Our living rooms wear many hats: we watch TV, entertain friends, talk and spend time reading in them. Sometimes they double as home offices, playrooms for kids, or even dining rooms. With all these considerations, it can be difficult to decide how best to decorate your living room, but thinking about the feeling you want the space to convey combined with how you will spend your time is a good way to start.
Here are 10 living room layout ideas to get those creative wheels moving. And yes, most of these options apply to more traditional living room setups, but these floor plans are meant to be a starting point for your unique space. Take what you want from them and make them your own! And scroll to the bottom for some thoughts on how to work around awkward architectural features and be flexible with your living room layout.
10 ideas for living room layout
In order to show you 10 different living room layouts, I first had to come up with a versatile enough floor plan, one that included a few issues/characteristics that we would all recognize. Here a long rectangular room has a central fireplace, windows to the front and glass doors/gardens to the rear.
It’s a generous space, but it’s not without its challenges. In each layout, I tried to take into account the placement of the TV (because, let’s face it, most of us prioritize this in the living room), storage, traffic routes and zoning the space with a rug and accessories.
Your own home may not have a living room that’s so versatile – the sad truth is that the smaller (or oddly shaped) a room is, the fewer ways it can function as a space. My own L-shaped living/dining room only works one way due to short walls, radiators and a full wall of windows. So, think of these specific layouts as tailored to this space, but take inspiration from how you can rethink your own home in many ways.
This is probably the arrangement that many of us think of when we think of a “formal” living room: two small sofas facing each other, a coffee table between them. Built-ins on either side of the fireplace provide storage, and the TV over the mantle can easily be seen from any sofa.
Similar to the above, this one is just a little more relaxed. Two matching chairs offer different seating options, and the TV is moved to one side of the fireplace, as it’s more likely to be viewed from the sofa. I also tucked in a small writing desk for occasional work.
3. Lots of variety of seats
By swinging the sofa lengthwise into the room, you can make a slightly larger sofa, facing directly towards the TV. Two armchairs in opposite corners can be moved where necessary, and the coffee table can also become a place to sit. This is definitely the living room to welcome your friends for a movie night.
4. Minimal and comfortable
When comfort and style are paramount, cut back on your furniture, but choose it carefully. A sectional couch and armchair and footstool offer the only seating, but since they’re both such comfortable options, no one will feel like they’ve got a sad seat.
There’s something deeply chic about a 70s-style sectional and matching chaise longue, isn’t there? Here we ditch the built-ins in favor of some mid-century freestanding media and storage units, just for a change. For extra party points, I added a cart in the corner and a large coffee table, perfect for all those party snacks.
The nice thing about sectionals is that it can divide a space without actually dividing it if you know what I mean. With a chaise longue located in the center of the room, this space is essentially a small living room + office. The carpet, just below the “living area”, further emphasizes this.
Many cozy conversation spaces come to mind when I think of country style design. A small table, paired with two comfortable armchairs, allows for board games or reading, while two small sofas face each other for more comfortable conversations. The TV is placed centrally in some formal built-ins, but is probably less important in this space.
In this space, the sectional becomes a full L-shaped sofa, with arms and backs all around. Additional seating is provided by a large pouf/ottoman, and the other half of the room is an entire play area, with storage for toys provided. I even cleared the way for a children’s play table or toy kitchen.
Many of us have dining rooms, so here’s an option if that’s your situation. By placing the sofa in the center of the room with its back to the dining room, you create two separate spaces, and the carpet helps with that. The living room is small, it’s true, but it overlooks the garden, and the TV is mounted on a media unit nearby. In the dining room, I added bookshelves on each side, to create a sort of dining library.
10. Integrated dining area
This layout is similar to the one above, but more casual and spacious. A partition under the window, a table next to the door and a central TV that can be watched from anywhere. I only kept the rug under the living area, but this would work just as well with a large centralized one, provided you’re not worried about food spills.
Problems with the arrangement of a small living room
Sometimes the living room can seem impossible to work with, thanks to asymmetrical openings, large windows, odd dimensions and other awkward features. Feeling seen with these issues? These ideas can help you adapt to some of these real-life design challenges.
Very large windows, several doors and/or openings to other rooms
It probably goes without saying, but when you have more than a few doors, very large windows, or live in a more open-plan environment, your living room challenge is likely to be a lack of wall space to attach major pieces of furniture. Floating sofas and chairs make sense here and may be the only solution, depending on how much continuous wall space you end up with; just be sure not to obscure any of the main walkways in the room and work with the natural focal points you have, like the fireplace, for the best spatial orientation.
Weird bump or stairs/staircase
When, say, your fireplace juts awkwardly into your space, or maybe you have a staircase that starts right in your living room, you’ll need to get creative with your layout. Start with the sofa; typically, floating this piece will be your best bet here as well. Orient it in a way that makes sense with the other dimensions of your room. Be careful not to cut off all necessary passageways or entrances to rooms and/or other floors. The recesses created by the protrusions are great places to place furniture, especially storage pieces. Cupboards, chests of drawers and the like are perfectly suited for sliding into the recess. Find one that fits your bump like a glove for a fitted look. And consider hanging, as shown above. Or try a TV in this spot, if you can get it to work with your sofa placement.
Very long, narrow footprint
When working with a longer, slimmer space for your living room, you’ll want to keep a few different things in mind. First, you may need to stick to the basics when it comes to furniture and be multi-purpose where possible, as shown in the Brooklyn living room above. Imagine a two- or three-seater sofa against the wall, a TV across the way that might be on a bookshelf or console, and a footstool or two for when company comes over.
Work around the perimeter of the room where you can for additional storage pieces, such as vertical bookshelves, storage ottomans, or even a desk or secretary-style dresser. If at all possible, try to break up the furniture a bit, making sure it’s not just on one side of the long wall. This creates a better flow in the space and ensures that your room doesn’t visually read like a hallway. For alternatives, including using the middle of the room or an L-shaped section in the corner, check out these five long, narrow living room ideas.