects by designers.

1. Decor and Lighting

Sometimes a flat is so small that it's impossible to separate the bedroom and living room. Still, the owners prefer to sleep on a full-size bed.

For example, in a 28-square-meter single-room flat, designer Julia Veselova didn't demarcate the functional zones but distinguished them using lighting and decorative elements. A pendant lamp appeared between the sofa and the bed, a decoration was placed above the sofa, and a carpet covered the floor.

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Design: Julia Veselova

2. Curtain

The living room in a single-room flat designed by designer Alexandra Nikulina is 17.6 square meters. That's enough to zone the space and isolate the bedroom area, but the owner was absolutely opposed to dividing the room.

Despite having both a guest sofa and a bed for the owner, the room remained spacious and bright. However, in case of need, the heavy curtain can be drawn to create privacy.

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3. Partition with Storage System

Similar starting conditions were present in the project of decorator Marina Sarkisyan – a single living room of 17.7 square meters. But the owners, a family in their middle years, preferred to define space boundaries by building a partition with built-in storage.

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Design: Marina Sarkisyan

4. Shelf

The living room in a typical panel house of series P-43 is slightly more than 19.3 square meters. It's easy to combine a living room with a large corner sofa and a bedroom with a full-size double bed. Designer Nikita Zub also used a shelf for this purpose.

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5. Bedroom in a Niche

If a reconfiguration is possible, the bedroom can be hidden in a niche. Sometimes, a couple of bedside tables are provided on both sides of the bed or just a mattress on a platform. Decorator Marina Sarkisyan preferred a regular bed with spacious drawers underneath, which replaced some seasonal storage units.

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Design: Marina Sarkisyan

6. Sofa and Bed-Transformer

The flat designed by designer Elena Potemkina is just 30 square meters. The living room, bedroom, and kitchen are all combined in one room. Finding space for a bed was impossible, so they used the Clei transformer system.

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7. Bedroom in a Glass Cube

Sometimes it's not just a lack of square meters but also insufficient natural light that matters. In the 48.3-square-meter project at Geometrium's workshop, a wall could have been built, but the owners preferred a glass partition. On one side, there's an isolated bedroom with a bed and wardrobe that can be closed off with heavy curtains if desired. On the other side, the walls are completely transparent and thus always bright in this mini-room.

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Also read:

• Behind Glass, Above the Bathroom, on the Kitchen: 6 Unusual Bedrooms
• Decorating the Wall Behind the Bed: 11 Ideas from Professionals
• 9 Ways to Organize Storage in a Small Bedroom