Living Room Layouts: 5 Ways to Arrange a Couch

Have you ever looked around your living room and thought, "I need a change?" It may be easier than you think. You don't have to break the bank to achieve a fresh new look in your living room. Sometimes, all it takes is adding a couple of small pieces and a little rearranging. 

Recently, Weekends Only tried doing just that. We arranged 1 room of furniture in 5 ways to demonstrate how different layouts can look and feel. You may be surprised by what we discovered!

Some people love watching movies on the couch. Others yearn for a reading nook or the perfect setting for conversation. The right layout – that is, the arrangement of your sofa, coffee tables, and accent chairs – allows your living room to be both functional and stylish. The wrong layout, on the other hand, can make your living room feel cramped or unwelcoming.

As you plan a new layout, consider these questions:

• How will you and your family use the room? Will there be a lot of traffic through the room?
• What do you want guests to see and feel when they first walk in? Is there a focal point you'd like your guests to notice, like a fireplace or a special work of art?
• Should the room feel open and friendly or cozy and private?

Figuring out how you want your space to look, feel, and function can help you discover the perfect arrangement. There's so much you can do with just a few basic elements!

This sitting room is located just off the entryway of the home, and it features a fireplace flanked by shelving. Here are 5 ways we approached this room:

This layout offers plenty of space, both around the front door and within the living room. The arrangement is traditional, but nothing feels too formal or cramped. Because the couch and chairs face one another, conversation with guests becomes the focus in this room. While the couch creates a divider between this seating area and the dining room, your guests can easily walk around when it's time for dinner. The entire layout feels open and welcoming.

This is a reverse view of our first option. One thing we love about this layout is how it changes the way the couch feels. You can sit in the sunlight and read a book or have a clean line of sight to the dining room. This layout can feel a bit more casual, but it offers lots of open space for easy movement. Want to make this layout more stylish? Try floating the couch so that it isn't pushed right up against the window. This allows for more mobility within the room.

This layout keeps the focus on the fireplace and on the conversation. As you can see, it gives a more formal look to this part of the home, with clean lines and right angles. It also leaves enough space for guests to easily move throughout the room. This can make the room feel more accessible, while still keeping things traditional. 

In a room with such a clear focal point like a fireplace, moving the furniture to draw attention to the space makes sense. This layout gives homeowners a way to both feature the fireplace and décor on the mantle and shelves and also create a cozy space for conversation. This arrangement does a couple of interesting things. First, it makes the conversation space more intimate. Second, it separates the space from the entryway. This serves to make the space feel a bit more private and cozy. Finally, don't forget to choose lighting that will warm up the space! A rug, perfectly placed, brings the whole arrangement together.

Here's a great example of what NOT to do. In this arrangement, we've covered up what should be a focal point of the room: the fireplace! While this arrangement is certainly open and accessible, it's not ideal. When you have a unique feature in your home, don't hide it; show it off!

As you experiment with arrangements, don't forget these tips!

No one wants to turn a corner and walk smack into the back of a sofa. Instead, you want to design your room so that there's plenty of space around doorways and entrances, and a clear path from one end of the room to the other. Similarly, no one wants to feel crowded by furniture that's too large for the room! You'll want to purchase pieces that are appropriately sized, or limit the number of furniture choices in the room. Ultimately, you want enough room between your sofa, your coffee table, your side chairs, and other elements so that your living room doesn't feel cramped.

Despite what you may believe, couches don't have to be pushed against the wall! In fact, letting the couch "float" a few inches from the wall can make the living room look airy, stylish, and inviting. Try it!

As with any sort of art or design, balance is essential. What that means is that you should round out a large piece of furniture on one side of your room with two smaller pieces on the other, or counteract a large TV with something weighty enough on the other side of the room so that the space doesn't feel lopsided or uneven. We think each one of the layouts above does a great job of bringing balance to the space.

If we can help you find the perfect accent chair or create a cozier feel in your living room, let us know! Our team is always ready to give you advice or lead you to a new piece of furniture you'll love. Whether you need to add a little change to your space, or you want a completely new room, Weekends Only has a huge selection of furniture at prices you will love. Shop our living room furniture now or visit one of our stores to see the latest!