In a small living room, arrange furniture around a designated focal point. A TV, fireplace, window, or piece of wall decor can all serve as the room's center of attention. Position furnishings around or directly facing the focal point to maintain a clear view.
If you want to make your living room look bigger, stick to lighter colors that reflect more light and make the space feel more open. Neutrals, like off-white, beige, or light grays, are a great way to add a level of sophistication and calm.
Mirrors are multitaskers. Not only do they make sure that you look good, they can also make your rooms look bigger, brighter, and better.
In Front of a Window
Although you never want to block a window, a sofa placed in front of one can look great as long as the back of the sofa is relatively low. Just be sure to leave a gap of about 10 to 12 inches to give the piece some breathing room and to allow for window treatments.
Whether you decide to set the TV on a console or mount it on the wall, the best height for a TV is actually the same – eye level for a person sitting on the sofa. In general, that means the center of the TV should be about 42” above the floor, regardless of the size of the TV.
Big floral patterns make a room appear larger. Install wallpaper with horizontal stripes to make a room seem wider, or commit to vertical stripes to stretch the room visually and raise the ceiling. A busy pattern featuring chevrons, simple geometric designs, or a texture that mimics marble can make a room seem bigger.
You can also place couches perpendicular to the television or shift the couch so that it rests on a slight angle. Most people, however, still prefer having a couch directly facing their TV as long as it doesn't impede the accessibility of the rest of the room.
For those who want to know if they can put a TV in front of a window, generally it is best to avoid it. Try not to place your TV in front of or opposite a window, especially one that faces west. You want to cut down on the level of glare and the amount of light shining on the screen as much as possible.
“People often feel their sofa has to be squarely in front of the television in their living room,” Kapur says. “On the contrary, TVs work well when they're positioned off-center so they won't become the focal point of all social interactions.”
In the living room
Ideally, the TV should be installed in the southeast corner of the living room. The north east or the south west directions are best avoided when it comes to placing your TV in the social space in the house so that the positive energies in the room are not blocked.
For this, you place your TV and fireplace on perpendicular walls. Depending on your room shape or preference, you can then position your sofa opposite either the fireplace or the TV – or both, if you have the space to create two seating areas. This living room layout for your fireplace and TV fits well in square rooms.
On the surface, mounting a television to your wall seems like a good idea. It saves floor space and lifts the screen up to where the whole room can easily see it. However, if you start the process without a plan, it can quickly turn into a disaster.
Sofa sets, the soul of a living room, should be east (or south) facing as the maximum sunlight we receive in our home is from east. The south-east direction is the best for placing your TV unit/cabinet.
Ashna recommends placing heavy furniture such as your sofa set in the west or south-west direction of the living room. Most living areas have a television set or other electronic appliances, and she advises installing them in the south-east part of the living room.
Just as the white does, yellow also reflects light and can provide a small room with a space-enhancing effect. Therefore, if you do not want to use white as your wall color, you can use natural yellow to get the best effect. Yellow can be a better alternative to white and can make a small room look bigger.
Placing a mirror in the correct place in a room allows you to optimise natural light. To do so, place the mirror adjacent to a window to perfectly catch the angle of light and bounce it throughout the room. Create texture: Mirrors can be used to create texture in two ways.
For a smaller room just place chairs side by side. When pairing a sofa and accent chairs choose seat heights that are within 4″ of each other. Make sure your console is the same height or a few inches shorter than the back of your sofa. It should also ideally have about 6″ of space on either end.