6 Living Room Layout Mistakes To Avoid - According To Our Designer

As the living room is one of the most-used rooms in the house, getting your furniture arrangement right is essential. With that in mind, we asked our interior designer, Kelly,  to share  her top living room layout mistakes that you should avoid. 

If you want to create an  ideal living room space, don’t make these six living room layout mistakes:

1. Obstructing doorways and windows 
2. Not thinking about the flow of the room 
3. Neglecting the room fuction 
4. Blocking plug sockets 
5. Placing the TV in direct sunlight 
6. Pushing furniture against the walls

1. Obstructing doorways and windows

It might sound obvious, but make sure your furniture is not blocking any doorways. Why? 

Often a sofa can be placed too close to the door, so whenever it swings open it can cause damage to your furniture. You want to ensure that stepping into a room is a welcoming experience.

It’s important to make the most of any natural light – this will make the space feel more welcoming and airy. In the summer months, make sure there’s easy access to opening curtains, windows or doors that lead to the back garden. 

Also try to avoid obstructing smaller door openings like storage units, cupboard doors and drawers.

2. Not thinking about the flow of the room

If getting to your sofa feels more like an obstacle course, maybe it’s time to reconsider your layout. Arrange your furniture that limits the traffic flow and stops you from bumping into anything from the entryway through to where you want to sit.

Rearrange the furniture to make sure you can walk comfortably around the room. If you can’t do this then the room might be to busy with oversized furniture or too many items. If this is the case, try donating or selling items you don’t have much use for, or swap out large pieces for refined options.

3. Neglecting the room function

Not everyone uses their living room for the same purpose. If you’re using this space as a multi-functional room (to eat, watch TV… sleep?), then you’re going to want to  choose a smaller sofa or sofa bed to make space for a dining table. For family rooms, make sure it feels snug by placing furniture that is centered around conversation. In a formal living room, to entertain guests, have a central coffee table for drinks and remove any unneeded tech gadgets.

4. Blocking plug sockets 

Plug sockets can occasionally be limited in rooms, so there’s a few things to take into account when positioning your furniture. TV fixtures require many  wires and plug-ins, so selecting the area where the most available sockets are would be ideal for your TV. Try to avoid blocking available plug sockets with your sofa and if possible to have a sockets sit alongside the sofa. This means if there’s a need for using a laptop or phone charger, you have easy access to the plug-in. Lastly, where do you want your lighting to be positioned? Do you want to create a cosy reading nook with a lamp alongside it? If so, make sure you choose a space where there are available plug sockets to achieve this.

Of course there are extension cables which can provide more sockets, however these can look cluttered when stretched across the living room, And even serve as a health hazard. 

5. Having the TV in direct sunlight

If the main function of your living room is to relax and watch TV then we’d suggest not  hanging your TV on the wall directly across from the window. This will cause a bad reflection onto the screen and force you to close the curtains every time you want to switch the TV on. Instead, Kelly recommends placing the TV alongside the window to avoid this being an issue.

6. Pushing furniture up against walls

Pushing furniture up against the wall does not make the room appear bigger. Fact. This is a common misconception that we are all guilty of making. Kelly states by doing this you’re creating a disconnected feeling in the room. Instead, Kelly suggests, rearranging furniture further into the centre of the room to create a cosy, social setting. You’ll be surprised to see that it does in fact make your room appear larger.