{"id":89462,"date":"2020-02-14T12:09:44","date_gmt":"2020-02-14T12:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vinterior.co\/blog\/?p=89462"},"modified":"2023-07-25T14:54:18","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T14:54:18","slug":"how-to-design-a-living-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vinterior.co\/blog\/inspiration\/style-guide\/how-to-design-a-living-room\/","title":{"rendered":"How to design a living room – 4 top tips"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

The living room is the focal point of any household. Whether you call it the living room, lounge or front room, it is likely to be where you spend the majority of your time when at home. The living room should be a place of relaxation and comfort, where you unwind at the end of a stressful day, so getting the design of this room right is essential for a blissful home life.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

1. Layout is key<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Where are you going to put the TV?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

You may be surprised with design experts suggesting the first consideration should be the TV, but let\u2019s face it the main purpose of most lounges today is for families to watch their favourite shows together. There\u2019s no point designing a beautiful living room if it\u2019s not designed to actually live in.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So, think about where you want to put the TV. What height it will sit at? This will affect how tall the rest of your furniture should be. Consider window glare, you don\u2019t want to have to sit with the curtains closed in the middle of the day in order to see what\u2019s happening on the screen.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

If you have a fireplace in your living room this could be a competing focal point. With a long enough room you may be able to create 2 seating areas around each focus, otherwise, consider mounting or even projecting the TV above the fireplace, instead of using a traditional media unit<\/a>, to avoid the two competing for your attention.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\"Living\r\n
Image: dhoum<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Conversation Groupings<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Apart from watching TV, the other main activity in the lounge is usually conversing with each other. Whether this is families checking in on each other\u2019s day or friends catching up over a glass of wine. It\u2019s important when deciding on your living room layout to think about how people will be able to converse easily and comfortably.\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\"Cosy\r\n
Image: House and Garden<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Having all of the seating space against the wall in a line may leave a lot of floor space free, but it will be challenging to have flowing conversations with the seats arranged in this way. Instead, try to create conversation groupings with your seating arrangement so that your family and your guests can face each other when chatting. To make these groupings feel natural without having everyone sitting on top of each other try to leave 3-7 feet between each piece of seating furniture (sofas, armchairs etc.) depending on the size of your room.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

2. The sofa makes the lounge<\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Size and arrangement<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The average 3-seater sofa is around 84 inches in length. Of course, sofas vary dramatically in size with smaller \u2018loveseat\u2019 syle sofas measuring just 50-60 inches and some bigger 4+ seater sofas reaching over 90 inches. It\u2019s important to have enough seating space for the number of people who regularly spend time in the living room, this could be made up with one large sectional sofa, or with a regular sofa and additional armchairs<\/a> or more quirky seating such as a chaise lounge<\/a> or hanging chair.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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\"mid-century\r\n
Mid Century Hollywood Style Peach Chaise Longues<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Avoid choosing a sofa that is too big for the space. You should leave at least 1.5 times the size of your TV in distance between the TV and the seats around it, for example, if you have a 42 inch TV your sofa should be at least 63 inches from the screen. Sofas that are too big can also lead to difficulty navigating the room. You want an easy flow of movement between the various pieces of furniture, leaving at least 30 inches of walk-through space between each object.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Sofa style<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Whether you\u2019re going for an antique, mid-century modern or contemporary style sofa<\/a> there are a few key things to remember:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n