The Secret to Designing a Living Room Beautifully Yet Sensibly
A stylist reveals how to pull together a living room scheme like a pro
Georgia Madden
14 March 2019
The living room is one of the most important rooms in the home – it’s where we relax, entertain and often work or dine, too. But it’s a space that can often be surprisingly tricky to decorate. In this extract from her new book Keeping House, Sydney-based interior stylist Emma Blomfield shares some practical tips for getting your living room set-up right.
We call this room several different names – lounge room, family room or sitting room – but living room is probably the most accurate description, as it truly is a room for living in. We do so much more than lounge around in a living room: We entertain guests, watch Netflix, host cheese nights, play board games on the coffee table, dance around the furniture, or console a friend on the sofa with a glass of wine after another bad date. See, a lot of living happens in this room!
Splurge versus save
It’s probably fairly obvious what we need to splurge on when buying furniture for the living room, but maybe you’re not so sure where you can save money. Here’s a handy guide for setting up the living room.
Stage 1: Big-ticket items
A sofa, TV unit and coffee table are your top priority purchases and should be locked down before anything else. These three purchases are your most expensive items – they’ll be used the most and hopefully should last you through many moves. If your sofa has good bones and
is good quality, it can always be re-covered down the line.
See these timeless sofa styles
It’s probably fairly obvious what we need to splurge on when buying furniture for the living room, but maybe you’re not so sure where you can save money. Here’s a handy guide for setting up the living room.
Stage 1: Big-ticket items
A sofa, TV unit and coffee table are your top priority purchases and should be locked down before anything else. These three purchases are your most expensive items – they’ll be used the most and hopefully should last you through many moves. If your sofa has good bones and
is good quality, it can always be re-covered down the line.
See these timeless sofa styles
Stage 2: Secondary items
Once your big-ticket items are sorted, think about adding side tables, table lamps, floor lamps and armchairs. Spend a bit less on these.
Once your big-ticket items are sorted, think about adding side tables, table lamps, floor lamps and armchairs. Spend a bit less on these.
A word on size and proportions
This is the most important element in decorating to get right, especially when it comes to your living room. Taking the time to measure all your purchases prior to adding them to your space will stop you from making expensive mistakes. Just because a massive L-shaped modular lounge will fit across the length of your living room wall doesn’t always mean it’s the right choice proportionally. Take the other walls and furniture items into consideration.
This is the most important element in decorating to get right, especially when it comes to your living room. Taking the time to measure all your purchases prior to adding them to your space will stop you from making expensive mistakes. Just because a massive L-shaped modular lounge will fit across the length of your living room wall doesn’t always mean it’s the right choice proportionally. Take the other walls and furniture items into consideration.
Often your TV placement will dictate where the rest of your furniture sits, so get this right up front and your sofa, coffee table, rug and side table placement will come together naturally. Adding one or two floor lamps to the corners of the room will help balance out the longer horizontal pieces and add some height to the space.
Wondering where to place the TV?
Wondering where to place the TV?
You also need to consider the size of your doorways, or the elevator if you’re living in an apartment. Will your new furniture fit through them? You don’t want to be stuck with a three-seater sofa that doesn’t fit in the elevator or a sideboard that’s too big to go up the stairs to your home, so measure the size of the relevant doorways before you go shopping.
If the items are too large, are there other ways around the problem? Can you use rope to haul the sofa in over the balcony railing? Are the legs on the sofa or sideboard removable? Often it’s only the legs that stop you from getting the piece down the hallway.
If the items are too large, are there other ways around the problem? Can you use rope to haul the sofa in over the balcony railing? Are the legs on the sofa or sideboard removable? Often it’s only the legs that stop you from getting the piece down the hallway.
Tip: If there is a TV unit opposite your sofa, the sofa should be about 40 to 50 centimetres wider than the TV unit on each side. If the TV unit is longer than your sofa, your entire room will feel off kilter.
Ottomans versus coffee tables
Ottoman or coffee table? It’s a common debate when deciding on living room furniture. Ottomans make for comfy footrests but aren’t practical if you want to pop a cup of tea on top of them. Placing a tray on the ottoman will help keep the items stable, but a coffee table is a much sturdier choice if you want somewhere to rest your legs and keep plates of food or glasses of wine stable.
Learn how to style your coffee table
Ottoman or coffee table? It’s a common debate when deciding on living room furniture. Ottomans make for comfy footrests but aren’t practical if you want to pop a cup of tea on top of them. Placing a tray on the ottoman will help keep the items stable, but a coffee table is a much sturdier choice if you want somewhere to rest your legs and keep plates of food or glasses of wine stable.
Learn how to style your coffee table
This is an edited extract from Keeping House by Emma Blomfield, published by Hardie Grant Books, available on Amazon.
Illustrations: © Juliet Sulejmani / The JulietProject 2019
Read more:
Goa Houzz: A Stylist Weaves an Old-World Design Story in This Home
Tell us:
Do you have a clever tip for decorating your living room? Tell us in the Comments below.
Illustrations: © Juliet Sulejmani / The JulietProject 2019
Read more:
Goa Houzz: A Stylist Weaves an Old-World Design Story in This Home
Tell us:
Do you have a clever tip for decorating your living room? Tell us in the Comments below.
What are you working on?
Related Stories
Photo Books
30 Best Sofa Designs
This guide gives a rundown of sofa types that will leave you spoilt for choices
Full Story
Decorating Ideas
How to Make Your Living Room Look Bigger
By Neila Deen
Decorating a small living room? These 10 tips will help you make it more beautiful and welcoming
Full Story
Decorating Ideas
12 Sofa Colour Combinations You Can Blindly Trust
We've put together a tasteful mix of sofa shades that can take your living room from meh to magnificent
Full Story
Indian Homes
Design-Forward Indian Living Rooms, Bedrooms & Kitchens on Houzz
Take cues, ideas and inspiration from this compilation of 50 inspiring Indian spaces
Full Story
Most Popular
Which False Ceiling Material is Better: Gypsum or POP?
Here is all you need to know about the difference between gypsum and POP before you commit to a ceiling
Full Story
Small Spaces
9 Seating Arrangement Ideas for Small Living Rooms
Discover ways to live large with these pocket-sized living areas
Full Story
Colour Guides
5 Best Colours for Small Living Rooms
These paint colours will set the mood, update your space and make a small space seem larger than it is
Full Story
Dining Rooms
Remarkable Pairings: 40 Gorgeous Living Dining Combos
Here are inspiring living and dining room ideas for small and big spaces
Full Story
Decorating Guides
Contemporary Chic: How to Design a Modern Rustic Living Room
Love natural, rustic style, but want to keep it contemporary? Take a look at these design ideas
Full Story
Colour Guides
What Colour Curtains Go With Cream Walls?
Here are exciting and surprising curtain colours that match cream walls
Full Story
As televisions get larger and larger, I would rather have a couch that isn't as wide as my TV unit than have a small TV units under an 85' inch TV. I found that the key is either to place a three seat and a two seat couch in the room or have a large sectional in the room.
The blue sofa is very nice , can you tell us the suppliers of the sofas in your article
I love switching between table and ottoman and sometimes I combine them both so that the variations of the colors, textures and different heights really add a spontaneous note to the space.
Moroccan rugs are undoubtedly my favorite piece to bring all the furniture together and add proper depth to a space. If curiosity has it that you want to know more about what goes behind the scenes of handmade berber rugs and carpets, then the latest post I wrote might be a whimsical getaway for you:
https://bohoconvention.com/blogs/news/why-buy-a-handmade-moroccan-rug