Living Room Layout For My New Home

Decorating Dilemmas is a weekly column in which our stylists answer your design questions, so you can tackle your home decorating project with complete confidence.

Dear Style Studio Team,

We are relocating from a large new home in Las Vegas to a small old home in New Jersey. My existing furniture will not work in my new spaces.

I need my living room to function as family room with TV and have space for a desk for homework/home office. Our classic colonial living room has a fireplace smack dab in the center.

I need to maximize the space and have still have comfy seating for family time. Most all the walls have windows and doors! How should I arrange furniture in this space? What furniture pieces would you suggest?

Thank you, Ballard!

– Jennifer

Jennifer,

When downsizing to a smaller, more traditional space, furniture layouts can be a challenge. We worked with several different ideas but think the plan below will accomplish all of your needs.

Since this new room is long and narrow with several wall breaks, smaller furniture pieces with flexibility will be the key to your lifestyle. In the layout, we have created three lifestyle bubbles.

The first bubble is the family area in front of the fireplace. We have centered four chairs around the fireplace with a media console directly across from the foursome. Our Larkin Swivel chairs are a great option since they can swivel.

Nestled in the center of the chairs is two small upholstered ottomans, like our Leather Cubes, for a place to prop your feet after a long day of work.

To help expand the visual size of the room and to reflect light, hang vertical mirrors on either side of the fireplace. Now the side tables and floor lamps will shine even brighter when reflected in the mirrors.

The second bubble is your office space to the left of the fireplace. A smaller scale desk with shelving above will help keep you organized. Lower book shelves and an armless chair create a cozy nook for reading in the outside corner.

The third bubble is the area near the front door. For fabulous multi-functional storage, we suggest our Abbeville Collection since you can customize the pieces according to the need. With this collection, you can have spaces for your shoes along with baskets for hats and scarves.

Paired with this storage piece, it would be appropriate to settle a couple of small stools so that you have somewhere to sit while removing your boots.

Your new room is challenging … yes. Perfectly doable … absolutely!

Good luck and Happy Decorating!

The Style Studio Team