Furniture Layout: 6 Rules That Make a Living Room Work

Most living rooms aren't small. They're badly arranged. Sofa jammed against the wall, coffee table out of reach, TV sitting in glare. Good news: you can fix it without buying a single new piece.

6 rules, with numbers

1. Pull the sofa off the wall. Just 4–8 in (10–20 cm) and the room starts breathing.

2. Keep walkways 30–36 in (75–90 cm) wide. The path you walk every day stays clear.

3. Coffee table 16–18 in (40–45 cm) from the sofa. Close enough for a mug, far enough for your shins.

4. TV distance ≈ 1.5× the screen diagonal. For a 55" TV, roughly 7–8 ft (2–2.5 m).

5. Seat in a U or L shape. People should face each other, not sit in a row like a cinema.

6. Pick one focal point. Fireplace, window or TV — everything orients to it.

Test before you lift

Dragging a sofa back and forth wrecks your back and your floor. Snap a photo of the room from the doorway and upload it to RoomFlip. In about a minute you'll see the space in a different layout or style — then move only what you actually love.

Start with rule #1. It's free and you'll see the difference tonight.