If you're like most people, you spend most of your time in your living room, watching TV, reading, playing with the kids, etc. So, naturally, you want your space to look and feel good — who doesn't?
But don't just stick your furniture any which way; you need to arrange them to their best advantage! And we have tips to get you started!
1. Creating a Focal Point
The first thing to consider is what you want your focal point to be for your living room. This focal point will be the center of the room and dictate how you will arrange your furniture around it. Sometimes, this focal point is natural, like a big window or a built-in fireplace mantel.
But if you don't have a natural focal point, you'll need to create one like with your TV, a large piece of artwork, or a wall of bookshelves. Whichever you pick for your focal point, stick with it!
2. Prepping the Layout
Once you have a focal point in mind, the next step is to plan out the layout of the room, which will depend on the size of your living room. For bigger rooms, start with the largest piece of furniture (like your sofa), orient towards the room's most prominent feature (like the focal point), and place smaller objects, like the chairs and loveseats, next to the big piece. For smaller layouts, pull your furniture toward the center of the room to create an open feeling.
You can also play with the layout and see if a symmetrical layout works, like having two sofas facing each other. Alternatively, you could do something more asymmetrical, like arranging your bulk furniture on the diagonal. It's important to keep playing with the layout until it looks and feels right!
Pro Tip: Make sure each seat is within reach of at least one tabletop surface and face chairs towards each other while keeping them no more than eight feet apart!
3. Placing the TV
Having a TV in the living room is convenient — how else will you binge-watch shows with the family? So, it's essential to place it in the best position! Some tips to keep in mind include the following:
- Keeping it away from sunlight or glare from other lighting sources.
- Putting it out of high-traffic areas so people won't keep walking past it and interrupting your viewing.
- Facing it towards your seating for the best viewing angle — make sure the distance is approximately three times the screen size!
- Mounting it on the wall to help free up floor space!
4. Traffic Flow
Another aspect to remember when arranging living room furniture is the traffic flow. Most often, the living room will have people coming in and out all day, so it's essential that everyone has enough space to not trip over the furniture or each other. To avoid that, make sure there is a clear path for people to walk from one end of the room to the other.
You need at least three feet of clearance for main walkways, but for areas with less traffic, two feet is enough.
5. Table Height
Good seating is essential, but so is getting your living room tables just right. Not only do they need to suit the room's aesthetic, but they also have to fit the room AND your other furniture.
Side or end tables need to be the same height as the nearby chair arms or lower. But coffee tables need to be equal in height to the seat of the sofa or lower. This way, placing things on the tables will be much easier!
Pro Tip: To choose the ideal coffee table size, bigger is better, but remember to leave at least 18 inches (with no clearance) between the sofa and the table, or 36 inches including clearance to let people pass through!
6. Creating Illusions
Once you have an idea of your layout and the focal point, you could try opening your space with a few "illusions." You could try the following:
- Floating your furniture three to four inches from the wall to make the wall seem further away and the space bigger.
- Hanging mirrors across from the window to reflect the light and visually expand the room.
- Prevent your furniture from blocking windows and entrances and create an open concept feel to improve the flow.
- Avoiding the clutter with multi-purpose furniture with secret storage to keep throw blankets, magazines, and other knickknacks.
7. Décor
Decorating your living room is the last step, but just like with anything else, it also needs to be strategic and work well with the other bits of your living room. For example, if you plan to hang anything behind the sofa, like a piece of art, a mirror, or a sculpture, it can't be too small — it needs to be at least two-thirds the length of the sofa.
But if you don't have pieces that large, you can always take several smaller pieces and group them to form a gallery wall. For other parts of the living room, you'll want to keep your décor proportional to the wall size.
Looks Good!
Whether you have a small, large, or irregular-sized living room, these tips will help you create a living room that refreshes you every time you step inside! But if you don't have a cohesive design style to go with your expert arrangement (you're welcome!), or your furniture is on its last legs (hopefully not literally!), find your upgrade at Downs TV & Appliance!
Our living room furniture catalog has various design styles and sets for you to choose from, so don't wait a moment! And if you have any questions, give us a call!