Arranging Furniture In Living Room Design Tool

Living room with large area rug

Credit: David Tsay

The options for how to arrange living room furniture are nearly endless. The best way to position your sofa, chairs, accent tables, and more generally depends on the shape of your room and what it's used for. Use these living room furniture arrangement ideas to find a layout that suits your space.

Living Room Furniture Arranging Tips

grey walls with turquoise furniture

Credit: Anthony Masterson

When arranging your living room furniture, start with the largest piece first. This is usually the sofa or, in some cases, an armchair. Orient the piece toward the room's most prominent feature, which could be a TV, fireplace, gallery wall, or window. If possible, avoid placing the sofa directly in front of a window, as this might block some of the natural light. Next, position smaller seating options, such as chairs or love seats, opposite or adjacent to the first piece. Finish by filling in with accent furniture, including ottomans, coffee tables, end tables, and lamps. Make sure each seat is within reach of at least one tabletop surface.

Small Living Room Furniture Arrangement

white living room sofa two chairs large brown square ottoman

Credit: Edmund Barr

Contrary to common belief, pushing all pieces against the walls is not the best way to arrange furniture in a small living room. This creates an awkward space in the middle and highlights the room's cramped dimensions. Instead, pull furniture in toward the center to create a more open feeling.

Flexible Living Room Furniture Arrangement

Mancini home tour living room

Credit: Melanie Acevedo

Grant yourself the flexibility to switch up your living room furniture arrangement depending on the occasion. Fill an empty corner with a lightweight chair that can be easily pulled into the sitting area if needed. Add in pieces like ottomans or stools that can function as side tables for drinks or serve as seating for guests.

How to Arrange Furniture on a Rug

Living room with large area rug

Credit: David Tsay

Use a large area rug to unify a seating group within a larger space. As a general rule, all key pieces of furniture should fit on top of the rug. If the rug isn't big enough to contain all of the furniture, ensure at least the front legs of all pieces are on the rug.

Large Living Room Furniture Arrangement

white living room with blue sofa and side chairs and wood chest-style coffee table

Credit: Dana Gallagher

Strategic furniture arranging can make particularly long or large living rooms feel cozy and intimate. Bring a comfortable sense of scale to the room by dividing it into two conversational groupings with a path between them. Placing one sofa with its back to this path underscores the separation between the two areas.

Arrange Living Room Furniture for Conversation

living room white couch blue chairs

Credit: Kim Cornelison

If your living room is frequently used for chats with family and friends, choose a furniture layout that facilitates conversation. Pull the seating pieces in close to the middle of the room and position them facing each other. Place a coffee table in the middle to keep drinks in easy reach for both sides.

Furniture Arrangement for Lounging

living room with sectional and sofa table two ceiling fans

Credit: James Nathan Schroder

In living rooms where lounging and TV-watching are the main activities, a sectional sofa offers flexible, comfortable seating. Sectionals come in a variety of configurations, including ones that feature armless chairs, love seats, ottomans, and chaises that you can combine to fit your space. The sofa in this living room helps divide the larger space while offering cozy seating for several.

How to Arrange Living Room Furniture

Planning the ideal furniture arrangement requires careful consideration of the room. Pay attention to how traffic flows through the room and where the focal point is located as you position the pieces. Learn more about how to arrange living room furniture in this video.

Symmetrical Furniture Arrangement

white living room brown sofas

Credit: Kritsada Panichgul

Symmetry imposes a sense of order in living rooms. Try arranging identical sofas or chairs opposite each other to achieve an attractive balance. If your furniture pieces aren't an exact match, you can still achieve a symmetrical look by arranging furniture of the same proportions on both sides of the room.

Focus on the View

layered red rugs in living room sitting area near fireplace

Credit: David Tsay

An effective living room arrangement starts with a focal point, which serves as the cornerstone of your living room design. Typically a fireplace plays this role, as in this colorful living space. Orient the main seating piece toward the focal point and arrange the secondary seating pieces around the main piece. In the summer, the room could be rearranged so the view out the French doors takes center stage instead.

Furniture Arrangements for Open Living Rooms

open dining room round table with four fabric covered chairs

Credit: Annie Schlechter

In an open-concept living room, use furniture arrangement to divide the space into different activity zones. Here, a table and chairs gather on one side of the room, providing a spot for informal meals or games. On the other side of the room, a sofa and chairs form a conversational cluster around the fireplace.

Divide a Living Room with Furniture

open floor plan kitchen and living room

Credit: Robert Brinson

Divide a large living and dining space into separate zones with furniture placement. A sofa facing away from the dining room defines the conversation area from the rest of this open layout. Arrange living room furniture closer together to make a spacious room feel cozier.

Arranging a Small Living Room

painted dark hearth in room with blue rug and leather chairs

Credit: Michael Garland

Scale down your furniture choices when decorating a small living room. For example, you can create a sense of greater space and openness with a collection of chairs instead of using sofas or love seats. The scale of these armchairs suits the smaller living room, while petite stools take the place of a bulkier ottoman.

L-Shaped Furniture Arrangement

Living room with colorful pillows and large wall art

Credit: John Bessler

Position a sofa and a love seat around a large coffee table to form an L-shaped furniture arrangement. In the corner where the two pieces meet, fill the space with an end table or a table lamp. A single chair on the other side of this group can easily be moved closer to the conversation grouping.

Diagonal Living Room Furniture Arrangement

diagnal spaced furniture great room

Credit: Laurie Black

Arranging living room furniture diagonally gives a boxy room more dimension and creates a welcoming pathway into the seating group. Use the sofa and coffee table to establish the diagonal axis and arrange additional seating along the same axis. To subtly anchor the seating group to the room's architecture, align the area rug with the fireplace or other focal point wall.

Arrangement Ideas for Living Room Chairs

Living area brick fireplace

Credit: Edmund Barr

If you don't have space for the usual sofas and love seats, four comfy chairs can work just as well in a small living room furniture arrangement. Try laying down an area rug and positioning a chair in each corner. This living room furniture layout creates an orderly look that welcomes conversation.

Furniture Arranging for TVs and Fireplaces

If you have both a TV and a fireplace, your placement options go beyond having both on the same wall. But if you're stuck on which one your seating should face, the right layout can solve your dilemma. Maximize your enjoyment of both with these living room furniture arrangement ideas.

Cozy Living Room Furniture Arrangement

white chairs sunroom space

Credit: Werner Straube

Consider your home's architecture when deciding how to arrange living room furniture. An expanse of south-facing windows, for example, makes a sunny, inviting spot for a seating area. A pair of chairs with a set of stools converts this well-lit corner into a cozy spot for two.

Furniture Arrangement Ideas for Bay Windows

bay window living room space

Credit: Michael Partenio

Turn a bay window into a quiet spot for two with a pair of comfortable chairs and an ottoman. Provide the chairs with a table and lamp so you'll have light for reading at night and a place to rest a beverage. If possible, position the furniture within the pop-out area to distinguish the seating area from the rest of the room.

How to Arrange Furniture with a Fireplace

natural living room central fire place

Credit: Edmund Barr

The fireplace is the natural focal point of a living room. Flank each side with seating, which could be two sofas or a sofa and a pair of chairs, and place a large coffee table in the middle. Leave the side opposite the fireplace open to allow entrance into the seating area.

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