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Plan my living room layout


How To Plan A Living Room Layout

What's the secret to planning the perfect living room layout? As the main communal space in the house, living rooms are the settings for so much of family life – socialising, chilling, greeting guests – so whether the room is small, long and thin, dark or flooded with light, following these rules will help you get it right the first time.

What's my dream room?

According to TV presenter and House Beautiful’s sustainable design expert Oliver Heath, 'Creating the room of your dreams will inevitably come from doing your research and working out exactly what it is that makes you go "wow!"'.

Consider what you want your living room to be and then work out what you want to include in it. If you want it to be a social space for chatting with family or entertaining friends, then you may want to have your sofas or chairs facing each other. But if the space is more for family to relax and chill in, then you might go for a single corner sofa facing a large TV and maybe some cuddler chairs.

Decide now, too, about coffee and side tables, floor lamps, footstools and any extra seating. And don't forget to include storage for all those things a living room might have to house from books and magazines to DVDs, CDs, gaming consoles and children's toys. Choose your storage based on whether you want these on display or behind closed doors.

CreativaStudioGetty Images

Create a moodboard

Oliver Heath recommends collecting images and samples to create a moodboard. 'Include flooring, furniture, focal points, wall coverings, fabrics, textures, lighting and plants,' he says. 'You’ll want to edit this of course but it will help to identify the room of your dreams. If you can access this moodboard through an app on your phone it can really help you to make the right stylistic choices when you’re out shopping.'

A spreadsheet outlining the items that you need, your specific choices and your intended budget is also essential. 'This will help you keep track of your priorities, key dimensions, where to buy it and importantly, what you’re spending,' says Oliver.

Layouts for your living room shape

Small: A room is considered small if any dimension is less then 3m, says DIY guru Jo Behari. 'To create an airy feeling, you need to use the space you have efficiently, and definitely go for lighter colours,' she advises. 'Natural daylight makes a room feel bigger so don’t crowd the windows with bulky fabrics and window coverings. A few eye-catching items in the corner of the rooms can elongate the room making it feel larger.'

Make paper templates of the pieces of furniture you want to include and arrange them in situ, leaving enough space between each item so that you can walk comfortably around the furniture. If you struggle to fit everything into a smaller room, look for steamlined furniture such as a nest of tables in place of a bulky coffee table, a smaller two-seater sofa, or slimline vertical storage that uses height rather than floor space.

Wall lights and spots fixed to a track on the ceiling take away the need for table lamps as both can be directed towards certain areas to provide task lighting. And finally, include mirrors or other reflective surfaces as these will help bounce light around the room and create a feeling of openness.

Carolyn Barber

Long thin rooms, where one length is more than 3m, need clever lighting and benefit from zoning into different areas such as sitting areas, reading spots and a home office. 'To plan the room effectively you need to detach yourself from it and its current function. List all the functions you need it to achieve, be it lounging, entertaining, office space, kids den, adult living area, reading nook or spot for listening to music – literally anything that you want it to be,' says Jo. 'Oversized items can absorb the space, and keeping the main walkway to one side will help the room flow.'

Open storage or shelving units work well in a long thin room as they make good space dividers, helping to create different zones or a visual break for the eye.

Large rooms, where one dimension is larger than 9m, may feel like a blessing but items can often feel lost. This is where a mixture of open and closed door storage units can help, as they can not only zone large spaces, but also provide surfaces to display flowers, picture frames and other accessories which lend personality to the room.

'Large plants help to create a cosy feeling while two tone wall colours break up the room and again zones can help the room provide multiple functions,' says Jo. 'Statement pieces work well in large rooms so look out for items that might be a talking point and give your room a focus.'

Robert Sanderson

Adding the wow factor!

Once the basics are in place, you can get on with adding the wow factor, and you can do that in a number of ways, says Oliver Heath. For instance via window dressings – full-length curtains are ideal for adding texture, pattern or a cosy feel, while blinds and shutters give a more pared-back, streamlined look – and then cushions, throws and rugs, and artworks or framed family photos can be hang on the walls.

'You can add the wow factor in one or a number of different ways,' says Oliver. 'It could be an elaborate feature wall created from a paint colour, wallpaper or cladding, or it could be in the coordination of colours, patterns and textures. But a carefully considered and sparkling lighting plan will always win my vote!'

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The Best Free Room Layout Planners Online

These free online tools help you design your whole space

By

Stacy Fisher

Stacy Fisher

Stacy is an expert writer for The Spruce covering home DIY projects and crafts. She has over 18 years of journalistic experience, appearing as a DIY expert on the Dr. Oz Show and several radio shows. She has published hundreds of articles and co-authored a book.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 08/16/22

The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto 

A free room layout planner app is a great way to design a room quickly or plan a remodel. In minutes, using an app, you can easily rearrange your room. You can also plan a design for every room in your home from your computer, phone, or tablet without knowing a thing about home design software.

How do you make a room layout? With each of the free online room layout planners (most offer 2D and 3D room planning), you start by laying out your room's dimensions. Make the area as large or as small as you like, add interesting corners or walls, and do everything you can to make it look just like the actual room you want to build.

Add features such as doors, closets, and windows before moving on to adding paint, flooring, furniture, and accessories by just dragging and dropping them into your online room. Deciding where to put furniture in the room is personally customizable, depending wholly on your room size, preferences, needs, and style.

Each layout planner lets you design a room for free, but they all have different tools that work slightly differently. Read on to see which room layout planner meets your needs best.

Tip

Are you looking for decorating inspiration? Request some free home decor catalogs and free furniture catalogs to get inspiration for your next room design.

Watch Now: 6 Tips for Choosing the Right Carpet Color

Living room layout - 105 photos of zoning and interior features It would seem that here you can consider different options, and if you build a house from scratch, you can build the living room of your dreams. What about apartment dwellers?

Today, using the example of a living room layout photo, we will tell you how to plan the most significant room for guests both in an apartment and in a house.

Table of contents of the article:

Features of the layout and design of the living room

The layout of the living room and its further design is not an easy task. This is because this is not just a room, but a place for comfort, built primarily for the guest. I want to make it such that guests gasp when they enter it, and when they leave, they remember it and tell their friends.

It is important to choose the right type of layout, which will provide sufficient space, as well as allow you to realize the best design solutions.

Thinking about the option of an ideal living room, you need to put yourself in the place of a guest and think about how comfortable it would be for him to be here - especially if you have to receive them often.

In any case, a good layout of the living room is, first of all, comfort for the guest, not for the owner. In general, the following factors should be taken into account.

"Comfort zone" - you can often hear this expression addressed to the living room. This is true, in modern rooms the guest room is designed and planned in such a way that guests really do not want to leave here. Moreover, the owner is pleased to relax here when there are no guests in the house yet.

Although the living room is just an ordinary guest room, it should not be located at the very end of the apartment or house. In general, in the apartment there is no way to create another room with your own hands, so one of the best ones is equipped specifically for these purposes.

In this case, you need to choose exactly the room that is located not far from the entrance of the apartment, but also not far from the kitchen - the dishes on the table must be served hot!

Wall decoration in a room should be not only beautiful, but also natural, ecological and safe for health. It is much more convenient for guests to be in the fresh air, for this it is not at all necessary to keep the balcony open.

Even with the windows wide open, the air can be stale and, most importantly, harmful, which is unacceptable. Especially in this room you need to receive guests. At a minimum, for a crowded place, it is necessary to select finishing materials that are safe for health.

And finally, you need to choose the design that the guest will like first of all. These should be calm, frequent tones, but not very calm.

The guest should not fall asleep at the table, but should not feel uncomfortable when surrounded by aggressive colors. It is enough to choose a color scheme that includes several, but pleasant colors, and then guests will not want to leave.

Living room in apartment

The living room in an apartment is often also a hall. But this does not mean that it needs to be made spacious. Do not forget that most of the room will not be used, so it is better to use the free space for decorations, decorations, plants and everything else that fits perfectly into the concept of the room.

But this applies only to apartments with a large area, small apartments, on the contrary, have to be combined with other rooms.

Most often in different apartments you can see the following room layout options:

For more cozy and contemporary design ideas click here.

The living room-kitchen is rare, but recently it is gaining more and more popularity. This is because in small apartments there is no way to allocate a separate room for guests and you want to combine a cozy place for tea drinking with a kitchen where tea is actually made. More suitable for receiving a small number of people.

Living rooms, which are also dining rooms, have become less and less common. Usually used for their domestic purposes - to eat or just drink tea with the family, but when guests arrive, the room turns into a real hospitable pleasure.

The layout of the living-dining room is about to become even more rare. Previously, in some new houses, the layout allowed for something similar. But in today's new buildings, living rooms are organized differently.

Thus, allocating a separate room for the reception of friends, and we get a room that is empty most of the time. However, it can be colorfully decorated, and not redone with a dining room. Extends to larger rooms, but not very large. In any case, this is not only an opportunity to celebrate a holiday, but also to let friends spend the night.

As already mentioned, the guest room can be used as an alternative bedroom, but only for invited people. But often you can find a designated place for various events. Most often you can see in two-story apartments, which, according to the layout, most likely resemble a house.

Living room in a private house

In a private house there are much more opportunities to organize a good living room, and in practice there are such planning options that could not have been imagined at all a few years ago. The layout of the living room in a private house can have the following types:

Bay window is considered a summer option for receiving guests. As a rule, it is made out on the second floor of the house, tables are also placed there. Resting in your own home, and even in the fresh air, is the dream of every owner, but if you also invite guests here ...

But unfortunately, the bay window is more suitable for meetings than for an overnight stay. In this case, they organize a lounging room in the attic, which is simply created for this! But not in all houses it is possible to plan such a room with a bay window, and it is also not possible everywhere, so we recommend that you first read the instructions on how to complete the layout.

The guest room on the ground floor is a rare occurrence in our country, mainly found in small houses, or American-style living quarters.

Also in such houses on the first floor they make a separate medium-sized hall, invite guests there and they can freely spend the night there. Home living room layouts are limitless options for ideas.

Photo layout of the living room

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Living room layout - ideas and recommendations for creating a cozy interior of the hall (35 photos)

Planning

Kristina Style

Which living room layout should I choose for an apartment or private house? The living room is the center of every apartment or house. As a rule, the largest room in terms of area is allocated for it. It is customary not only to meet guests and hold celebrations, but also to relax every day with the whole family after a hard day's work. Therefore, a prerequisite for a living room is that it should be multifunctional, comfortable, practical, cozy and stylish. But at the same time, the interior of this room should remain individual. Consider what should be the ideal and comfortable layout of the living room, and also consider 20 ideas for interior design.

Harmonious layout of the living room in the apartment

Living room layout: nuances and features

Building the right interior can be done in several different ways. This is a great scope for the implementation of all kinds of creative ideas. You can come up with your own version of the decoration and layout of the living room. Here you can realize any ideas, but at the same time the room remains functional to the maximum.

Original spacious rectangular living room

If desired, the interior of the room can be made in a single selected style. You can divide the living room into functional areas, where each family member will have their own personal space for work and leisure.

Upholstered furniture in color can match the color of window textiles

The living room is the room whose task is to connect all the other rooms in the house around it. It is here that most of the family lives. Indoors, you can harmoniously combine various design and architectural forms. The main thing is that everything should correspond to a single stylistic idea.

Spacious living room can be divided into zones using lighting and ceiling beams

Living room can act as a separate room or be combined with functional areas such as:

Each such individual case deserves a carefully thought-out layout with the right set of furniture and accessories. It is also important to take into account the habits and lifestyle of each household.

Universal living room layouts

There are several living room layout options. Each of them deserves development. One of the most popular layout options is to increase the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe living room due to the kitchen or dining room. Thanks to this, you can achieve a light and open image. Zones can be distinguished using local lighting, floor or ceiling.

The living room can be decorated with a large and chic chandelier and built-in LED lighting

You can increase the area of ​​​​the living room by connecting the room with a balcony or loggia. In this corner, you can equip a winter garden, a place for tea drinking or a working mini-study. You can connect or separate the living room with a balcony using decorative partitions. They are functional and transformable.

If the living room is small, use compact modular furniture

The living room is plastic. Its interior can be changed as soon as you want. If you like an open layout, then the room can be connected to the corridor, and the kitchen - to the front door.

Snow-white living room with blue-blue accessories

While decorating the living room, first of all, be guided by style, taste and convenience. Any furniture can be used, but the main thing is that it should correspond to the main tasks - relaxation and rest. The color scheme depends on your individual preferences. The main thing is that everything should harmonize and combine with each other. If you have chosen a certain style for yourself, you do not need to oversaturate the space with decorative elements, such as stucco.

20 design ideas for a modern living room

You can equip the room with a spacious seating area, which will be decorated in soothing gray shades. Such an environment will contribute to relaxation and rest. To achieve coziness and comfort, use elegant accessories.

Original modern living room with black stretch ceiling and spot lighting

Living room interior can be divided into zones using lighting. But the living room has not lost a single style solution, which contributes to a harmonious design.

The room is divided into zones using different types of lighting

A modern living room can be decorated in white. It will help to achieve purity, freshness and lightness. Bright decorative pillows for the sofa and live indoor plants will help to add cheerfulness to such a cold living room.

Bright living room needs bright accents

Functionality, simplicity and practicality are important in modern layouts. Use appropriate furniture. It is she who can make the room free. And the built-in spotlights will help to highlight the zones. As you can see in the photo below, the living room has acquired a modern look and comfort.

Modern living room interior in a minimalist style

If you decide that your living room will be decorated in warm colors, then it is better to give preference to a minimalist style. Arrange the right furniture and place accessories, get the perfect place to relax.

The living room is decorated in beige warm colors

The central place in the living room can be given to the soft zone. Place a spacious and comfortable sofa with a large TV here. This arrangement of furniture contributes to a wonderful holiday. Pay attention to the lighting in each zone. It will help to achieve a special charm.

Upholstered furniture can be placed in the center of the living room

In a modern living room, gray surfaces look elegant in combination with solid wood furniture and animal print textiles.

Animal print looks appropriate in a modern living room

If you decide to make a free layout in the living room, then make sure that the kitchen and the room are decorated in the same style and color scheme. Add bright elements to each zone and get an original interior.

Kitchen and living room can be made in the same style and colors

The interior of the living room can be made comfortable and strict. Think carefully about the color scheme. As a rule, the shades are boring, but for liveliness, you can lay a bright carpet near the sofa and decorate the room with original accessories.

Comfortable and simple interior in the interior of the living room

Living room can be elegant and sophisticated. This can be emphasized by an elegant chandelier, paintings and furniture upholstery. All this will emphasize a single style and harmony.

The interior of an elegant and sophisticated living room with original paintings and upholstered furniture

A classic style living room must have a fireplace. It will give a special comfort. It is better to place it in a recreation area in combination with comfortable furniture. The atmosphere will be calm and relaxed. The entire color palette used is based on natural natural shades.

Living room interior in classic style

The following photo of the living room shows that it can be ultra-modern and at the same time sophisticated and elegant. Try connecting the room to the dining area. As you can see, they are located at different levels. The common space is made in the same style. Extravagant accessories will help to achieve originality.

Ultra-modern interior of the living-dining room

Beige and blue shades are ideally combined in the design of the living room. It is this color scheme that helps to fill the room with a lot of light. A special grace is achieved thanks to the original lighting fixtures.

Living room design in beige and blue shades

Within the same room with extreme care, you can try to combine different shades of red. The room will be filled with liveliness and a lot of energy. And to get rid of the aggression of red, dilute it with white walls and upholstered furniture.

All shades of red harmonize perfectly with light furniture and surfaces

Gray can be chosen as the main background for the living room. You can successfully add a brown floor, a brick wall in a soft area and a sofa to it. Armchairs, table and chairs can be metallic silver.

Gray color in the living room goes well with rich brown shades

The ideal color combination is white in combination with all shades of gray. You can add bright spots with accessories or green upholstered furniture.

Bright accents must be placed in the interior of a gray living room

You can support the light brown floor with the same wall panels where the TV should be located.

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