When planning a furniture arrangement, start by making a scaled floor plan. This will help you test different ideas without breaking your back and moving things around.
Avoid pushing furniture up against walls to create a more open feel. Instead, pull it a few inches away to make the space appear more prominent.
Focal Points
Designing a living room around a focal point—the TV, fireplace, or other architectural features is almost always necessary. This helps orient the seating arrangement and define the conversation area.
People should be careful when pushing their furniture against the wall to save space, which can create a boxy, unwelcoming feel. Instead, try pulling the furniture away from the walls and grouping it around a coffee table or other shared surface.
For a more traditional and visually pleasing layout, consider a symmetrical arrangement with identical sofas or chairs facing each other. Even if the pieces aren’t an exact match, this approach can add an attractive uniformity to the overall look of the space. Likewise, try creating nearby surfaces within reach of each seating position, such as an end table or bookshelf. These can be used for drinks, reading, or whatever the seating position needs.
Zones
If you have an open-concept space, shop stylish living room furniture – create your ideal space and defining zones is one of the easiest ways to keep traffic flow clear and logical. For example, a sofa facing away from the dining room defines the conversation area in this living and kitchen layout. Two accent chairs flank the sofa, keeping the walkway between the two seating areas free of obstructions.
Moving furniture away from the walls can help rooms appear more extensive and open while emphasizing key points. For this reason, leaving a few inches between the backs of furniture pieces and the wall is a good idea to allow for this easy sightline.
A large area rug can also unify a seating group and add a layer of warmth to a living room. All front legs should rest on the carpet to create a cohesive look. When the rug isn’t an option, room divider ideas can be a quick and affordable solution to delineating space.
Balance
A furniture arrangement that needs to be more balanced isn’t just visually unappealing – it can also interfere with traffic flow and the room’s functionality. That’s why planning your layout before moving a single piece is essential.
Symmetry is a classic furniture arranging technique that creates visual balance in any size or shape of a living room. For example, a sofa flanked by matching chairs is a symmetrical arrangement.
Playing with the proportions of scale and texture in your furniture is another way to achieve balance. For instance, grouping odd-numbered pillows in pairs on your couch is more appealing than using all even-numbered pillows.
Leaving walkways clear is another way to ensure you create a balanced layout. Be careful not to push all your furniture against the walls, as this can make a small space feel cramped and claustrophobic. A better option is to float some of your furniture pieces slightly away from the walls and dot them with mismatched tables, chairs, or stools.
Storage
Clever storage is one of the best ways to keep a room looking sleek. Even a small living room can handle lots of storage furniture to keep throw blankets, books, and entertainment essentials out of sight and neatly organized.
Bookcases are a classic choice for efficient living room storage. You can use open shelving to display decorative ornaments and vases while reserving closed shelves for heavier items, like your collection of mugs or extra-throw pillows.
Floating shelves are a simple approach to get the same effect. They can be painted a contrasting color to stick out from the wall or the same color to blend in with the background.
Adding hooks to walls or cabinets is another great way to add easy-to-access living room storage. You can even get creative by using a vintage trunk as a coffee table that doubles as a place to store linens, blankets, and hats.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.