The living room is the heart of your home — a place to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life and create memories with friends and family alike. 

Not only is the living room one of your largest design spaces, but it also sets the tone and style of your entire home. A design space this important deserves a proper layout, and our team is here to help fuel your creative juices. 

In this guide, we’ll cover six space-savvy layout ideas for your living room that even the most amateur designers can mimic successfully.

A quick refresher before we dive in

Whether you’re envisioning a Boho-styled living room with luscious flora and wicker or a more scaled-down minimalist space, here are several key tips that will help you during your design journey.

Defining your focal point

The first step to designing your new living room is choosing a focal point — which will ideally reflect your interests and set the mood for the room. If you’re unsure which piece should take center stage, start by envisioning the activity that best represents your living room life and take it from there.

For example, if you spend your evening cozying up on your sofa with a good book (and love a more classic design aesthetic), then a fireplace would be a great option. If you host a weekly watch party for your favorite T.V. series, a sizeable flatscreen would be the ideal choice. 

While fireplaces and flatscreens are common focal points in the living room, don’t feel the need to limit yourself to traditional options. Artwork, patterned wallpaper, and even a large window can all work as great focal points, especially if you’re working with an unconventional design space.

Choosing the right furniture

Once you’ve decided on your focal point, the next step is choosing what furniture would best accentuate the room. Our advice is to start with the sofa. Not only will it dictate the arrangement of your other pieces, but it will also give you a clear idea of how much space you truly have to work with. 

We know it’s cliché, but we fully endorse the Golden Ratio when it comes to arranging your furniture. Today’s top designers use it (very successfully) to break a design space into sections and create a visual balance between positive and negative space. 

Let’s use the 60/40 formula as an example. This formula dictates that the floor space covered by furniture shouldn’t be greater than 60% of the room’s size. By taking a few easy measurements of your furniture and floor dimensions, you can use this rule to ensure your living room is perfectly furnished, striking the ideal balance between stylish decor and negative space like walkways and gallery areas.

Designing for a good flow

You can look at flow in two ways: physical flow (which defines how you move around) and visual flow (which creates cohesion between furniture pieces and design zones). While visual flow is beholden to the designer, here are a few best practices for a good physical flow:

• First, ensure ample legroom between furniture so you can stretch out and move comfortably. A good rule of thumb is to leave at least 18-24 inches of space between furniture pieces.

• Set up walkways (around 3 feet wide) so people can move around the room without bumping into furniture or each other.

Rugs can also be a great way to define (and differentiate) your various zones, especially if you extend them by a few inches beyond the front leg of your sofa and armchairs. This creates a frame around your seating arrangement — preventing furniture from appearing scattered while ensuring the room feels spacious and airy.

Brightening up your space

The most important step when it comes to setting the mood of your living room is choosing the right lighting. While there are many ways to approach lighting, we generally recommend layered lighting, which combines both natural and artificial sources. By using a variety of lighting sources (ceiling lights, windows, table lamps, and sconces), you can banish shadows and perfectly accentuate your decor.

If you’re looking for more flexibility, dimmers can also be a great option. They help you create any mood — from bright, task-focused lighting for work to warm lighting for movie nights — with just the slide of a dial. 

6 space-savvy living room layout ideas for your home

Whether you’re working within a space-conscious apartment or a full-sized house, these six creative layout ideas will help any designer make the most of their living room.

1. The symmetrical living room layout

Symmetrical living room layouts create a sense of order and balance, with the visual weight distributed evenly across the space. This can make the room feel more put-together and works particularly well in larger living rooms with strong focal points such as fireplaces or bay windows. 

But the best part about this layout is that it can work for both formal and informal moods. All you have to do for the former is choose a traditional focal point like a fireplace and flank it with matching sofas and side tables.

For a casual vibe, you can use a bookshelf or a painting as your focal point and replace the matching furniture with complementary pieces — giving the room a balanced yet relaxed vibe. 

2. The diagonal living room layout

The diagonal layout works excellently if you have a boxy or oddly shaped living space that you want to make more airy. By placing furniture diagonally and mirroring the natural flow of your room, this layout allows you to create organic walkways and optimize space. 

Plus, unlike traditional design layouts, the diagonal approach doesn’t require a central focal point — so you have more freedom to break up the space and set up different zones for work, lounging, and conversations. 

However, as it’s asymmetrical, you’ll have to use artificial light sources to brighten the room and prevent dark corners and shadows. Consider adding floor lamps to darker areas or installing sconces along walls that might lack natural light. 

3. The entertainment-focused living room layout

If you spend a lot of your time binge-watching Netflix or host frequent movie nights, this is the perfect layout for you. Here are some tips to keep in mind when using the flatscreen as your focal point:

• Position your screen at eye level when seated on the sofa so you don’t strain your neck.

• Keep the sofa at a distance of 1.5 times the screen’s diagonal length. For example, if you have a 55-inch screen, then the sofa has to be ~83 inches from it.

• Opt for overhead lighting with dimmers for uniformity and glare prevention.

Also, while most of your major seating should be positioned facing the screen, you can set up smaller sitting areas for conversations if you have the space. 

4. The conversational living room layout

This layout prioritizes human connection and works great if the living room is your go-to spot for catching up with friends or family get-togethers. Plus, you don’t need a focal point; the furniture becomes your centerpiece. 

Arrange your main seating areas (like sofas and armchairs) to face one other so everyone can feel included. If you have a larger space, you can also consider breaking up the room into multiple conversation zones — allowing for smaller, more intimate gatherings.

And as conversation is the focus, prioritize comfortable seating with well-cushioned chairs, good backrests, and ample legroom. 

5. The sectional living room layout

Sectional sofas can be introduced into any living room, whether you want to create a focal point in a large room, maximize space in an awkward corner, or even add a visual boundary between your living area and other spaces in an open-concept plan. 

While these large pieces are versatile, they can also lead to cramped spaces. So, when positioning your sectional, it’s important to consider existing focal points like fireplaces or T.V.s, as well as natural walkways. 

Plus, as most sectional sofas can be taken apart, you can use the pieces that don’t fit into your main layout as standalone furniture for extra seating.

6. The home office + living room layout

If you’re living in a studio apartment or have an open floor plan, a home office + living room layout can be a great space-saving solution. Start by mapping out two separate zones, one for work and one for relaxation. Position your desk by the window (facing away from the T.V.) to both benefit from the natural light and avoid distractions. 

Use area rugs with contrasting patterns or colors to create a visual boundary between both zones. Lighting can also help with this — opt for ambient lighting like table or floor lamps in the living area and task lighting on your desk. 

How to work with awkward living room spaces

Most living rooms will come with their own unique quirks, but with a bit of creativity, you can turn them into design features that showcase your unique style and personality. Here are the most common quirks we see and how to work with them to create your ideal design space. 

Many doorways and windows

While multiple doorways and windows can complicate furniture placement, they also provide many natural light sources, making the room effortlessly bright and airy. The key is to embrace this light and position furniture around windows so you don’t block the sunshine.

Another idea is to cover rarely used doorways with bookshelves or display cabinets — a great way to add personality to the room, plus you get more storage space.

Off-centered fireplaces

If you want to lay out a symmetrical living room, an off-centered fireplace can skew the visual balance you’re seeking to create. What you can do here is add another focal point, like a large cabinet or window, to reintroduce that symmetry in an awkward design space. 

Don’t have another focal point? Try angling your furniture toward the fireplace — you can still create some semblance of symmetry, even if it isn’t 100% perfect. 

A long and narrow room

While long and narrow rooms can easily translate into a cramped or congested living space, there are several methods you can use to counteract this effect:

• Alternate the placement of furniture to create an S-shaped walkway.

• Maximize corner space with L-shaped sofas or sectionals.

• Opt for slim furniture that doesn’t overpower the space and gives you enough legroom.

You can also create an illusion of space with mirrors (to reflect light), vertical patterns, and runner rugs (instead of area rugs).

Oddly-placed staircases

Another tricky scenario is a staircase that juts into your living area. It can cause issues with symmetry, create awkward divides, and disrupt the room’s flow. An easy hack is using free-wall dividers (like shelving units) to visually separate your living room from the staircase. These can create balance without making the area feel cluttered or heavy. 

Another option is to set up a reading nook or home office under the stairs. This helps you maximize space and divide your living space into unique sections. 

Create your perfect living room layout with Onton

From mapping out your space to finding the ideal furniture, Onton can help turn your dream living room into reality.

Onton Imagine

Onton Imagine is the Midjourney for interior design. Simply upload a photo of your living room and describe how you want it to look, and Onton can reimagine it for you in over 40 design styles, from classic to modern, gothic to psychedelic. Plus, you can visualize how new pieces will look in your space before hitting the buy button. 

Onton Search

Once you’ve finalized your layout and design aesthetic, you can use Onton Search to find the ideal furniture for your new living room. Use text and image-based searches to find specific pieces that suit your space and style, or hunt for dupes. The best part? There’s no limit to your number of searches and no sponsored content.

Onton Discover

Get your creative juices flowing with inspirational, user-generated roomscapes via Onton Discover. Browse through curated living room layouts that are both photorealistic and shoppable — bridging the gap between your vision and reality. 

Onton Concierge

Have a specific question or want personalized suggestions? Use Onton Concierge (your personal design assistant) to receive decor recommendations or get unique advice on how to design your space.

Sign up for free and plan your perfect living room with Onton.