How To Choose Living Room Furniture
Focus On: Living Room Furniture
Make sure your living room is looking fabulous with our lowdown on what furniture to choose.
The Sofa
Above all, you want your sofa to be comfortable, and of course it needs to fit in your room! Once you have this sorted, then you need to concentrate on the aesthetics: style, colour, fabric or leather, plain or patterned. Sofas will probably be the biggest investment in your living room so it’s essential you opt for one which will stand the test of time.
If you’re short on space or don’t have a spare bedroom, a sofa bed is a good choice for accommodating overnight guests, similarly, sofa corners offer a good way to use otherwise dead space in an awkwardly-shaped room. You can even find sofas with added storage beneath the seat cushions to house out of season cushions and throws or other paraphernalia you need to stash away.
The Chairs
Long gone are the days when people installed three-piece suites in their living rooms. Now the look is much less matchy-matchy and more about combining plain sofas with patterned chairs or vice versa.
A chair in a strong statement fabric, either classic or contemporary, will add pattern and colour to your space and help create a focal point in the room
If you have the space, a snuggler, which is an extra large chair will provide extra comfort and may even mean there’s room for one person to sit comfortably while a couple of occasional chairs can be both stylish and practical.
The Coffee Table
As essential bit of living room kit, a coffee table traditionally sits in front of a sofa. They come in many materials and shapes and sizes and it’s a good idea to choose your other key furniture (sofas, armchairs etc) first before choosing a coffee table to ensure there’s enough room for it and it doesn’t make the room look overcrowded.
What design you choose will naturally come down to personal preference and taste but it’s essential to make sure it is the right height for your sofa and chair/s.
If you don’t have the room, or want to keep the floor space, then side tables each end of your sofa or beside a chair are good alternatives.
The Footstool / Ottoman
Ideal for adding some extra comfort to your room, footstools and ottomans come in a wide range of fabrics, shapes and sizes.
Perfect for putting your feet up, footstools and ottomans also offer extra seating options which is essential if you entertain regularly.
Lots of designs come with a lift up lids which provide extra for living room essentials that you only need to access occasionally such as out of season throws and cushions.
Storage
Incorporating some sort of storage in your living space will help keep your room clutter free.
If you have alcoves, built-in shelves offer a good way to store books, framed photos and other accessories and you can also incorporate built in cupboards underneath to house items you’d rather not have on display.
A freestanding unit will work equally as well and can be used to home plants, decorative accessories, books and magazines.