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How to Choose the Right Furniture for Your Living Room Space





One of the most intimidating and expensive pieces that anyone can buy for their home is the sofa. It’s big, it’s expensive, and not often replaced. Plus, there are (what seems like) a million choices out there. How does one decide? We’ve taken a bit of the guesswork out of the equation by eliminating one category: anything $5000 or more! Check out our favorite living room sofa for under $5000.

1) Amax Leather Monaco Leather Loveseat | 2) Barcalounger Premier ll Sofa Recliner | 3) Baxton Studio Abriana Dark-Brown Leather Sofa | 4) Broyhill Emily Collection Sectional Sofa | 5) Crafters and Weavers Leather Chesterfield Sofa | 6) Kardiel Florence Knoll Sectional Sofa | 7) Garcia Sectional Sofas | 8) Lazzaro Leather Anna Collection Sofa Sectional | 9) Mid Century Blend Royal Sectional Sofa | 10) Original Chesterfield Leather Sofa | 11) Oyster Bay – Ashton Leather Sofa |

Planning Your Living Area

If you’re wondering how to choose living room furniture, considering your room size is the first step to planning what can go in it. It’s a good idea to create a floor plan on paper so you can figure out different ways of fitting in the furniture that’s caught your eye. Planning helps you efficiently utilize all available space, while avoiding cluttering. It also helps you to include room for walkways around your furniture.

Remember, when measuring your space, take note of the furniture-to wall-clearance too so you don’t order pieces that won’t fit into your living room. It’s also important to select the correct sized furniture for your room. If you’re living space is on the small size, huge pieces can look overbearing. Similarly, in a large room, tiny little chairs and tables also look “off.”

In the case of shared furniture, it’s crucial to place this in easily accessible spots to ensure all the family can use the pieces. For instance, placing the coffee table in the center of the room is far better than placing it beside a chair that’s only used by one individual. Also, remember to place the TV in a central location.

A handy checklist to follow for planning your living area could be:

  • Take measurements. Using a tape measure, calculate the dimensions of your room, remembering to take any recesses into account.
  • Draw up a floor plan. This allows you to see how much space you have to work with. Draw out a few different ideas you have for furnishings, ensuring you some space around each furniture piece. You don’t want to be squeezing in between tables and chairs as you navigate the room.
  • Measure your doorways. If the furniture you’ve ordered comes assembled, be sure that it is able to fit through your doorways when delivery time comes.
  • Stage your room. At this point, you may wish to mark out the spaces on your floor where you want to place your potential purchases. You can use newspaper sheets or painter’s tape.
  • Consider how your room will be used. Some people use their living room only occasionally, whereas others utilize this space for daily family use. If you’re only using the space from time to time, you can buy more delicate pieces without worry. However, for family rooms that are heavily used, it’s imperative to purchase stain-resistant and sturdy items, particularly if you have children.
  • Note the architecture of the room. Perhaps you have a beautiful antique window in your room that you wish to make a focal point of. If that’s the case, purchasing a period-looking piece, such as from an Amish Early American collection for example, can complement it.
  • Consider what color you would like your furniture to be. Color profoundly affects the mood of your room. With this in mind, neutral woods work every time. For pops of color, think about buying a few throws or cushions.
  • Think about the shape you want your furniture to be and how that’ll look in your living room. Furniture with a rounded shape occupies more space than rectangular or boxier pieces.

Now you have everything planned out, you can move on to selecting your furniture.

Selecting Your Living Room Furniture Pieces

The fun part of the whole process of making your living room look amazing is the selection of your pieces, right? Still, to make sure you get what you’re looking for, it’s a good idea to adhere to the following process:

  • Begin with the basics. First, you need to purchase the basics — an armchair, sofa, coffee table and side table. Take care of these main objects first, before adding any extra pieces.
  • Purchase good quality pieces. By buying solid, sturdy, investment pieces, you’ll find that your furniture has a very long life, and you’ll save on the expense of replacing each item every few years.
  • Look for fabrics that are stain-resistant as well as being high-quality. Good quality fabrics afford you more comfort, as well as being longer-lasting than inexpensive materials. If you have young children in the family, it’s a good idea to buy stain-resistant fabrics in case of spills.
  • Coordinate your furniture. Every piece in your living room should look good together. If not, your space will look thrown together, and consequently, won’t be a conducive atmosphere for entertaining. It’s therefore best to adhere to a theme, Old World for example, and to only buy pieces that are true to your theme.
  • Buy furniture that works in your space. Purchase a loveseat, for instance, rather than a full sofa if you have a smaller room.
  • Pick out other complementary pieces. Once you’ve identified all the pieces you want for your living room, move those in, and then pick out other complementary pieces that fit in around your furniture while affording you plenty of space to move.

Remember to take your time when selecting your living room furniture and to take all of the above into consideration. Buying quality solid wood pieces, ensures your furniture looks good and lasts a lifetime.


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