Five Tips for Arranging Furniture in Your Living Room

The living room is one of the rooms in your home where you spend the most time. It’s where you relax after a long day and binge watch your favorite shows, and it’s also likely to be the room in your house where you entertain family and friends.

Do you have the kind of living room that invites people to sit down?

If not, your furniture may be to blame, especially if it is arranged improperly for your space. These five tips will help you situate all your couches, chairs, and end tables to provide you with the most comfortable, relaxing space possible.

Choose Furniture That Fits the Room

Start by assessing the furniture you have in the room. No amount of arranging is going to help if you don’t have furniture that fits.

For example, a large space would do well to have oversized, steel frame, high-quality furniture, while a small space might do better with an overstuffed loveseat.

Don’t think you can’t mix and match different sized pieces, though! A small end table can be the perfect fit next to an armchair in a large room, while a large coffee table may be the perfect solution for a small room where end tables aren’t an option. The key is to look for furniture that makes a room feel cozy without making it feel too full or too empty.

Pull Furniture Away from the Walls

Many decorators agree that the biggest mistake you can make is to line the walls with furniture. Instead, you should pull your furniture away from the walls.

It is especially important in a large area. Pulling furniture away from the walls means using less furniture in the space, which will prevent it from looking cluttered.

Surprisingly, pulling furniture away from the walls in a small space is important too. It doesn’t necessarily mean what you think it means either.

Your furniture may have to follow the curve of your room, but all furniture should be pulled a few inches from the wall. It really is the best way to provide depth to a room. It prevents scuffing and damage to the furniture too!

Create Conversation Areas

Another big mistake is making the television the center of the living room. Although it’s true that you probably do a lot of TV-watching, it is also true that you do a lot of talking. That means conversation areas should come first.

Creating a conversation area is surprisingly just as difficult in a great room as it is in a small living room. In a large space, couches and chairs must be pulled together, while in a smaller space, furniture should be tilted towards one another.

If you have enough space, consider having a few extra seating options in the corners of the room that can be pulled in for a larger chatting space.

Consider the Flow of Traffic

Have you thought about the way traffic flows through your home? If you haven’t, it’s time to start!

The way people walk through your living room can be a good indicator of how you should arrange your furniture. For example, if people walk along a back wall to get to the front door, you shouldn’t place a couch there.

Furniture can be used to redirect the flow of traffic. It can also be a great way to differentiate between two spaces. That is especially important in today’s homes where the kitchens and living rooms are open.

Get the Lighting Right

Arranging furniture means paying attention to large items, like couches, chairs, and end tables, but it also means paying attention to the details. The kind of lighting you have in your living room can greatly impact your experience.

A few tips include:

• Using soft yellow light bulbs
• Utilize a combination of overhead lighting and lamps
• Keep things cozy with candles

The type of lighting you use and when will vary. During the day, you may open the windows and leave all the lights off. If you’re working on a project, you may use task lighting, while candles may be the best way to create a cozy atmosphere before starting a movie in the evening.

You spend a lot of time in your living room. You deserve a place where you can rest and relax with friends and family. With the furniture arrangement tips on this list, you can ensure you get the most of your space, no matter how you choose to use it.