Loving Your Living Room Layout

How do you like living in your living room? If it’s not as comfortable or as livable as you’d like, it could be because the layout isn’t working for you and your household’s needs. It’s easy to get stuck in the conventional living room arrangement of a couch against a wall and two chairs flanking a coffee table, but there are other layout alternatives they may work better for you.

What’s important?

Prioritize the functions that you want your living room to serve. Do you mainly use the space to watch television? Or, is it more of a gathering place where you spend family time? Do you use your living room mostly for entertaining? Does it double as a home office space? Answering these questions and deciding what purpose is the most important to you will help you arrive at the best layout configuration for you needs.

Focal point

Even if your living room doesn’t have an obvious focal point like a fireplace or a television, you can create one. A picture window with a lovely view can serve as a focal point, as can an artfully arranged bookshelf or a piece of art. Define your living room’s best focal point and start arranging from there.

Learn to float

Unless space is especially tight, living room furniture doesn’t have to be pushed up against walls. Experiment by pulling couches, chairs, and end tables away form walls and “floating” them in the middle of the room. Even if you don’t have enough space to float all the furniture, pulling some pieces away from the wall may give you a more pleasing layout and better conversation areas.

Talking points

Speaking of conversation areas, consider creating two different seating arrangements if your living room is large enough. For example, one seating area could be centered around a television or fireplace, with another smaller seating arrangement (such as two chairs and an end table) in another part of the room. In addition to facilitating more people, this layout can help make the room multi-functional.

Table talk

A small breakfast or dining table with a couple of chairs tucked into a corner or in front of a window in a living room can provide another seating area as well as some visual interest. It can also provide a great space for intimate dinners, card games, or craft projects.

Think outside the couch

A living room doesn’t automatically have to include a couch. If your living room’s size and shape doesn’t lend itself to a conventional sofa and chair arrangement, consider other alternatives. One popular trend is to arrange for to five easy chairs in a conversational circle around a coffee table. Or, perhaps two loveseats would work better in your space. Sectional sofas can offer the comfort of a sofa with flexible options.

Whatever layout you choose for your living room, make sure it reflects your personality. Adding your own personal touches will make you more comfortable in the space and will make it warmer and more inviting to others, too. Photos of family and friends, favorite books, travel keepsakes, and your favorite colors and patterns will all help you enjoy living in your living room.