How to Arrange Livingroom Furniture

This arrangement needs a chair to complete the "U" shape

The living room is a gathering place for family and friends. The room needs to accommodate several pieces and may serve several purposes, such as watching television, entertaining guests and game playing. Factors such as traffic patterns and the room size also play an important role in determining a furniture arrangement that is both practical and aesthetically pleasing. Take the time to plan your arrangement before moving furniture so as to reduce the amount of heavy lifting required to place the pieces in your room.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Drawing to scale
• Cutouts

Instructions

1. Measure the length and width of the room. Record these figures and make a scale drawing of the room, marking the locations of the windows and entryways. Note on the sketch the length and width of the space.

2. Measure the length and width of the sofa, chairs, tables and other furnishings such as bookcases that will be placed in the room. Create cutouts to scale of the furniture pieces.

3. Assess the existing architecture of the room. Determine the focal point of the space; this may be a large window with a view, a fireplace or built-in cabinetry which houses the television. If no architecturally significant focal point exists, note on your drawing the longest wall with neither window nor entry way.

4. Arrange the cutouts denoting the sofa and chairs on the drawing so they face the focal point of the room, positioning them to form a "U" shape. If no focal point exists, position the sofa along the longest wall. Position chairs to either side to form a U shape. The chairs should face one another.

5. Place a coffee table in front of the sofa and end tables to either side of the sofa. This is the conversation area and the anchor of the room.

6. Shift the cutouts of the conversation area forward slightly, leaving a two foot space between the wall and the sofa. Determine if this shift disrupts any possible traffic patterns leading into the room from the entryway. If so, move the arrangement back. If not, leave it in place.

7. Work outward from your conversation area. If the television is the main attraction in the room, position it across from the sofa. Angle the chairs to either side so they face the television. This allows you to turn them back should you have company or gather for a family conversation.

8. Create small zones in the room. Using your cutouts, arrange the remaining furnishings to accommodate a gaming table and chairs, bookcase and reading chair, or other personalized space. Begin with the space between the conversation area and the focal point and place these zones close to the walls. Take into account traffic patterns; do not place furnishings in front of entryways or block pathways to the conversation area.

9. Use your scale drawing with the cutouts and physically arrange your furniture following the plan. Add your accessories, such as personal photos, vases and trinkets. Live with the arrangement for a few days and make adjustments to your personal needs.

Tips & Warnings

• Light your conversation area with table lamps and include a floor lamp for each zone.

References

• Creative Homemaking: Five Easy Steps for Arranging Your Living Room Furniture
• Dreams Alive Magazine: Arranging Your Living Room Furniture
• Interiors: an Introduction; Karla J. and David A.Taylor2002

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Bank Rate: Five Tips on Buying Furniture