Living Room Design: The Complete Guide

• Play with symmetry: Use symmetry to balance the room. For example, place two sofas facing each other or use pairs of armchairs or lamps.
• Create a focal point: This could be a piece of art, a bookcase wall or your television. Make sure the furniture is arranged in a way that highlights this focal point.
• Choose a harmonious colour scheme: Use colours that visually enlarge the space, such as light, neutral tones, whilst adding touches of brighter colours to create interest.
• Use multifunctional furniture: Opt for pieces that serve multiple purposes, such as a bookcase that doubles as a TV stand or desk, with built-in storage units.
• Incorporate vertical elements: Use vertical decorative elements, such as plants or artwork, to draw the eye upwards and balance the length of the room.

• Optimise vertical storage: Use the walls for shelving and storage to avoid cluttering the floor. Tall or wall-mounted units can help free up floor space.
• Maximise natural light: Keep windows unobstructed to let in as much natural light as possible. Use light-coloured curtains or blinds to avoid making the space feel cramped.
• Choose light colours: Use light, neutral colours for walls, floors and large pieces of furniture. These colours help to make the space feel larger and brighter.
• Avoid clutter: Keep the space uncluttered by limiting decorative items and organising everyday objects carefully.
• Use strategic lighting: Combine different types of lighting (ceiling lights, table lamps, floor lamps, LEDs in bookcase niches) to create a cosy atmosphere and make the space appear larger.

Check out our 10 tips for furnishing a small living room to make sure you get it right!

When it comes to furnishing a large living room, you’re spoilt for choice. Whilst having a large living room is a real bonus, it’s all too easy to make mistakes when it comes to furnishing it. Here are a few tips to make the most of your room:

• Choose large pieces of furniture: Opt for furniture that’s in proportion to the size of the room – a large, made-to-measure bookcase, a TV unit spanning an entire wall, or a large sofa to define the space.
• Use room dividers: If you want to create more intimate spaces, consider using room dividers such as open bookcases, screen partitions or glass partitions.
• Play with textures and colours: Use a variety of textures and colours to add visual interest and prevent the space from looking too uniform.

If you’d like to explore this topic further, take a look at our article with tips on designing a large living room.

If your kitchen opens onto the living room, be careful not to end up with a cluttered space. Here are the rules to follow to ensure a successful layout:

• Define the areas clearly: Even if the kitchen and living room are in an open-plan space, it is essential to clearly delineate the areas. Use features such as a kitchen island, a room divider, or a change in flooring to mark the transition between the two spaces
• Incorporate a multifunctional kitchen island: An island can serve as an extra worktop, storage space, dining table and even a visual divider between the kitchen and the living room.
• Consider movement and accessibility: Ensure the layout allows for a smooth flow between the kitchen and the living room, without obstacles or clutter.
• Separate the rooms: use bespoke furniture, screens or glass partitions to clearly separate the kitchen from the living room. Be careful to avoid design faux pas when dividing rooms.

A great way to combine practicality with style in your living room: a bespoke bookcase. Treating yourself to a piece like this ensures a prime spot for your book collection. You can also mix and match closed and open sections to create a functional layout, whilst leaving room for decorative touches.

By making use of the full height of the wall, you’re sure to create a ‘wow’ factor for all your guests. It’s also an opportunity to coordinate the colour tones with your flooring or the colour of your walls.

If you need more ideas for designing your future bookcase, we’ve written an article just for that: see the article.

There are plenty of options available to you when creating a cosy TV area. However, here are a few to make things easier for you.

• Create ambient lighting: Use indirect lighting around the TV to reduce eye strain and enhance the viewing experience. Table lamps, wall lights or LEDs built into furniture are all good options.
• Design a bespoke TV unit: By creating a unique piece of furniture just for you, you can be sure it will meet your expectations and suit your tastes. To ensure it blends in perfectly with the surroundings, 3D modelling beforehand is essential.
• Decorate around your TV: You’ll create the perfect atmosphere by adding vases, lamps and other decorative items. Do be careful not to add too much, though, or you’ll end up with a bit of a mess!
• Hide the cables: Don’t let any cables stick out from your furniture; opt for proper cable management for a flawless finish. Better still, when you have a piece of furniture made to measure, your interior designer will take care of it for you.

Storage, storage and more storage! You can never have enough. Whether it’s for your crockery, tablecloths, filing cabinets or other bits and bobs, creating a storage wall in your living room ensures that every item has its place.

And why not leave a few open shelves to avoid having a massive block of storage in your living room? That’s what we suggest to our customers when they ask us for this sort of unit. It’s also a chance to coordinate the colour of your floor or walls with these open shelves!

Be wary of fads that you might quickly tire of – we advise against bright colours. White and grey, for example, go with almost any setting.