Living Room Sofa Style

There are a number of ways you can arrange your living room furniture, but what arrangement prompts the best conversation? What furniture pieces are best for your lifestyle? Function certainly follows form when it comes to shared space. Consider these design tips when rearranging your living room.

Find your focal point

Sometimes, this means you have to create one. The mantle of a fireplace is a good place to start and is usually centrally located. Note, the furniture doesn’t have to face the focal point, it just needs to be styled around it. 

Photography by Patrick Brickman 

Start with an anchor

This is usually the largest piece of furniture in the room, either the sofa or the area rug. Once you figure out where your anchor will land, you can then build out your design from there.

Photography by Callie Cranford

Consider balance, flow, and scale

These are the technical terms all designers take into consideration when designing the layout of any room. 

Photography by Callie Cranford

Scale ensures the furniture size follows the size of the room. Big living room? Big sofa.

Photography by Patrick Brickman

Balance is all about visual weight. Is color and furniture evenly distributed? 

Photography by Ebony Ellis

Flow relates to how easy it is to go from one end of the room to the other. Create intentional walkways to avoid bumping into furniture. 

Photography by Callie Cranford

Sofa Styling

Photography by Callie Cranford

Two facing sofas in the same or similar style and fabric prompt good conversation.

Photography by Patrick Brickman

A sofa facing two chairs allows you to move seats around if needed. 

Photography by Patrick Brickman

A sofa, bench, and corner chair are best styled in a larger space and provide variety.

Photography by Patrick Brickman

A sectional plus one or two accent chairs completes what some designers call a “conversation pit.” Take it a step further 

with some poufs for extra guests. 

Photography by Patrick Brickman

Two perpendicular sofas are a great setup for an entertainment or family room with a TV. 

If space is a concern, try these compact styles:

Photography by Callie Cranford

Photography by Patrick Brickman

Photography by Patrick Brickman

Photography by Callie Cranford