Living Room Rules: Dos and Don'ts

When it comes to decorating, basic living room rules regarding layout and design can help you create a space that feels balanced, functional, and complete. Keep an eye on proper furniture sizes and spacing, the right amount of decor and accessories, the rug's appropriate shape and size, and the correct placement of lighting, all of which change the look and feel of the room. Read on for living room decorating ideas that will transform your space and make it more inviting and comfortable.

Room Layout

When deciding on your living room's layout, add a focal point or design around the room's natural focal point, like a fireplace, bookshelf, or bay window. Place a chair on either side of a fireplace or arrange furniture to face a large window to take advantage of the view, for example.

To create more balance in the room, incorporate pieces of furniture, lighting, and accessories, such as plants, that are of different heights. Consider flanking a low sofa with a tall floor lamp and a medium-height plant.

Furniture

Buying the best quality furniture you can afford means the piece will be more lasting. For example, a sofa of average quality should last at least 10 years while a high-end sofa should last up to 25 years. Quality is one issue, but size, layout, and spacing of furniture will all affect how balanced your living room will look and feel.

Furniture Size

The scale, or size, of your furniture can make your living room feel comfortable, cramped, or empty. If you know the rough measurements of a piece of furniture, you can plan the layout better.

When furnishing a large living room, use larger pieces and avoid adding in too many smaller pieces or the room will look cluttered. Smaller living rooms require smaller furniture, but keep it minimal and look for multifunctional pieces. Adapt your furniture choices based on the size living room you have, as well. For example, in a small living room, opt for accent chairs or a loveseat rather than a typical three-seat sofa for guest seating.

Layout

Regardless of the size of your space, there are plenty of ideas for living room layouts. You don't always need to push all of your furniture against the walls. To encourage conversation, pull the furniture away from the walls to create intimate seating areas. Layout options can include placing sectionals in the middle of the room, arranging two sofas to face one another, or using one or two chairs on the side of a sofa.

Spacing

Arranging furniture and knowing how far away the sofa should be from the wall, for example, can be confusing. Here are some measurement guidelines:

• Distance between the couch and the coffee table: 16 in. to 18 in.
• Distance between the wall and sofa: minimum of 1 in. to prevent damage to wall or furniture
• Distance between side-by-side chairs: 24 in. to 42 in. (to fit a small table between chairs)
• Ideal walkway: 24 in. to 36 in. wide

Rugs

If you don't have wall-to-wall carpeting, choose a living room area rug or two to help define seating zones and anchor or unify the space. There are plenty of color and pattern choices, but the size and placement of the rug will affect the way you feel in the room. Here are a few things to consider.

Rug Size

The rug size for your living room should not be too small. Ideally, all four legs of all furnishings should fit on the rug. At least the front legs of every piece of furniture should fit on the rug. But all the legs of your smaller pieces should fit on the rug. There are exceptions, though—if you have a small living room, putting just the four legs of a coffee table on the rug looks balanced and well-placed. A sectional sofa, however, should always have all of its legs on the rug to unify its size and shape.

• Large living rooms: 10 ft. by 14 ft. rug fits under all legs of furniture, including a very large sectional sofa
• Medium living rooms: 9 ft. by 12 ft. rug or 8 ft. by 10 ft. rugs fit under the front legs of furniture, including a large sectional sofa
• Small living rooms: 6 ft. by 9 ft. rug fits under a coffee table and a small sectional sofa

Placement

Use an area rug to cover the entire living room floor, almost like wall-to-wall carpeting. Or you can place the rug in the center of the room if your furniture is pulled away from the walls. For added interest, layer area rugs one on top of another or layer an area rug on top of wall-to-wall carpeting. 

Lighting

Consider a mix of overhead, ambient, and task lighting for a well-lit living room. Layered lighting means that all dark corners are lit and the living room can be easily illuminated using varied types of lighting fixtures to create different moods, scenarios, and events.

Floor Lamps

Floor lamps are often placed in dark corners or where there isn't room for a table lamp. A floor lamp is designed to illuminate a small area. Avoid exposed bulbs that can be harsh on your eyes if you're looking up from a seated position. Some floor lamps are adjustable or swivel but the general height of one should be just above eye level when you're standing up. Another way to measure the ideal height is to make sure the bottom of a shaded floor lamp just about grazes the top of a wing chair's back.

Overhead Lights

Overhead lighting comes as either flush-mount, semi-flush-mount, or hanging fixtures, such as pendants, chandeliers, track lighting, and recessed lighting. Flush-mount lights are installed flush with the ceiling and semi-flush fixtures hang down from the ceiling just a foot or two (drum or ball lights, for example). In a living room, an overhead fixture such as a pendant or chandelier should be hung about 30 to 36 inches above the top of the surface over which it's installed, just as you would do in a dining room or kitchen.

Table Lamps

A table lamp adds a soft glow to a living room when it accents a side, console, or occasional table. Get the correct size table lamp to fit your surface. Table lamps come in varied heights from the base to the finial, from small to medium table lamps 20 to 26 inches to taller buffet lamps that hover around 32 to 36 inches tall. The right height for a table lamp you use for reading, however, depends on the surface you're placing it on. But generally, the bottom of the lampshade should be around eye level when you're sitting near it so you can avoid any harsh light from the bulb.

Sconces

Wall-mounted light fixtures, commonly known as wall sconces, offer a great way to add character and accent lighting to a living room. Place them in dark corners, above console tables, or between banks of windows. A wall sconce is often placed about 6 feet or so off the ground so it doesn't get bumped into.

Accessories

Your selection of throw pillows, artwork, and even electronics sets the tone of the living room. Accessories can accentuate the style of a room, punctuate the space to make a statement, or become a focal point in the living room depending on where the items are placed.

Accent Pieces

Use throw pillows thoughtfully as accent pieces without going overboard. You will know you have too many if you have to move them before sitting down on the sofa or chair. Though they may be small, throw pillows have a huge decorative impact in a living room, so be sure to invest in the highest quality fabrics.

Choosing the right throw pillows enhances furnishings and adds to the overall look of the room. They don't have to match in color or pattern, either. But stick to the rule of three so you can successfully mix and match throw pillows around the room. Select them in three colors from your living room's scheme and in three different scaled patterns or textures to add immediate character to the space.

Decor

Wall decor finishes a living room, but how much artwork is just enough on your walls? Hang enough artwork to cover about 60 percent of one wall and leave the other 40 percent blank to give the eye a rest and keep the wall from looking too busy. There are a couple of rules when choosing and placing artwork. Go big and place an oversized piece of artwork above your sofa, for example. Or go with the rule of three and choose three pieces of artwork to hang in a grouping.

Follow the 57 inches rule when hanging wall decor to avoid the common mistake of hanging artwork too high. Take a ruler and measure 57 inches up from the floor to the center of the artwork for the best height to hang wall decor. It's also better to err on the side of hanging your artwork lower on a wall than higher.

Electronics

Discreetly incorporate a television into your living room decor without it becoming the focal point. Decorate around a television with artwork or furniture so it seamlessly becomes part of the living room's decor. Mount a television on the wall at about eye level from your seated position or about 42 inches from the floor to the center of your television. But it could be higher (or even lower) depending on the screen size, your height, and viewing comfort.