Whether you want to rearrange your living room or are thinking about furnishing your first home, moving the furniture will take more than a thought. Follow the instructions in this article to create the atmosphere you want regardless of the space you have available. The information in this guide will also help you choose furniture, understanding the role different pieces play in a room.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Create an Interesting Layout
Step 1. Clear the room
Remove all furniture by using a special trolley or by having someone help you. In this way, you will get a better idea of the shape of the living room, without the furniture already present influencing your judgment.
If you don't have enough space to store the furniture, take out everything you can, and arrange the remaining items in the corners so they don't get in the way while you plan
Step 2. For most living rooms, it would be best to combine large and small elements
Unless you have a particularly tiny, spacious, or oddly shaped living room, follow these guidelines. Larger pieces should take up most of the space due to their volume. Coffee tables, armchairs, and other smaller items should complement the décor and ensure that you can rest your feet and put your drinks down, without obstructing the passage into the room or turning a pleasant arrangement into a real mess.
- For example, a sofa, an armchair and a bookcase can define the usable space and determine the color scheme. Two coffee tables and a coffee table will therefore have a useful function; these smaller objects will enrich the decoration of the room, without taking attention away from the larger pieces.
- Read the sections dedicated to small and large rooms to find suggestions on how to arrange spaces that are not the usual size. These tips can also come in handy if the room has an unusual shape, especially if it features angled walls that make the space seem too crowded or too scattered.
Step 3. Select a center of interest
Each room benefits from a focal point, which can be an eye-catching object or area that gives you a starting point to guide your choice of furniture. If you don't choose an element that catches the eye, the overall design can look messy and random, and it could create uninteresting and comfortable spaces for guests.
- The most common focal points are those found on a wall, such as a television, fireplace, or a couple of large windows. Arrange the sofas and armchairs near the other three sides of the room. Move them close to the walls or make an angle slightly towards the focal point.
- Don't have a focal point or do you want to create a space that stimulates conversations? Arrange the furniture symmetrically, placing sofas and armchairs on all four walls. However, this makes it more difficult to achieve a particularly aesthetically pleasing arrangement. You could decorate a bookcase or other tall cabinet to create visual harmony without distracting guests.
Step 4. Leave some space between the walls and furniture
If all the sofas are pushed against the walls, the room can feel cold and unwelcoming. Bring the pieces inward, pushing them away from at least two or three sides of the room to create a more intimate area. Follow the distance guidelines below, but you have total freedom to adapt them to your liking if you prefer smaller or larger spaces.
- Leave 1 meter wide spaces where people will walk. If you have children who don't stay still for a minute or some family members require extra space, increase it to 1.2m.
- If you don't have room to create passageways on three or four sides of the room, push the furniture in, leaving enough space to fit just a lamp at the back, whether it's standing on the floor or resting on a long, tall coffee table. The light gives the idea that the space is larger.
Step 5. Arrange the furniture for convenient use
Some of these choices depend on your personal preferences, and you can always redecorate the space according to your family's habits. In any case, these little decorative "rules" are a good starting point:
- Coffee tables are generally placed 35 cm from a sofa or armchair. Shorten this distance if your family members have shorter arms and lengthen it if they have long limbs. Do people of both kinds live in your house? Move the seats to sit on opposite ends and pull them together on the other two ends, or vice versa.
- Interior designers usually place the side armchairs at 120-250 cm from the sofa. Just make sure there is enough space to walk between the different pieces if the room is small.
- The layout of the television can vary greatly depending on the size of the room, the viewing range of the viewers and personal preferences. Basically, start by placing a sofa in front of the TV; to calculate the space, measure the height of the screen and multiply it by 3. For example, if the screen measures 40 cm, it should be placed 120 cm from the sofa and then adjusted according to your taste.
Step 6. Use symmetry to create furniture that gives an idea of tranquility
The symmetrical arrangements convey an impression of order and calm, and are ideal for resting the mind and indulging in relaxing activities. To create a room with bilateral symmetry, imagine drawing a line along the exact center of the floor; furniture on one side should reflect the image of those on the other side like a mirror.
- This is the most common symmetrical arrangement there is: a focal point in the center of a wall, a sofa placed directly on the other side, and two matching armchairs or loveseats on each side of the sofa, facing inwards. A coffee table and / or living room tables complete the space.
- You don't need identical furniture to accomplish this. For example, you can balance an L-shaped sofa by placing a low living room table on the opposite side of the chaise longue. The overall shape is more important than the perfect match of the elements.
Step 7. Use asymmetry to add a touch of originality to the room
If one side of the living room is different from the other, be it completely different furniture or smaller changes, the living room will look more interesting and give an idea of dynamism. This step is optional, but a small asymmetry can positively change a room with a uniform and relaxing decor.
- To start, make some small changes, then keep adjusting them until you get the result that convinces you the most. It is more difficult to create an interesting and asymmetrical design than a symmetrical one, especially if you try to do it in one go.
- For example, place a bookcase in a corner rather than in the center of the wall. If this result does not convince you, balance it using a different symmetry than usual, adding two squares on the empty part of the wall.
- If the living room isn't usually frequented by many people, try arranging the sofas and armchairs on one or two sides only, creating an L and adding a focal point on the third wall. The fourth should correspond to the main entrance. This allows you to use asymmetry to make it easier to reach places to sit on.
Step 8. Arrange one piece of furniture at a time
Using a special trolley or with the help of sturdy people, bring the furniture into the room without dragging it. Start with the biggest and most important pieces. This allows you to get an idea of the creation of the living room step by step, adding new elements each time.
If your decor includes new furniture, start by arranging existing or larger pieces before buying smaller ones. You may find yourself changing your mind as you make the arrangement
Method 2 of 4: Make a Small Room Look Spacious
Step 1. Use a small number of versatile pieces
If you don't have enough space to put all the furniture you want in the living room, use ones that have more than one function, so you can quickly alter the room when you have guests or want to make a change.
- You could use a modular sofa that can be split into two pieces or extended so you can rest your feet on it.
- Follow the same line of thinking by choosing a multifunctional item. Try moving the seating slightly to create a corner where a living room table can fit all the various sofas and armchairs, instead of having several.
Step 2. Add light furniture when you have guests
Folding chairs can easily be brought into the space when you have several guests, without permanently taking away space.
Having a small sofa or a couple of armchairs gives a touch of variety and comfort, but don't rely only on overstuffed and bulky furniture, so you will have more space
Step 3. Use furniture that is approximately the same height
If some pieces are much taller than others, this can make the space feel cramped and claustrophobic.
Stack books on small living room tables to make them appear taller, without having to replace them
Step 4. Let in natural light
Use lighter or more sheer curtains to make the space appear brighter. If you don't have windows that let in light, adding artificial lighting is an acceptable trade-off. For a better effect, prefer cold lighting to warm lighting.
Step 5. Add a couple of mirrors in the room
Sometimes the illusion of having more space is enough for the environment to seem more airy. This will come in particularly handy when there is little natural light or if your living room has small windows.
Step 6. Replace some furniture with similar or less consistent glass items
Horizontal glass tables, glass doors or open passageways make the room seem more spacious. The less full-bodied and elevated pieces give the impression that the living room is larger.
Step 7. Use muted and neutral colors
Soft colors, such as cool blue or beige, make a space seem more pleasant and airy. Avoid dark or intense shades.
Cushions, curtains and decorative items can be replaced more easily and cheaper than actual furniture or wall colors, so start by changing these elements
Method 3 of 4: Make a Large Room Look Cozy
Step 1. Use large and low furniture to divide the room
To make a large living room more liveable and comfortable, create two or more specific sections. Backless or low sofas, especially L-shaped ones, are excellent for dividing the living room without blocking the view or creating unsuitable, tall distractions in the middle of the space.
- Dividing a large rectangular space into two squares often optimizes its appearance, as square spaces almost always attract the eye.
- You can use one or more sections for other purposes, even if that wasn't the starting idea for the living room. However, the overall color scheme should be uniform.
Step 2. If your room is not large enough to be divided properly, fill the space with larger than usual furniture
A particularly large ottoman is preferable to a coffee table to make a large space between sofas or armchairs cozy. A love seat will look out of place in a large living room, so replace it with a larger one or buy a matching one. Arrange them so that they form a slight angle and give the space a welcoming feel.
Step 3. Use large paintings or several smaller pieces
If all the paintings or frames are small, group them to take up more space and create a pleasantly aesthetic arrangement that will visually fill the room.
Tapestries are generally larger and can be cheaper than paintings
Step 4. Add tall houseplants to fill in corners and empty areas
The plants you want to take care of at home can give a colorful and visually interesting touch where the space was empty.
Step 5. Arrange the accessories on the tables
The figurines, sculptures or decorative ceramic pieces attract attention on a smaller scale. In any case, do not load the tables so much that they are unusable; do not add more than 1-4 pieces on each one.
Step 6. Paint or decorate the walls and ceiling
If you are interested in completely changing the design of the living room, use rich colors, multiple color choices or wood paneling to make the space less bare. Calling attention to the walls makes guests feel pampered in an intimate setting.
Method 4 of 4: Test Arrangements without Buying or Moving Furniture
Step 1. Measure the room and the waypoints
Using a stiff ruler and a notebook, note the length and width of the living room, including the dimensions of each wall if the space is not rectangular. Measure the width of each passage and entrance area, adding the distance between one door and another (if there is more than one) when they are open.
- If you don't have a tailor's tape measure, take a ruler to measure your foot from heel to toe, and use it as the unit of measurement on each wall, multiplying the number of steps by the length of the foot. Try to be precise, placing one foot behind the other as you go. Walking as usual and making a rough calculation of the size will quickly get you a measurement, but it will be less accurate.
- If you plan to use the wall space to hang large pictures or a television, measure the height of the living room as well.
- It is not necessary to measure the length of an open door facing outside.
Step 2. Measure the dimensions of the furniture
If you will have existing pieces, measure the width, length and height of each of them; it also calculates the length of each side of non-rectangular items, such as corner sofas. Write this information carefully, so as not to confuse the different measurements.
If you intend to buy more pieces, read the first section of the article, then come back here
Step 3. Draw a representation of the living room to scale using a sheet of graph paper
Refer to the measurements taken to create a map of the living room. Use them to make the drawing proportional: if the room measures 4x8 m, you could make the map by calculating 40x80 squares, 20x40 squares or 10x20 squares. Choose the largest scale that fits on the graph paper.
- Include a semicircle for each door that opens to the room, indicating how much space it takes up when open.
- The easiest and most useful scale to remember? Calculate 1 square of graph paper for every 30 cm², 50 cm² or 1 m².
- Indicates the scale (for example, 1 square = 30 cm²) outside the map; better to do it on the same sheet, so as not to forget it.
- If the room has a pillar between two walls, mark the two places on the walls where it is located. Finally, draw a straight line in the center.
- If the room has a curved wall, you may want to draw it by making a rough estimate of its shape after placing both ends on the map.
Step 4. Draw your furniture using the same scale and cut it out
Refer to the measurements you took earlier and cut them out of the sheet you made them on, following the outline. Use the same scale chosen for the graph paper.
- If you are thinking about buying new furniture, experiment with paper models of different sizes and shapes to consider various possibilities.
- If you have a vague idea about the color scheme in mind, glue some paper or fabric to the cut out models or color them with markers.
- Represent the paintings, the flat screen TV that you will hang on the wall or the fireplaces by creating rectangles correctly represented on the graph paper.
Step 5. Try different layouts on the graph paper. Remember not to block doorways
For each creation you make, imagine how people will pass into the room through each individual entrance, and you should also consider how they would reach the sofa, bookcase or other functional element. Make changes or shrink the pieces to be smaller or smaller in case these steps feel awkward and tight.
People generally need 1-1.2m to pass comfortably
Advice
- You can buy software to virtually organize the room and get a better idea of what the final result will look like. You can try it out before buying or arranging furniture.
- Respect the size and shape of the room when choosing furniture and arrangement. If it's small, use pieces that fit smoothly.
- Take a cue from the photographs you see in magazines or from the living rooms shown on television, so you will have new ideas and can adapt them to your tastes.
