How to Arrange Living Room Furniture (Without Moving a Thing)
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Arranging a living room is usually trial, error and a sore back. It doesn’t have to be. Here are the rules designers use — and a way to test the layout before you move a single thing.
1. Start with a focal point
Every room has one — a window, a fireplace, the TV. Orient your main seating toward it so the room has an obvious center of gravity.
2. Create a conversation area
Pull seating together so people can talk without raising their voices. Sofa and chairs roughly facing each other, a coffee table within easy reach of all.
3. Leave room to walk
Keep about 30–36 inches (75–90 cm) for main walkways, and 14–18 inches between the sofa and coffee table. Breathing room makes a room feel bigger.
4. Anchor it with a rug
A rug big enough to sit under the front legs of your seating pulls the whole arrangement together.
5. Preview it in your actual room first
Here’s the shortcut: upload a photo of your living room to Design My Room and see furniture staged into your real space — to scale, in your light — before you buy or rearrange. Browse pieces in the living room collection.