If you’re at a loss on how to create the perfect layout for your living room, you can rest assured you’re not the only one that’s stumped. Homeowners and renters alike often have difficulty figuring out where to place furniture, accent pieces and other items. Of course, you need to strike the right balance between usage and functionality, but you also want to make the living room attractive. Here are some tips to get you started.
Start by identifying your focal point
The best way to find the focus in the room is to look at how you use it the most. If you spend a lot of time in the space watching TV, that will be your central point. However, many households use the living room as a more formal area for entertaining. When you have guests over for social gatherings, the focal point is more likely to be the people in the room. Still other homes have a fireplace or piano, both of which should be considered the focal point for purposes of determining how to create the perfect layout for your living room.
Arrange larger furniture opposite the central piece
Now that you’ve identified the central element of the living room, it’s time to look at the larger pieces of furniture. The other smaller pieces and low profile accent furniture will be arranged according to the items that take up more space in the room. Your sectional or sofa should be placed directly opposite the focal point. Of course, the flow of foot traffic or window space should be taken into consideration as well. If you’re unable to arrange these pieces across from the central point, angle the furniture so that it faces the focus as closely as possible.
If you have anything in your living room that isn’t used often, you may need to look for a wardrobe storage system. This will help you declutter and improve the flow of your living room.
Anchor with the right rug
Once you’ve placed your larger furniture pieces, you need to tie the room together with a rug. The proper size of your rug depends upon the anchor you’re trying to create. If you have a sofa, love seat and chairs, the rug should be larger so the pieces aren’t crowded. When in doubt, keep in mind the interior designer’s rule of thumb: the rug should be big enough so that the front legs of each piece of seating furniture rests upon the edge of the floor covering. Anything smaller will make the room appear disjointed and not well thought out.
Place accent furniture where it will get the most use
Again, you want to consider the most common use of the living room when arranging your accent pieces. When you do a lot of entertaining, you don’t need an easy chair or couch seat for everyone; an ottoman or bench will do just fine. Those living rooms that double as a media room might benefit from seating that’s easy to move when everyone wants to see the TV screen.
Tables are a must when looking at how to create the perfect layout for your living room
The coffee and side tables should be placed so that each seat has access to a flat surface. The whole idea is that any person sitting in the room has a table to place a glass upon when you’re entertaining. Keep in mind that tables aren’t the options as far as accent furniture. You can use ottomans or benches to create flat surfaces by simply placing a tray on top.
Don’t forget vertical space
Many homeowners overlook the use of wall wardrobes when trying to determine the best living room layout. If the use or flow of the room doesn’t allow for the larger bookshelves you love, send them to another space and install shelving on the walls. Those floor lamps might also be impractical in the living room layout. Incorporate wall based lighting instead of taking up space.
Make the most of an oddly shaped room
The L-shaped living room is attractive in many homes, but it can also be a nightmare when it comes to furniture layout. One of the best ways to work around this floor plan is to embrace its awkwardness by creating two distinct spaces within the room. Place most furniture in the larger area, and then arrange a second, smaller conversation area in the other space.
Once you have the basics on how to create the perfect layout for your living room, everything else will fall into place. The important point is to arrange the room according to the activities you enjoy the most in the space; then, get to work on adding personal touches to make it your own. Even L-shaped or seemingly-awkward rooms have potential when you take advantage of tips from the pros on ideal layout design.
Wardrobe World
The author for the Wardrobe World blog posts is Fiona Wilson.
This is her author bio: Fiona Wilson helps people all over Australia to better organise their homes and lives. Working closely with Wardrobe World and GarageSmart, she is incredibly passionate about finding practical lifestyle solutions for her clients. See her Wardrobe World blog here.
