Figuring out how to lay out the furniture in your home is a funny thing. When you see a room that has a great, functional layout, it looks so easy. But then you step into a blanket space, have a grab bag of furniture to use, and you freeze. It can be HARD. There are many right ways in any given room to arrange pieces, but there are also plenty of wrong ways. And by wrong, I just mean not best suited to maximize your space, your seating, and even your square footage.
Today, I’m helping four readers on the layout struggle bus because sometimes, you’ve gotta call in the reinforcements. And friends, after reading their submissions (and dozens of others), I started to realize there was a common thread throughout many homes. Sure, some spaces were legitimately wildly hard to figure out, between doors, windows, and oddly shaped rooms, so I really feel for those homes. Sometimes, it’s a best of worst worlds scenario.
But today, I picked homes that I felt were more universal, with some more takeaways for the majority of the people here reading. Let’s dive in.
Facing The Fireplace
From the reader: “Our living room has been a struggle for me since we moved in! The dimensions from fireplace to barstools is 15’9? and the width from the wall to glass slider is 18’5?. I know the area rug is too small for the width of the couch (~7’5?), and I probably just didn’t buy the right couch. The space is really small and backs up to the kitchen island so it’s hard to figure out optimal seating/livable/entertaining arrangement. I’m also thinking the TV is just too high and while I’m dreaming maybe shave off the top of the fireplace casing and reface the whole thing. I’m honestly just unsure how to make this room livable and look decent. HELP please!” – Erin H.
Dearest Erin, fear not, I’ve got you! Because the space butts up against the island, you kind of just have to be okay with some things feeling a little tight, but I have ideas for a much better arrangement that doesn’t leave a giant empty space at the end of the rug or an awkward position for viewing TV. Plus, I think we can get in more storage to boot (or change where the TV is entirely, but that might not solve the awkward TV viewing thing). Here’s what I’m thinking:
When I first looked at this, I immediately had the itch to get that sofa off the wall. Pushing it to the right wall makes the seating kind of disappear, and then just opens up space that isn’t being used for much (I’m guessing it’s a little play area due to the toys on the floor). Here are a few more angles:
If she were to shift the sofa to face the fireplace at the edge of the rug where it currently is, she could then move the chairs to the opposite side of the rug, closest to the fireplace and built-ins. I can see one more nestled onto the rug to be more in arrangement with the sofa, and then placing the lounge chair in the right corner. I’d move the blanket ladder to the left under where those triangle mirrors are, and then add some great storage piece on the wall where the current sofa is. She can either leave the TV up high where it is now so it’s opposite the couch, or move it to be on top of the new storage unit if it’s low enough. That’ll still be awkward for viewing, but it would feel out of proportion with the height of the sofa at least. To help with the TV on the wall, they could try to see if an extended arm tv wall mount like this one might be helpful. Because the space is small, this still leaves room in front of the sliding glass doors to move around, and in front of the storage piece (that can be used for toys, games, etc.!). Here’s a floorplan I put together:
Please remember this is NOT to scale. I did try to estimate the size of the sofa she mentioned (7.5? roughly) to the size of the room, but it’ll likely feel a bit more squished than you see here, though totally liveable and kind of cozy.
Another option that I just thought about while writing this is taking the sofa and putting it in the opposite spot that it’s in now (in front of the sliding glass door but with at least 3-4 feet of distance), then putting the chairs on the other side of the room (but closer to the seating area then they are now), and still adding some kind of media cabinet with TV. This would shift the focus of the room from the fireplace to the media cabinet, which I don’t love, but it’s worth a try, especially if Erin were open to getting a much larger rug (9×12 would be great) where all the seating could be placed atop it. The larger rug would be helpful for the arrangement in the floor plan I brought forward, too, as it’ll make the room feel bigger and more purposeful than the smaller 5×8 (I’m guessing) she has.
Move Away From The Window
From the reader: “I have a living room that I feel like should be very straightforward, however, I am stumped with our layout. We have two young kids and are reclaiming our living room from being used as a playroom to an actual functional living room. We want to pull the couch forward off the window, add a table for plants there, and then add two more chairs to replace the IKEA one for a better seating arrangement. However, when we pull the couch off the window, the space behind it is quite awkward (maybe not enough room for anything?) And the same on the opposite side of the room. When we add chairs, suddenly everything feels very tight. Maybe I need to change the orientation of the furniture, but I don’t know where to begin.
The room itself is quite large (16’x15?), so it feels like there should be plenty of space. But what we’re finding is everything is quite awkward. There isn’t enough room to walk around the furniture how we’d like when we pull the couch off the wall. You can see that we’ve already taped some markers on the carpet for some chairs that we have our eye on. Also some tape on the hardwood for a larger console that we’re thinking of purchasing. But now I don’t know if we need to look for different options. But the space feels SO BIG, and we know we need more furniture, but maybe the layout we have in mind isn’t quite right. As you can see I’m going in circles in my head.” – Liz W.
A room that’s both too small and too large, what a conundrum! I get it. Liz, you seem to be dealing with a similar situation as Erin from above. Too much open space but not enough room for actual furniture. Before diving into my suggestions, I do want to say a quick thing that I often have to remind myself of. Whenever you change the orientation of the furniture in a room, you have to live with it for at least a week or so. Anything you do is going to shock the sense a little, and possibly feel too tight because your body isn’t used to working within the new space confinements. Give it some time, let it breathe, and *then* decide if it works for you or not. You’ll be surprised how things start to feel the more you live with them.
Anyway, let’s have at this space…
This room is kind of the flip of the room before it, with the large span of window on the right side, and a full wall on the left. It’s not quite as wide, so there’s less opportunity to have pieces overly spread out (a common mistake!), but I’m using a similar technique. First things first, turn the rug 90 degrees so the width of it follows the width of the room (a good rule of thumb for a rug, FYI). Then, move the sofa off the window to face the fireplace. The back of it will be open to what I’m imagining is a walkway into the rest of the house, so they can either leave it bare or add a narrow sofa table. I like keeping the arrangement tidy, so I’d place one of each of the new chairs they’re eyeing on either side of the rug in front of the sofa, add in side tables, bring in a thin plant table in front of the window as they like, and swap the music cabinet they have now for the larger piece she linked. This way, the space feels better for entertaining, and conversation and is oriented just generally better to the shape of the room.
Here it is in a floorplan:
I see this layout and take in a deep sigh of relief. Probably because I like symmetry but also because I truly do think it makes better use of the space. Now, for the third room.
You Guessed It: Float The Sofa
From the reader: “My living room layout issue is that this room contains the front door and also connects to the dining room. The room dimensions are 20’2? x 13?. The current layout leaves a lot of unutilized space behind the couch and in corners. I am having trouble figuring out where to place furniture that doesn’t block the door and dining room circulation and also looks right for the space.” – Lucy C.
Let me tell you a very quick story. I sat down at my desk to plot out floorplans for all these readers by hand. I did it one at a time on an individual basis. What would work best for each of their houses given the room and space? I sketched, I changed a few sketches, and finally landed on something that felt really good. Then, I put them all side by side and laughed. Hard. With the exception of one room (the last one), I had plotted out the SAME arrangement for every room.
Now, maybe this is because I’m a one-trick pony. Or maybe, just maybe, I realized why so many people have issues with their room layouts. I’m going to say something loudly for everyone to take note of. Ready?
TAKE YOUR FURNITURE AWAY FROM THE WALLS!!!!
Especially your sofa. Yes, sometimes, a sofa or sectional is great up against the wall. There’s nothing wrong with it AT ALL. But if your room doesn’t feel like it’s working and all your big pieces are around the perimeter of your space, GET THEM IN THE CENTER OF THE ROOM.
Our rooms need to breathe. When everything lines the walls, it can strangle a room while also leaving waaaaay too much open space in the center. Seating feels far apart from the action (either from each other, from the TV or a focal point like a fireplace), it can feel cold, or just disjointed. When you bring everything into the center, specifically the seating, it feels like a proper arrangement. A conversation area that makes sense.
Also, do NOT feel like you have to fill every corner and every wall and every nook. When I studied magazine layout back in my college days (I thought I was maybe going to be an art director for a minute there), I learned one of the biggest secret weapons of good design: white space. You have got to leave room for air; for nothing; for visual boredom.
Phew, okay, now that I have that off my chest, let’s see me do the same thing I’ve already done twice.
This room is very similar to some of the others we’ve already seen except for having it also include the entry of the home. So I tried to also work on a remedy for not having any kind of landing strip. (The grate on the floor to the left of the front door makes me think you can’t really put anything there like a cabinet.)
I know this reader likely put the sofa where she put it because they thought placing it in front of the dining room entryway would block the flow of traffic. But as long as it’s deep enough into the living space, it’s totally fine to have the back of a sofa to another room. I once studied the sets of some of my favorite sitcoms and shows and quickly realized that because they are shot on a set, there aren’t many walls to put furniture, so their living room furniture often floats in the middle, with the back of the sofa facing another room or just open space. And this is why the rooms actually felt so friendly and inviting. DO WHAT THE TV SHOWS DO, my friends!
So, yet again, I pulled the sofa away from the wall to be parallel with the fireplace. The rug doesn’t look like it’s in the center of the room, so I’d center that on the fireplace, as well. I think moving the green armchair and ottoman to the opposite side would help the flow from the front door. Not the mention, it could easily be turned to sit and engage with anyone playing the piano. Speaking of which, I think it would be so much nicer to move the piano off the window and onto the blank wall where the sofa no longer would be. I’d finish off that wall by moving the rubber tree to one side of the piano, and grabbing one of the armchairs from the far right corner (or even the display cabinet) and putting it in the opposite corner by the piano.
Regardless, the two chairs, side table, and display cabinet that is in the right corner need to be lightened up. It’s too much furniture, and I know she’s just trying to fill up spaces. But again, LET IT BREATHE! I think leaving one chair angled with a small drinks table would be just enough. And in front of the window, a low bench with some open surface space would provide extra seating, a place to sit and put on or take off shoes, as well as a “table” area for a keys bowl or something for the entryway (though a wall-mounted shelving unit on the wall by the door would also help with this).
L-Shaped Struggles
From the reader: “We have struggled with our L-shaped living room since we moved in 15 years ago. Then, we bought an awkwardly shaped sectional (not an L, but 3-sided) which added to the challenge with no other options for moving furniture. We like mixing old with new and after 15 years with this sofa, we plan to move it to our kids’ playroom and upgrade the living room furniture. Would love your expertise as to what could work here to give the cozy/homey vibe similar to Emily’s TV room, but not so boxy. The room has a bay window bump out in the front which has challenged me as well bc I don’t want to block it, but maybe that makes sense?” – Jenna S.
I’ve got a trick both for this reader and for anyone reading in a similar predicament: When you have a strange L-shaped room, treat it like two different spaces. Suddenly, it’s not an L, it’s two blocks of space, instead. So that’s what I’m suggesting here. Move down the seating as far down into the room as it makes sense, and create something else where you opened up a spot.
As the reader mentioned wanting to get new furniture, I would suggest either a long 100-inch or more sofa, or a proper L-shaped sectional. Not the kind with the chaise but the one where the back of the sofa carries around to the other side. I’m also moving the TV from the corner onto the flat wall in front of where the new sectional will be. (The seating won’t be in a drastically different place, but once you try to not make it connect with the long part of the L, it will suddenly feel like it makes much more sense, I promise.)
Since she mentioned Emily’s TV room, I wanted to bring in some of the same elements she employed in that. On the other side of the sofa, there should now be enough room (I hope) for a cozy seating area. Two small chairs atop another small rug, a side table, and some bookshelves or walls that go all the way across to create a library feel would be so great. And the same goes for the top left edge of the room. It kind of seems like that’s a lost space, but if this reader treats it instead like a walk-through little art gallery with purposeful art and photography on both sides of the area, it could feel really cool.
When you’re working with tight areas, don’t be afraid to take charge and go big. Often, it makes the room feel bigger, and not as cramped as you think it will. Just a thought!
I also suggested maybe a low bench with some art above it next to the TV cabinet where I’m placing it now in case there’s room for that. I didn’t get dimensions for this space so it’s hard to tell exactly how much square footage I’m working with.
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So…what did we (mostly) learn here today, class? STOP PUTTING YOUR FURNITURE UP AGAINST THE WALL ALL THE TIME. ::deep breath:: Tough love, I know, but you’re going to see how much better your living rooms in particular feel once you make the switch.
Thanks all for following along, and by all means, throw in some of your own suggestions! This is such a sharp, clever bunch of readers who might have better ideas than even I have.
Until next time…
Opening Image Credits: Design by Emily Henderson and ARCIFORM | Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: The HIGHLY Anticipated…Farmhouse Living Room Reveal