Family Room Furniture Arrangement Tips

The family room is meant to be the center of family entertainment and activity, which is why good furniture arrangement is so important. Remember from our other blog entry Living Room Furniture Arrangement Tips & Tricks that the three aspects of a well-arranged room are: 

1. Function

2. Flow

3. Focal Point

We are going to build on these ideas when arranging the family room. So here are some helpful hints and tricks to make it the room where your whole family wants to be:

Focus on Entertainment

Place the television and computer so the screens face away from the sunlight. The viewing distance for a standard TV is 8 to 12 feet, and the best viewing angle is not more than 30 degrees. For traffic flow, create paths that flow behind viewers and not between them and the screen.

Add Storage

Consider freestanding pieces in a smaller room and wall-to-wall built-ins in a larger room. Make sure there is some storage near the TV.

Mix Furnishings of Various Sizes

Every object has a height, depth and width. To add visual interest to any space, incorporate a variety of furniture with different characteristics. If you're going for a serene, unchallenging area for rest or recovery, keep the furnishing volumes in a room similar. This rustic living space from HGTV Dream Home 2011 uses an extra-large sectional with small armchairs and side tables to create an energetic space with various volumes.

Use Scaled Pieces to Create Balance

The size of pieces relative to one another and the size of the space is their scale. Similarly scaled pieces are more serene when used together, but a nice balance of pieces creates a harmonious atmosphere, utilizing the differing physical qualities of height, depth and width throughout a room. When furnishings are out of scale, you'll notice that it just won't feel comfortable or right.

Form a Healthy Relationship

The relationship of items to one another to form a pleasing whole is called balance. There are two forms of balance: symmetrical and asymmetrical. Bilateral symmetry is like the human body: There are two of everything. Asymmetry refers to an imbalance, such as two candles of slightly different sizes next to each other. Symmetry is very restful, while asymmetry is used to add visual motion and excitement.

Use an Artist's Perspective

Look at your space as a painter looks at a work of art. There are visual tricks that painters use to create the appearance of depth in a space. You can use these tools, too. 

The first trick painters use is "triangulation." In interior design, triangulation is the placement of two end tables on either side of a sofa with a painting above the sofa. If you can imagine this scenario, it is lower on the corners with the apex of the view just above mid-center at the top of the painting.

Create Depth in Artwork

The second trick painters use is the creation of depth in artwork, which is a two-dimensional medium. Paintings often have a foreground, mid-ground, background and vanishing point. Stand at the threshold of your room. Place a chair, perhaps at an angle, in the foreground closest to you. The cocktail table will provide a mid-ground and the sofa with the wall behind it will serve as the background. A window in the scene will give you your vanishing point. Or, the vanishing point can be within a work of art placed above the sofa.

Think About Form in its Totality

All furniture arrangements have a certain "totality," a "form." Large rectangular spaces can be dealt with by dividing the "form" of the space into another form. A long, narrow living space, for instance, can be split in two by creating zones of function. Say, one half is for the sofa, or the function of conversing, and the other half is for a dining set, or the function of dining. This helps you take the bite out of large rectangular rooms by dividing them into squares according to their function. Humans tend to feel more comfortable and less formal in square furniture arrangements versus rectangular.

Difficult Floor Plan Solutions

Problem: Irregular room, one wide traffic lane.

Solution: Use the perimeter of the room for a computer desk and storage console. Choose chairs with casters so that they are easy to move. Float the furniture to focus on the fireplace and the television. Ensure that the fireplace and television are visible from each seat.

Keeping these suggestions in mind, you can create a family room that is warm and inviting, and just the center of activity that your family deserves.

Living Room Furniture Arrangement Tips

Whether your living room is large or small, when arranging furniture, you want to keep in mind 3 things:

1. Function

2. Flow

3. Focal Points

Here are some helpful layout ideas and tips for arranging your living room to meet your needs:

Face the View

If your living room doesn't have a fireplace, orient seating so it takes advantage of whatever view your room has to offer, whether it's a TV or a bank of windows. Create your own focal point by hanging a large piece of art on a wall or create a vignette of favorite objects on a console or bookshelf.

Arrange for Conversation

For face-to-face chats, place seating no more than 8 feet apart. In a large living room, use furniture to create comfortable islands. Face two sofas in the center of a room, and place a group chairs and side tables at one end to create a separate conversation area.

Set Up Traffic Patterns

Allow 30 inches between pieces in places where you need to be able to walk around furniture and 14 to 18 inches between a coffee table and sofa, so drinks are within reaching distance.

Put a Table Within Reach of Each Seat

Use round pedestal tables as side tables between chairs and sofas.The curves of round tables make them easier to navigate around. When space is tight, use nesting tables for flexible use when needed.

Think About Lighting

Install in-floor electrical outlets to service floating furniture arrangements. If you have a small living room, think about wall lamps at either end of the sofa in order to avoid large end tables to accommodate lighting. There are countless lighting options out there - look around the find the best ones for your room.

Difficult Layout Solutions

Problem: Long room, entry at one end.

Solution: There’s no need to crowd; leave room for traffic and an entry drop spot. Cozy key seating pieces up to the fireplace facing each other. Use end tables as landing spaces on both ends of the sofa. Pair chairs to balance the visual weight of the sofa and to maximize seating.

Problem: No free walls, centered fireplace.

Solution: Float seating in the center of a room filled with doors and windows. Face chairs and sofa toward each other to encourage conversation. Anchor the conversation grouping with a rug and large coffee table.  Frame the space with additional seating and cabinets for storage, positioned around the perimeter of the room along the walls.

Using these great suggestions, you can have the great living room, with function, flow, and a focal point, that you deserve!