Q&A: Designing with a Long Living Room
Question
I just bought a small condo and I am looking to buy living room furniture. My dilemma is the size and shape of the room. It’s oblong and I’m trying to maximize my seating. How can I best arrange the room to have the most seating but not just put all the furniture against the wall?
— Teresa, Delray, FL
Answer
This is a question that our Design Experts are often asked. In a perfect home, a living room space is more square, but many dwellers face the challenge of the oblong living room. Especially in a smaller-sized condo, you want to get the most out of your space with seating, comfort, and decor. At the same time, you don’t want guests to feel cramped. Fortunately these longer, narrow living room spaces are a blessing in disguise and there are several ways to make it work. Think about what you’re using the room for. Do you entertain frequently? Are you looking to relax? With a longer living room, you have the opportunity to break up the space into sections. Here’s a good rule of thumb: the main area should take up 3/4 the space while the smaller area, such as a reading nook, dining area, additional seating, etc. fills up the rest.
For a combined living and dining room, shift the focus of the space to entertaining and mix similar furniture lines and colors. This will help tie the two sections together. For example, pairing the Alcove table and Alcove chairs with the Paris Collection sofa and loveseat to maximize seating while allowing for foot traffic. For a more formal living room look, opt for a wider sofa with two opposing chairs. For example, pair the Colette Collection sofa with two Colette Collection accent chairs. This arrangement is perfect if you have a TV or fireplace across from the sofa as the main focal point.Or, if you’re looking to relax in the space, create a reading nook with either one or two chairs on the opposite side of the room.
Helpful Tips
- Draw up a floorplan of the space to see what types of furniture you can fit, and where.
- Look for longer rugs that will fill the room to visually tie the sections together.
- Match your largest furniture item (most likely a sofa) with your longest wall for space efficiency.
- Bring your sofa about two inches out from the wall to add an illusion of more space.
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