The kitchen is often cited as the “heart of the home” but is that really a fair assessment? Though we all spend a lot of time in the kitchen, chances are, you spend the majority of your free time at home in the living room!
The living room is also where you spend the most quality time with your friends and family, whether it be movie nights or friendly chats.
With that in mind, having the best living room furniture possible to outfit the room is crucial! The better your living room suits your needs and personality, the more enjoyment you’ll get out of it.
To learn everything you need to know about living room design, just keep reading!
Start With a Plan
The first step toward a gorgeous living room is to make a plan. Before choosing a theme or doing any shopping, measure the length and width of the room. Be sure to include any recessed spaces in your measurements, as well as doorways and windows.
While you’re measuring, think about how you plan to use the space. Will it act as a space for family movie nights? A place for entertaining guests? A reading nook?
Having an end goal in mind will make choosing and arranging your pieces much easier.
Stage the Room
Using the measurements you collected, create a floor plan using a pen and paper or drawing app. Any time you’re considering a piece of furniture, look at the measurements and test how it will fit in the space.
To see that your furniture will fit the way you expect, you can physically stage the room using painter’s tape to form the shape and size of potential furniture.
Bring in the Basics
Living room decor and decorative pieces like ottomans and house plants are great, but to ensure that everything flows well, it’s best to start with the basics. Pick out your sofa, your chairs, and your coffee table first.
As you choose new furniture and test it in your floor plan, leave at least one yard (3 feet) of space between pieces in your layout. Without a proper walkway, your living room will feel cramped and smaller than it actually is.
Quality Over Convenience
When you’re creating a living room design, it’s easy to get excited and do whatever’s necessary to fill the entire room at once. Usually, this means sacrificing quality to stretch your budget further or opting to buy furniture you only have lukewarm feelings for instead of waiting for the perfect pieces.
But if you want a living room you truly love, it’s crucial to be patient. If you have to save for a while to afford your ideal sofas, that’s okay!
Years from now, when your furniture is still in fantastic condition and you still enjoy spending time in the space, you’ll thank yourself for taking your time.
Improve Your Home With the Best Living Room Furniture
As you can see, choosing the best living room furniture is all about planning. Learning as much about your tastes and your space as posssible before purchasing furniture will remove all the guesswork and make shopping and arranging a breeze.
Just remember – less is more! Overstuffing your living room will make it feel congested and uncomfortable, regardless of your style.
Now that you have an idea of where you’re going with your living room, you can move on to the other rooms in your home! Take a look at our blog to learn about designing everything from your bedroom to your backyard.