Living room layout9/20/2023 ![]() ![]() Let’s take a look at the following living room… not allowing enough space for circulation to take place (i.e.forcing circulation through conversation or television watching areas.Common mistakes when it comes to traffic flow are: Traffic patterns are really important to consider when determining your living room furniture layout, and most people don’t even think about it! The most important things to remember are to keep traffic flow patterns free from obstacles, and create as direct a path as possible from one space to the next. You can see the traffic flow, in the rooms I showed above, represented by green arrows. Traffic flow is the pattern that people repeatedly use when walking a path from one room to another, or to an outside space. You’ve also balanced out the room visually, and provided a little space for a game table! Bonus! ![]() ![]() Now you’ve incorporated the fireplace into the living space, and no one is walking in front of the TV to go outside. The Solution: So, what’s the solution here? Move the sofa to the middle of the room! Add a few chairs on either side of the TV stand for improved conversation, and a sofa/console table on the back side of the sofa. ![]() The traffic went right through the TV viewing sight line (the red arrow)…boo! And, to make matters worse, that poor fireplace was left all by its lonesome on the right side of the room. But, when people walked to the outside space, they had to walk right through the seating area (and right in front of anyone watching TV). This wonderful client had a huge living room, and the fireplace was located in a very awkward place! They had pushed their sofa against one wall, and their TV stand was against the opposite wall. Let’s look at another real-world example. Here’s another option, that works just as well! And for that now blank wall on the left, perhaps a library shelving unit? Suddenly, you have a cozy, inviting, wonderful room! The traffic flow is still good, and you have your furniture around the focal point of the room – the fireplace! Drag that sofa into the middle of the room, right in front of that beautiful fireplace! Move the chairs in closer to the middle of the room. The Solution: OK, so here’s how you fix this room. The flow looks good, but is this room going to provide intimate conversation? No way! You’ll be shouting at each other across the room! You could have a great dance party in here though!!! □ See those green arrows? Those represent the traffic flow through the room (we’ll talk more about that later). Now, this person clearly has “wallflower syndrome,” and all the furniture is pushed against the walls. It’s a nice size room with a fireplace in the middle, surrounded by two beautiful windows. You don’t want to be shouting across the room to each other, right? A close-knit seating area will make your room feel more cozy and result in a better energy balance (interior design speak). Now, there are lots of rooms where you really have no choice but to put your sofa and other furniture against the wall, but let me show you a few examples where bringing your sofa out into the middle of the room really makes a huge impact! Keep in mind, the goal is to create an intimate seating area, where people are encouraged to have good conversation. I mean, look, I’m not telling you that you can’t have any furniture against the wall, but just not all of it! The only justifiable reason to push all of your furniture against the wall is when you are having a dance party! Something tells me this person is not having a party anytime soon… This is, perhaps, the most common mistake people make in their living rooms. Let’s see if you are making any of the following design errors in your home… #1 – Pushing Furniture Against the Wall The furniture you choose and how you place it in your living room is very important! It affects the entire look and feel of the room! If you find that your living room just doesn’t “feel” right, you may have a furniture layout issue. That’s what today’s post is all about…recognizing our mistakes and learning from them! Specifically, I’ll be sharing six living room furniture layout mistakes that people commonly make, and how to fix them! But, I guess that’s how we learn, right? Sometimes, we need someone to point out our mis-steps, so we can learn what not to do. One great thing about getting my Interior Design master’s degree is that I have learned a lot! But, that wealth of information can be a bit humbling! You know, like when you find out in one of your classes that you are making one or more common living room furniture layout mistakes. ![]()
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