Often, living rooms are the secondary hub of all family activity (the first being, of course, the kitchen). Your living room, whether or live by yourself or with others, is the spot where you can unwind, relax, take a deep breath, and generally chill after a long day of working (or playing). Your living room is where you can watch the latest cool film or read an old classic novel.
Your living room is also where meetings (family or otherwise) can take place. So the question is…what about when your living room has been awkwardly designed? Or what if it’s really small and cramped? What do you do then? How do you still make the place work for you and be a truly enjoyable spot in your home?
Well, we’re here to help with several tips on how to arrange furniture in an awkward living room:
Tip #1: Brighten small spaces
Is your living room cramped and dim? Then it’s up to you to switch things up by adding more lights! Make the living room bright and inviting. Add at least one mirror which will reflect more light and give a simple illusion of more space. This doesn’t really help so much with the actual furniture arranging, but by making the living room more pleasant and inviting overall, you take the focus away from the awkwardness of the room and give the better features–like pretty furniture and decor–a chance to shine.
Tip #2: Have your TV mounted on the wall
This is a great way to save space! Instead of having a dresser, desk, table, etc. dedicated to your television, why not mount it on your living room wall instead? You’ll have more room to work with, so why not?
There are many stylish designs for TV mounts. In addition to mounting your television on the wall, you can also accentuate the television with additional aesthetic features. Some homeowners enjoy the ambiance from LED TV mount stands, which will enhance the look of your room.
Tip #3: Skip the coffee table
Thinking on how to arrange furniture in an awkward living room isn’t that easy especially in an awkward design or small size of your living room giving you a headache as you try to figure out how to fit everything into the space? Then we would suggest giving up on the idea of a coffee table. Now, you may not like that idea at first. Coffee tables are a staple in many living rooms, and they do provide a convenient place to display beautiful flowers, collectibles, books, etc. (As well as a spot to rest your coffee cup–hence, the name!).
But if there’s limited space in your living, we’d like to suggest an alternative: individual stools/end tables for each couch/love seat/chair. Two chairs can even share the same end table (with the table in-between). That way, you and your guests have a place to put your snacks and coffee, but you also can ditch the traditional method of arranging furniture (instead of it having to be all circled around a coffee table).
Tip #4: Create a whole new living room
Who says that you have to use the area designated as ‘living room’ when you’re creating your dream home? Why not convert that small or awkward space into something else (like a home office or a play area for your kids) and look elsewhere for your living room space? Maybe your home came with a gorgeous finished basement that doesn’t have any designated purpose at the moment (or it has a purpose, but one that’s easily switched up).
Maybe you actually don’t require all that big of a living room but you’d prefer a different, less awkward location. In that case, set down an area rug and a few seats/decor and you’ve got your living room! Simple as that.
Tip #5: Make your small, awkward space visually stunning
Don’t worry about the disadvantages your living room comes with. Instead, embrace the space you’ve been given and make it gorgeous. Own it! There are so many different ways you can liven up your living room–plants, throw pillows, fresh paint, unique textures…and the list could go on. Make your living room an inviting, intriguing place and your guests will be wowed by that–not by the room’s small size or strange design.
Tip #6: Use smaller living room furniture
This might seem like a stupidly simple tip, so forgive us in advance for including it. We wanted to give you a well-rounded list, which means including some things you probably already thought of. Now, if you have a large family, it may not work to purchase and set up smaller pieces of furniture. But it could still work, honestly! Especially if most (or all) of your family members have other spots in the house where they could hang out (like their rooms).
So, assuming that you can make smaller furniture work, why not purchase some? Sure, you may really love that long, leather couch you’ve got right now, but if it’s simply not working in the allotted space, it may be time to sell or give it away. Love seats, single arm chairs, a smaller coffee table, and Abbott decor can all be good options.
