How to Choose Living Room Furniture

Whether you want to update an older living room with hand-me-down furniture or start from scratch, consider your family’s needs and personal tastes. Identify the room’s primary function, such as relaxation and entertainment or gathering with friends.

Choose a focal point to guide your decor choices, such as a fireplace, gallery wall or window. Aim for symmetry, which is appealing to the eye.

Comfort

In addition to aesthetics, your choice of living room furniture should be comfortable and fit the needs of your family and guests. For example, consider upholstery fabric levels – from plush to firm – as well as the level of support and cushioning you desire. Some fabrics are more durable than others, and you should always test out sofas and chairs in a showroom to ensure they’re as comfortable as they appear.

A good starting point is to plan the arrangement of seating around a focal point in the room, like a fireplace or a large window. This helps establish the flow of traffic and creates a natural conversation area for a seating group. A sense of balance can also be achieved through a symmetrical furniture layout. For example, arrange identical sofas on either side of a coffee table or use matching armchairs to flank a corner nook.

Once you’ve established the general layout of your living room, measure the space to determine its dimensions and potential limits. This allows you to narrow your choices of furniture pieces and avoid wasting time on items that will not fit. Using a large area rug as a unifying element can help make an open floor plan feel more cohesive, but make sure that the front legs of all the key pieces sit on the rug.

Style

If your living room is a gathering space for family and friends, you should consider how the furniture will work together to create a cohesive look that makes the room enjoyable. For example, if your space is decorated in an eclectic style, choosing furniture that reflects the same overall aesthetic will help pull the room together.

Alternatively, you can use the space’s natural architectural features to dictate the style. For example, if your living room has an arched doorway, you may want to choose furniture with curves to match the shape of the arch. Similarly, if your space has a fireplace or a window seat, you should select furniture that complements the features of these spaces rather than clashing with them.

Once you’ve decided on the overall style of your space, it’s time to start thinking about the specific furniture pieces. A good rule of thumb is to start with the largest seating piece, such as a sofa or sectional, and position it in front of your room’s focal point, such as a TV, fireplace, gallery wall, or window. From there, you can fill in with smaller seating options, such as chairs and occasional tables. To keep the overall look of your space cohesive, try to stick with a similar fabric palette when choosing seating and accent furniture.

Durability

Choosing furniture made from quality materials is one of the most important decisions you’ll make when selecting living room furniture. The use of high-quality wood or metal and upholstery fabrics that are durable will help your furniture stand the test of time. You’ll also want to consider the type of environment in which your furniture will be kept. Temperature changes and humidity can affect the lifespan of upholstered pieces, as well as the stability of wooden furniture.

A key element of good design is finding a balance between form and function. While many people want to create a unique, stylish living space, the functional elements of a room are equally important. To make sure you’re getting the best value for your money, choose furniture that strikes a balance between these two factors.

Ensure that the proportions of your furniture match the size of your living room. Oversized furniture can overpower a small space, while undersized furniture can look sloppy and unfinished. Once you’ve figured out the size of your living room, use painter’s tape or newspaper to mark out where you’d like potential furniture pieces to go in the space.

Budget

Your budget is one of the most important considerations when shopping for living room furniture. Determine how much you want to spend and what your needs are, including the number of people who will use the space regularly. It’s also helpful to decide if you have any specific style preferences or must-have furniture pieces, such as a sofa or sectional.

Many shoppers start with the sofa, as it’s usually the largest piece and often serves as a focal point in the room. Then, they choose smaller seating options such as chairs and love seats to fill in around the sofa. Finally, they choose a coffee table and other accent furniture pieces, such as ottomans and side tables, to round out the seating arrangement.

The size of your space is another important consideration, as you’ll want to make sure all the furniture fits comfortably within the room. It’s helpful to stage the space and mark out areas where potential furniture pieces will go, using painter’s tape or sheets of paper to get a visual. This will help you avoid wasting money on items that won’t fit.

The fabric you choose for your sofa and other seating is an important decision as well. Depending on your lifestyle and the level of use, you may choose performance fabrics that can handle stains and dirt, or soft, luxurious materials that will complement the room’s decor scheme.

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