So confused on how to arrange the seating in the "living room".

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So confused on how to arrange the seating in the "living room".

by Janine
(Pontiac, Il)

Hi there!!

First of all I love your site! :)

I've been trying and trying to come up with the perfect way to arrange my (not bought yet) furniture.

I've recently bought my very first home & I want to create a comfy yet stylish living room. My dilema is that I have an open floor plan that consists of a pretty small space that's quite narrow.

Ok so here's what the space looks like. The North side of the room will be used as the living room.

On the North wall there is the "entry" door & an ordinary size window, on the West wall, one of the long walls, there is another window.

Right now I have the tv and stand sitting in the corner of these 2 walls. Which means there's window, t.v, then window again.

On the East wall diagnol of the entrance door is a bedroom door. There is also a heating vent about a foot & a half to the left of the entrance door (not sure about putting anything over it).

I'm thinking that the t.v & windows are looking cluttered but if I put the seating there & the tv on the other side there may be a glare from the windows on the tv & the tv would just be "floating" in the middle of the room...

Please help...

I'm having a hard time figuring out where to divide this room also. There is a "beam" directly in the center of this room which I automatically feel that I should use as a divider..

Any ideas would be truly appreciated...

Thanks a ton!!

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So confused on how to arrange the seating in the "living room".

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Dec 20, 2009
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Someone please, I need ideas..
by: Anonymous

Please write any ideas. I need something. I'm a scatter brain. New thoughts would be great.

Dec 20, 2009
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Thinking about the layout....
by: Charlotte

Hello Janine

Thanks for your kind comments about my site.

Your new home sounds lovely.

If you're a little short on space, you will have to be quite careful in how you arrange your furniture, and, indeed, careful about the amount of furniture you actually bring into the space.

Firstly, re-consider your whole layout ideas - does the living area need to be in the north side of the room? Would it be better elsewhere?

Do you actually need to divide the living spaces? In small, open plan areas division can sometimes be counter-productive, and one all-encompassing area may provide more efficient use of space.

If your preferred spot for the TV is between the windows, can it be made to look less messy by fitting into a cupboard, or some kind of shelving unit - getting one custom made to fit your space and storage needs may be a good idea, and you may be also able to get one that closes up when the TV is not in use.

Have you considered fitting the TV into some kind or storage shelving/room divide, if you do decide to divide the room - this way you can have the TV more in the centre of the room - you would need to pay attention here to the cabling, though, to make sure this was safe, and not too unslightly.

We have our TV opposite windows, but find a venetian blind, that we can tilt slightly upwards when the sun streams in can block the glare, but still allow light.

I actually prefer this than having the TV against the windows, where the brightness of the light competes for attention against the TV, and makes it hard to focus on the TV.

Have you tried drawing a layout plan for your room? They can be very easy to draw and you can try out lots of ideas and sizes for where your furniture might go, without the expense and hassle of using actual furniture - click here to see how to draw the plan

On the face of it, it would seem that the beam would be a suitable place to divide your living areas - but in small spaces, it is always more important that you use the floor space efficiently, so first pay attention to how you want to use the room and position the furniture, and then if you can work the dividing beam into the equation, great - if not, it doesn't matter.

I hope this has given you some ideas about how you might approach your living room furniture arrangement problem.

Good luck!

Charlotte :)

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Dec 20, 2009
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Submitted by: Charlotte

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Hello Janine Thanks for your kind comments about my site. Your new home sounds lovely. If you're a little short on space, you will have to be quite careful in how you arrange your furniture, and, indeed, careful about the amount of furniture you actually bring into the space. Firstly, re-consider your whole layout ideas - does the living area need to be in the north side of the room? Would it be better elsewhere? Do you actually need to divide the living spaces? In small, open plan areas division can sometimes be counter-productive, and one all-encompassing area may provide more efficient use of space. If your preferred spot for the TV is between the windows, can it be made to look less messy by fitting into a cupboard, or some kind of shelving unit - getting one custom made to fit your space and storage needs may be a good idea, and you may be also able to get one that closes up when the TV is not in use. Have you considered fitting the TV into some kind or storage shelving/room divide, if you do decide to divide the room - this way you can have the TV more in the centre of the room - you would need to pay attention here to the cabling, though, to make sure this was safe, and not too unslightly. We have our TV opposite windows, but find a venetian blind, that we can tilt slightly upwards when the sun streams in can block the glare, but still allow light. I actually prefer this than having the TV against the windows, where the brightness of the light competes for attention against the TV, and makes it hard to focus on the TV. Have you tried drawing a layout plan for your room? They can be very easy to draw and you can try out lots of ideas and sizes for where your furniture might go, without the expense and hassle of using actual furniture - <a href="http://www.interior-design-it-yourself.com/layout.html">click here to see how to draw the plan</a> On the face of it, it would seem that the beam would be a suitable place to divide your living areas - but in small spaces, it is always more important that you use the floor space efficiently, so first pay attention to how you want to use the room and position the furniture, and then if you can work the dividing beam into the equation, great - if not, it doesn't matter. I hope this has given you some ideas about how you might approach your living room furniture arrangement problem. Good luck! Charlotte :)

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Dec 22, 2009
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Thank you
by: Anonymous

The other end of the room is nearest to the kitchen so I'd like to make that the "dining/game area.

I read that putting a couch against a long wall would make the room seem longer but I like this idea better so that the rooms will flow.

I'd put the tv across from the tv. What do you think?

I'm also contemplating putting a nicely hidden dart board up in the dining area. I was thinking that maybe some art work, pictures and or mirrors on the long walls would help make it not look to narrow if I did decide to put seating on this wall.

Not sure where the best place to put those would be either. Color has been a deciding factor in all of this as well.

I'm thinking darker shades on the end walls and lighter on the long walls, does this sound right?

Thank you so much for taking the time to think about and write back.

I get super excited when I see that I have a msg from you! :)

Dec 23, 2009
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Some ideas for long, narrow rooms...
by: Charlotte

Hi Janine

Thanks for your reply and further thoughts :)

Yes, the couch along the long wall will make the room seem more long and narrow, but this is, equally, a good way of making the 2 spaces seem more integrated, and if it works for you it's a good plan.

Putting the TV right opposite this does seem a good idea - for me, practicality and comfort should be the primary factor in interior designing a comfortable relaxing room for your own home.

Using pale colors on the long walls and brighter, stronger or darker colors on the end walls will help your room to 'square' out a bit more.

Using warm colors (with red and orange tones) on the end walls will also help to visually bring them inwards and create more of a 'squared' room.

Making the end walls more of an accent wall with strong, bold patterns and/or striking artwork will also help with this - horizontal stripes are especially good on the end walls.

Take care with overloading the long walls with pictures, as this will have the same effect as positioning furniture along this wall - to make the space appear narrower - mirrors (and paler pictures) will, however, reflect light around the space to make it feel a little lighter and brighter.

A few brighter or statement pictures can also be used to help visually break up the long expanse of wall, and perhaps pull in color themes used on the end walls.

There's some more ideas for long narrow rooms here, and generally for small spaces here

Hope this has given you some more ideas you can use.

Good luck with your living area makeover!

Best wishes

Charlotte :)

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Dec 23, 2009
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Submitted by: Charlotte

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Hi Janine Thanks for your reply and further thoughts :) Yes, the couch along the long wall will make the room seem more long and narrow, but this is, equally, a good way of making the 2 spaces seem more integrated, and if it works for you it's a good plan. Putting the TV right opposite this does seem a good idea - for me, practicality and comfort should be the primary factor in interior designing a comfortable relaxing room for your own home. Using pale colors on the long walls and brighter, stronger or darker colors on the end walls will help your room to 'square' out a bit more. Using warm colors (with red and orange tones) on the end walls will also help to visually bring them inwards and create more of a 'squared' room. Making the end walls more of an accent wall with strong, bold patterns and/or striking artwork will also help with this - horizontal stripes are especially good on the end walls. Take care with overloading the long walls with pictures, as this will have the same effect as positioning furniture along this wall - to make the space appear narrower - mirrors (and paler pictures) will, however, reflect light around the space to make it feel a little lighter and brighter. A few brighter or statement pictures can also be used to help visually break up the long expanse of wall, and perhaps pull in color themes used on the end walls. There's some more ideas for long narrow rooms <a href="http://www.interior-design-it-yourself.com/principles-of-interior-design.html">here</a>, and generally for small spaces <a href="http://www.interior-design-it-yourself.com/decorating-small-spaces.html">here</a> Hope this has given you some more ideas you can use. Good luck with your living area makeover! Best wishes Charlotte :)

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So confused on how to arrange the seating in the "living room".

Comments for So confused on how to arrange the seating in the "living room".

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So confused on how to arrange the seating in the "living room".