The layout of the living room furniture determines the experience guests and family have in the room.
Laying out living room furniture in the best way encourages conversation, directs traffic through the room and creates a warm and inviting atmosphere. Try a few different layouts on paper before you begin moving the furniture around the room to find the one that works best for your room design. Know the primary use of the room, such as watching television, entertaining guests or spending time with the family, when you are planning the layout of your furniture.
Traffic Flow
The way you position your furniture in the living room determines the way that people move through the room. Examine how you move through the room to find the best traffic pattern for your furniture. To analyze your traffic flow in the living room, look at the entry points to the living room and the areas that guests and family will visit in the room to help you place the furniture in the appropriate places.
Focal Point
Choose the focal point for the living room before deciding where to place the furnishings. A focal point can be a fireplace, entertainment center, television, artwork or something else. Arrange the furniture around the focal point for friends and family to enjoy. For example, if the television or entertainment center is the focal point of the room, arrange the seating to allow every seat a view of the television.
Conversation Area
In a large living room, you can create small conversation areas in different sections of the room. To create a conversation area, place sofas and chairs away from the walls in the room and bring them together. Position the sofas and chairs to allow for face-to-face conversations in the room. Use a coffee table between the pieces for beverages and snacks. A living room that also functions as a family room or a great room can provide areas for conversation, television viewing and reading for all members of the family.
Entertaining
Provide enough floor space in your furniture layout for guests to move about the during a party. Guests should not have to squeeze by furniture to move in or out of the room. Provide enough seating in the room to accommodate all guests. Arrange the seating to encourage all guests to participate in conversation or entertainment. For instance, a chair set in the corner of the room may isolate one guest from the conversation. Move the chair further into the room to involve everyone in the party. You should include flat surfaces, such as end tables and coffee tables, for guests to place drinks and food during your parties. Move the tables away from the front of sofas and chairs to allow guests easy access to the seats. Place them off to the side of chairs and sofas. Place the chairs and sofas facing each other to encourage conversation. In a large room, arrange furniture in small conversation groupings.
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