Tips & Tricks

How to Arrange Living Room Furniture: Ideas, Tips, and Tricks

June 4, 2024

“These simple living room layouts will spark your creativity and help you find the right arrangement for your home.”

When arranging living room furniture, there’s a lot to consider, like room size, flow, and functionality. Striking a balance between these aspects can be tricky, but that’s where we come in!

Because we love designing floor plans and pairing the right furniture pieces, we put together a few different layout designs to help spark creative ideas for your living room. While every living room is different, most of these layouts should be easy to replicate and scale to the size of your unique space.

Facilitate Conversations

1 Sofa + 2 Chairs + Rectangular Coffee Table + Fireplace + Rug

This layout idea is one of several options for those wondering how to arrange living room furniture with a TV and fireplace. With the couch and chairs facing each other, this furniture layout creates a seating area that puts conversation first.

Our Thoughts on Creating Conversation Areas

When creating a space to facilitate conversation, it’s important that your seating faces each other and is close enough for people to talk without raising their voices. If you are working with a larger space, you may want to consider creating several conversation areas.

Find Your Flow

1 Sofa + 2 Chairs + Round Coffee Table + Rug

Versatile and adjustable, this living room layout adds visual interest by angling the chairs and bringing in a rounded coffee table. This furniture arrangement also creates better walkways around the chairs and sofas, offering a more natural flow.

Our Thoughts on Balance

When arranging furniture, it’s good to consider both the placement and size of your pieces. Placing all the small pieces in one area and all the large pieces in another can make your living room feel lopsided. Instead, mix small and large pieces together and try for various shapes, like a round coffee table with straight-lined seating.

Maximizing Narrow Spaces

1 Sofa + 2 Chairs + Rectangular Coffee Table + Rug

Have you been questioning how to furnish a long living room? This layout is a great choice! It gives you just as much seating as the other layouts while still being compact. We love this arrangement for long and narrow spaces.

Our Thoughts on Long Coffee Tables

We believe in filling the space without overwhelming the space. When it comes to long, narrow living rooms, the goal is to find a coffee table that will both leave plenty of walking space and offer easy access from the seats around it. If you are struggling to find a coffee table that works in your space, we suggest giving a bench a try.

Formal & Symmetrical

2 Sofas + Rectangular Coffee Table + Fireplace + Rug

This type of layout, two matching sofas facing each other with a long coffee table in between them, gives a more formal and sophisticated feel. And if you have a large space to fill, you can easily add a pair of matching chairs.

Our Thoughts on Getting Creative

Want the symmetrical feel with a twist? Some ways to break from the traditional mold are mixing up the fabrics of your matching couches or using two different couches entirely. These things can add more visual interest and character to your space.

Filling Larger Spaces

1 Sofa + 1 Loveseat + 2 Chairs + Square Coffee Table + Rug

When considering how to arrange living room furniture in an open concept, we landed on this layout. The addition of the loveseat creates a “U” shape that is ideal for conversation and can comfortably hold 6-8 people. This arrangement is perfect for large families and entertaining.

Our Thoughts on Traffic Flow

More furniture can sometimes mean there’s less space for traffic to flow. To avoid people tripping over the pieces or each other, be sure to leave a couple of feet between the couch and coffee table and between chairs. This way, people can walk through the space with ease.

Arranging L-Shaped Sofas

1 L-Shaped Sofa + 1 Chair + Round Coffee Table + Fireplace + Rug

While L-shaped sofas are a great way to maximize seating, they can be hard to arrange. For those who have asked us how to arrange L-shaped sofas in the living room, we believe this is one of the best layouts for larger spaces. This cozy arrangement focuses on the fireplace and TV, making it great for relaxing with a movie or show.

Our Thoughts on Floating Furniture

Instead of pushing your couch against the wall, consider creating a buffer of a few feet between your furniture and the wall. Floating your furniture like this can make your living room feel more spacious and sophisticated, so give it a try!

Spark

Living Room Layout Ideas With By Design Properties

Living rooms come in all shapes and sizes: open, narrow, large, small, you name it! And no matter the space, we want to empower you to customize your living room according to your unique lifestyle preferences and daily routines. Hopefully, these simple living room layouts will spark your creativity and help you find the right arrangement for your home. But if you’re still not sure and want a consultation, send us a message or give us a call!

Serving the Greater Grand Rapids area, By Design Properties specializes in boutique real estate development and design consultancy. We blend expertise in real estate investment, development, and bespoke design to craft unique living experiences.

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