A good living room layout should accommodate a variety of different uses, whether it's a comforting space to relax in at the end of the day or somewhere you can proudly entertain guests. For those with children, it may also need to double as a play area.
Meeting all of these requirements is a tall order – especially for those with small living rooms. With this in mind, we've rounded up some of our favourite ideas, from two-in-one designs that save space to lighting tricks that help create the perfect mood.
Whatever you want from your living room design, you're bound to find something to inspire you below.
1. Create a two-in-one living room layout
Use furniture or room dividers to split your room in two – a space for watching television or hanging out with friends, and another, more restful space for curling up with a good book.
Using different shades of paint in each section of the room or using your living room flooring ideas to define the areas are also brilliant ideas.
In this beautiful living room, sofas have been placed back-to-back to achieve this result – one points at the television (tucked away in a storage unit) while the other looks out at first at the cosy woodburning stove, then at the views beyond the glazed gable.
Pretty and practical, this stylish room divider folds away when not in use.
2. Go for sophisticated symmetry
A symmetrical layout is smart, stylish and works in all kinds of spaces, but particularly in small rooms where a neat and ordered approach is key.
Using two matching sofas with a central coffee table is the ideal way to get the look. In terms of fireplace ideas, aim to keep this feature, or any other main focal points, such as a mirror, between the two sofas.
Bear in mind that placing a television on the wall between the two sofas in this kind of layout can be awkward as you have to turn or lie down to view it.
3. Consider including a sunken seating space in your layout
Sunken seating areas are fantastic and create a cosy, welcoming feel – particularly in open-plan living areas. They are also the ideal solution for many people building or extending on a sloping site.
In this living room, the sofas are nestled into the wall forming the sunken area, positioned to look out to the views beyond. Using a timber trim that matches the flooring adds a nice cohesion to the whole look.
"A sunken seating area puts people facing each other again. It's built for talking, not screens. They're very 70s, and that era is having a real moment. And they zone an open-plan space without walls, which suits how people live now," says Samantha-Jane Agbontaen, Interior Designer and Founder of House Designer.
"The thing to remember is they're a big commitment. They're hard to change once they're in and not easy to build, so a lot of people are getting the look with low, deep modular seating instead of actually digging one out."
Samantha Jane Agbontaen is the founder of House Designer, a London-based interior and garden design studio. They often recommend limewash to clients who want an elegant, natural wall finish with texture and warmth.
4. Choose the right furniture for low ceilings
If your living room has low ceilings, you need to think carefully about your furniture choices – some designs will make the space feel oppressive or highlight the vertically challenged nature of the room.
Opt for low-slung furniture in order to visually stretch the distance between it and the ceiling. It is also wise to keep to a colour palette of just one or two shades. Here, the low sofa is a soft brown, just like the ceiling and coffee table, which means the furniture almost disappears into the scheme.
"Pick pieces on legs rather than solid bases – raising furniture off the floor lets light and floor show through, so the room feels more open and less heavy. Avoid tall, bulky backs and high headboards. Go for clean, horizontal lines – they stretch the room sideways rather than fighting the low ceiling," says Samantha-Jane Agbontaen.
5. Ensure high ceilings don't leave the space feeling cold
If not dealt with properly, a living room with high ceilings can feel a little cold and unwelcoming. To overcome this challenge, create lots of interest on the walls and opt for low-slung pendant lighting as opposed to recessed downlighters.
When it comes to the furniture, choose high-backed sofas and aim to incorporate pieces of various heights.
Here, an alcove in the wall, adorned with artwork, distracts from the soaring ceiling, while a selection of tables and sideboards of different statures mixes things up. The low pendants add a cosy feel.
6. Incorporate multiple focal points in your layout
Although there is often much talk about creating a focal point in the living room, there is certainly nothing to stop you from having more than one – particularly in open-plan or large living rooms, which will actually benefit from more visual interest.
While you obviously don't want the space to feel too decoratively busy, having a couple of points of interest – other than the television – is a great idea for your living room layout.
“The focal point should reflect how you use your living room day to day. In some homes that might be a fireplace or a large window that brings in lots of natural light," says Melissa Denham, interior design expert at Hammonds Furniture.
"While in others, it could be a media wall, bespoke shelving, or a statement piece of furniture. The most effective focal points are usually the features your eye is naturally drawn to when you walk in the room."
With over two decades of experience designing and delivering interior projects, Melissa creates stunning interiors for residential projects as well as events, workspaces and showroom staging. She aids clients in creating their vision of a dream space through her interior design expertise and creative eye.
7. Fit wall panelling for a handy shelf
Wall panelling ideas can add character and warmth to all kinds of spaces, whether you opt for a traditional grid-style panelling, New England-style tongue-and-groove boards or something super contemporary.
Character aside, wall panelling can also come in handy when it comes to living room layouts where it can provide extra storage in the form of shelving.
Here, placing the sofa up against half-height panelling provides an extra space for setting drinks down, as well as forming a useful shelf to display pictures and other decorative objects.
8. Position your sofa layout to take advantage of a view
If you've got it, flaunt it – the view that is. If you are lucky enough to have a fantastic view from your living room, then do incorporate large windows, bifold or sliding doors in order to make the most of the vista.
Positioning seating to face out to the garden need not mean compromising on TV watching opportunities either. Here, the largest of the sofas faces the sliding doors while the other is directed towards the television, located discreetly on the end wall.
However, if sunlight frequently pours into your living room, it may cause UV damage to your furniture, so it may be worth investing in UV-protective window treatments.
This protective film sticks to your windows, blocking out 92% of UV rays.
9. Include plenty of storage in your living room layout
In order for your living room to act as a multi-functional space that is both practical and restful, storage is key.
If you have an original fireplace, you are likely to have alcoves on either side and these make the perfect spots for built-in storage ideas, as has been incorporated here. Floor-to-ceiling shelving, cabinets or a combination of the two are all great solutions.
Other brilliant living room storage ideas include window seats, high-level shelving above and around doorways and ottoman coffee tables.
A coffee table, stool and storage item in one, this multi-functional ottoman comes in a stylish bouclé finish.
Add a touch of Scandi style to your living room with this slatted cabinet, featuring four internal shelves.
10. Go large in a small living room layout
Don't be fooled into thinking that small rooms should only be furnished with small items – in fact, very often, the complete opposite is true.
You need to get maximum seating space from a small living room and this is where modular and built-in furniture is ideal. Modular sofas offer a flexible solution, designed to be configured in a number of ways.
In their simplest form they consist of just two parts, often a small two-seater sofa designed to be connected to a cube-style foot rest – resulting in a neat little L-shaped unit. However, the options are far wider than this.
Bespoke built-in seating is another brilliant choice in small spaces as it can be designed to snuggle into awkward spaces so that not a millimetre of space is wasted.
11. Position sofas for socialising
To create a sociable, welcoming vibe in your living room, the positioning of your seating within the layout is key.
“One of the biggest mistakes people make is pushing all of their furniture against the walls. Bringing seating slightly further into the room instantly creates a more sociable setting and makes conversations feel much more natural," says Melissa Denham.
“It’s also worth thinking about how people move through the room. You want guests to be able to walk through the space comfortably without having to squeeze between furniture, so leave clear pathways between doorways and key areas of the room."
12. Use internal glass doors for division
In larger living rooms that need to be used for more than just relaxing in, some form of room divider is needed – and internal glazed doors are perfect.
Whether you choose standard, sliding, bi-folds or even barn-style internal doors, this is a perfect idea for anyone needing to section off part of their living room. Perhaps you need a quiet home office space, or maybe you are looking for ways to shut off play room clutter at the end of the day.
This stunning living space, from interior design consultancy Zulufish, has been separated from the library by a double-sided fireplace and two floor-to-ceiling Crittal doors.
13. Look beyond the bookshelf
Bookshelves laden with well-thumbed tomes look brilliant in living rooms, but why stop at a regular bookcase when you could build in a library wall instead?
Stretching from floor to ceiling and even around doorways, library walls are hugely popular right now, creating a wow feature as well as playing a practical storage role in your layout.
The best book storage ideas are usually made to measure to make the most of the space, but it is also possible to buy large bookcases that are designed to be fixed to and span entire walls (like this Billy bookcase from IKEA).
15. Make lighting the star of your living room
Your living room lighting ideas will ensure your new space is a pleasure to be in all through the day and can totally alter the look and feel of the space.
Ideally, you want to use layers of light in a living room, which should include background lighting to provide overall illumination, task lighting for activities such as reading, and accent or mood lighting to highlight points of interest and set the tone.
This living room was designed by Brian Woulfe of Designed By Woulfe and uses downlights to light up the art and the centre of the coffee table, with LED strips behind the drinks cabinet.
Which living room layout will suit you?
There is so much more to living room design than just pushing all your furniture up to the walls and pointing sofas at the TV.
In order for this to be a space which can be enjoyed at all times of the day and by all members of the household, you need to ask yourself a few key questions before getting started.
- Will this be the only living room? If you are lucky enough to have space for a separate 'adult' living room, snug, teenage den or similar elsewhere, you may find yourself looking for something very different than if you need to provide entertainment, relaxation and socialising spaces all in one room.
- What kind of heat source will you be relying on? A fireplace makes for an easy focal point while if you plan on having radiators you will need to plan your furniture layout around this. Options like underfloor heating, on the other hand, free up wall space.
- Are there any architectural features to take account of? For example, if you have particularly low or high ceilings, or are working with an awkward site you should take this into account in your living room layout.
- Are there any views to take advantage of? Your windows and their location should form a big part of your living room layout. If you have large windows offering views of outside, you need to factor this into your plans.
- Is the layout open plan? A living room that is open to other spaces, such as your dining room or kitchen, will ideally need some form of zoning to work well.
- Will the room be used as a thoroughfare? If so, you need to ensure there is a clear pathway that ideally runs behind the main items of furniture as opposed to directly through the middle of the room.
- Will you have a coffee table in front of the sofa? If so, bear in mind that the ideal distance between sofa and table is 14 to 18 inches.
- What size is your living room? Are you specifically looking for solutions for a small space when it comes to the layout, for instance?
Armed with these considerations, you should be able to form a better idea of which living room layout ideas will work best for you and which are definitely out.
For more inspiration, have a browse through these family living room ideas and these coastal living room ideas.
