These designer-backed tweaks make living rooms far more flexible and functional.
A living room is meant to be a space for unwinding. In a kitchen, there’s some element of work. In a dining space, there’s an overarching focus on food. And while you could technically catch a few Zs in a living space, a bedroom is where you really hit that REM cycle. Given that a living room presents the one spot in a home where you’re most welcome to do as you please, why does it often come with so many design rules?
“Everyone has room to be together—whether that’s for movie watching, long conversations, or longer cat naps,” says Leah Hook, founder and principal designer of Gray Oak Studio in Lynnfield, Massachusetts. “With that, the design goal is to comfortably seat everyone and have adequate surfaces to do the things they love to do.”
To make space for board games and hanging out and everything in between, while also showcasing on-trend sensibilities, it’s easy to think that all living rooms have to look and feel the same. But some design rules are meant to be broken—here are four that designers say you have permission to bend.
1. “Make the TV the Anchor”
Rule: “Make the TV the anchor.”
How to break it: Place it off to the side.
Everyone has a favorite show or a recommendation to cross off their list, but it’s harder to connect with loved ones or get into screen-free hobbies when a TV is anchoring your living room. Instead of placing your screen above a fireplace or at the center of your living room’s largest wall, consider putting it off to the side.
“Any room, especially a large room, can have multiple zones of function,” Hook says. “The television can simply be centered within a zone versus centered within the room.”
Hook recommends placing art over your fireplace—creating a focal point that feels more personal—and positioning a TV elsewhere, such as on one side of a bookcase or within a large cabinet (swivels can come in handy!). That way, you can pull it out when watching a show is your preferred pastime, rather than the default.
2. “Sofa Is King”
Rule: “Sofa is king.”
How to break it: Consider flexible seating.
In a living room, a sofa is often positioned as the focal point—and more sofas are added as the square footage grows. And while this arrangement is great for streaming your favorite shows or signing up for a cat nap, it doesn’t give you much flexibility in terms of seating and activities. So if there’s space to turn a sofa into more of a side character, you should go for it.
“We personally love living rooms where the furniture is super flexible,” says designer Jen Levy, who shares the Baltimore-based firm Surrounded by Color with designer Robin Heller. “In Robin’s own living room, there are six chairs around a low coffee table, which is perfect for entertaining. The chairs are flexible and can be moved around so you can sit on the floor and do a puzzle.” There is still a sofa on one end, but the rest of the seating presents more possibilities.
3. “Keep Living and Working Separate”
Rule: “Keep living and working separate.”
How to break it: Design an office that blends in.
While working from home has become commonplace, it’s still seen as a faux pas to answer emails from your living room (and dining areas tend to get the same side-eye). This solution usually comes about out of necessity more than style, but there are some major pros to setting up a workspace in a living room—as long as you have a strategy.
“A workstation in a community area allows the professional or student to be intermittently part of the action, getting the work done while still feeling included. And it allows parents to monitor,” Hook says. “The key is cohesion. The furnishings and flow should complement each other and read as one space.”
A shallow desk can accompany a plush-enough chair that could double as additional seating for the living area, as Hook suggests, or a work surface can be tucked into a built-in. Extra points if the built-in has a closed cabinet to conceal your work items—out of sight, out of mind.
4. “Rely on Floor and Table Lamps for Ambiance”
Rule: “Rely on floor and table lamps for ambiance.”
How to break it: Install sconces.
To make your living room feel cozier during evenings, you’ll want to pay attention to lighting. Overhead lighting can feel harsh when not set on dimmers, so floor or table lamps often come to the rescue. But Heller has a suggestion: “Fewer floor lamps, and more lighting attached to the physical building,” she says.
Heller likes to install sconces for easy ambiance, whether that means doing so beside built-ins or to flank a fireplace. Having a warm conversation with coordinating lighting? Now that’s a rule that should never be broken.
