Years of experience go into placing furniture in a living room in a way that both wows and calms. An interior designer would be able to provide furniture placement services to help you. However, if it seems unnecessary to hire a professional to place furniture in your living room, or if you’re more interested in doing the work yourself, then here are 5 living room furniture placement tips from a Vancouver interior designer.
Whether the focus is your television or a fireplace or a combination of both, choose what works for you and the room you already have. Have a built-in fireplace and a large mantel? Use that and stick to your decision. Placing seating in a nice semi-circle or loose square/rectangle around your focal point defines the space. In other spaces your focal point might be a large bay window or even media units. Whatever you choose, furniture placement that highlights your focal point can help you make a welcoming room.
When placing furniture in a living room, every seat should have easy access to the coffee table or a side table. Layouts that force movement in order to retrieve or set down anything should be avoided. Coffee tables that are slightly lower than the seat height of your furniture is ideal. If your space is narrow you may want a ‘sofa table’: a long, thin table that goes behind the sofa. When using side tables, it’s best if they are approximately the same height as the nearby chair’s arm – or slightly lower.
When placing your pieces make sure there is enough room for people to pass through (a couple of feet or so) and for people to not be tripping over anything. This includes between chairs and around tables and sofas. Create a clear path and if you notice yourself bumping into or knocking over things, you should consider removing some pieces.
In living room furniture placement, it’s a popular belief that furniture may be placed against walls. Don’t do this. Pull your sofas, tables, and other pieces away from the walls. In a small space, you should leave a few inches between the backs of furniture and walls which will make the room feel bigger. How much space between furniture and walls will be dictated by the size of the room. If you must, you can have one couch or sofa aligned with the wall but place all other furniture in more central locations..
Balance in sizing, placement, and furniture groups can make or break a room. All large pieces or all small pieces can make the room seem off or crooked. Using a variety of shapes and heights is pleasing to the eye. If your coffee table is round, try more straight-lined seating.
These living room furniture placement tips will improve the look and feel of your living room! Interior designers throughout BC have been using these tips and more to design beautifully calm and peaceful spaces for years. Trends in furniture shape and style may change, but the simple rules of living room furniture placement do not.
Need some help in a bigger room or a commercial space? An interior designer can help!
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September 2nd 2022