Furnishing a symmetrical rectangular room is pretty simple, especially if you’ve got ample space to work with. But how exactly do you go about arranging furniture in an odd-shaped space without it looking like everything’s just been thrown together with little forethought?

There’s no doubt that asymmetrical rooms with slanted ceilings and irregular floor plans can be a challenge to furnish, but the following tips can help you put all your pieces in the perfect spots to create a cohesive look.

1. Use Asymmetrical Rugs

An asymmetrical rug can work quite well in a room that does not feature 90-degree angles and suits the odd shape of the space. That said, even symmetrically-shaped area rugs can suit an odd-shaped room by creating a focal point that draws attention away from the imbalance of the space.

Area rugs are great for helping to create and define spaces, especially if the room is extra long or has plenty of square footage to go with it. You might even be able to get away with layering an area rug over top of existing wall-to-wall carpeting if that’s what you have to work with.

2. Draw Attention Away From Odd Angles With Accessories

If you’re not particularly fond of some of the weird angles in a room, you can use attention-grabbing accessories to divert the focus away from them and help place more emphasis on the decor you’ve chosen. Use accessories that are oversized or bright in color, whether it’s a piece of wall art, vase, mirror, or anything else that grabs attention.

3. Use Round Furniture Pieces

Oddly-shaped rooms look better if the furniture pieces have round versus linear edges. For instance, any coffee or end tables should ideally be round rather than square or rectangular in shape. These softer edges will help keep the focus off of the more rigid contrasting angles that your room may possess. The sofas and chairs in the space should also feature curved edges, as they can be much more easily fitted within spaces with different angles.

4. Avoid Large Furniture Pieces

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Awkwardly-shaped rooms can look especially cluttered when the furniture is oversized. In order to counter this effect, focus on pieces that are more sleek in design rather than bulky. Seek out furniture that fits well with your odd wall angles and sloped ceilings. You should be able to find pieces that provide the same function and offer the same amount of seating without all the extra material that could bulk them up.

5. Consider Custom-Built Furniture

If you find it difficult to find the right type of rounded furniture pieces that fit well in your odd-shaped space, then consider having your furniture custom-made if the budget permits. You can take the exact angles of all your corners and have pieces specifically made to fit well in these spots.

6. Choose Paint Colors and Finishes Wisely

Another simple way to take the attention off of slanted ceilings or strange corners is to paint the entire room – including the ceiling – in the same color. Having a uniform hue splashed across the whole space will make the room feel more balanced. Think soft neutral colors, such as light grey, cream, taupe, or even “greige” (a mix of grey and beige), that will also make for an ideal backdrop to coordinate with all your furniture and accessories.

7. Create Different Zones

If the space permits, try to allocate different zones in the room that will serve specific functions. For instance, in a living room, one section may be the TV-watching area with a sofa and television, while another space can act as a reading nook and feature a reading chair and end table with a lamp.

You can easily “divide” the space up with the use of a couple of area rugs. By dividing the room up based on different needs, you can take the focus off of the odd-shaped angles of the space.

8. Float Furniture Off the Walls

If there’s one type of room where lining up sofas and other pieces of furniture doesn’t work, it’s in odd-shaped rooms. Doing so will just accentuate the weird wall angles. Spaces like these definitely call for floating furniture off the walls. Having furniture pulled away from the walls can help make the space look more even and can also establish the necessary divisions to define zones within the room.

The Bottom Line

The way you would arrange furniture in a symmetrical space isn’t necessarily the way you would position each piece in an odd-shaped room. The latter requires a little more creativity and imagination in order to help make the room seem more balanced and put-together. If you have a tricky space that seems like a challenge to get the furniture placement just right, keep the above suggestions in mind.