Living Room

Living Room

The living room may take different forms depending on the general-purpose or personal preference, and the room’s design may vary from one place to another. This method is because the living room is designed to fit the primary activities that would take place there. Therefore, you shouldn’t expect a person to create a living room dedicated to household members for watching television like a living room dedicated to entertaining guests. Or that they will design the living room reserved for personal or group reading like that for social gatherings and meetings. The living room is a place that tells a story appealing to diverse personalities, purposes, and moods.

In conclusion, the living room’s primary users will determine the room’s overall outlook. This method means that the users decide whether a living will room appear as a formal space or an intimate room. This idea may include the choice of furniture, seating arrangement, wall and floor designs, decorations, trims, etc.

A. Relevant Questions

Before you set up your living room, there are specific essential questions that you must ask and carefully answer. They are:

Users

Who will have access to the living room?

Who are the primary users?

How many people can it conveniently take at a time?

Locations

Will it be the first room after the entryway?

Does the main entrance lead to the living room, or do you have to go through other doorways?

How many entryways and exits would it have?

Would the room be hidden or exposed?

Design

Will there be a compositional point of convergence, for example, a picture window or fireplace?

Will artwork and photographs be displayed?

How will the furniture be arranged?

What is the appearance of the flooring? Can it be changed or removed?

What type of paint color will be used on the walls?

Will that be the main focus of television in the room?

Function

What is the lifestyle of the residents, casual or formal?

Are there power plugs close to the movement regions of activity areas? What type? What numbers are required?

What types of electrical outlets are needed?

What type of lighting will be needed?

Activities

What kind of activity will take place there?

When will the room be in use?

How often will it be used?

Would events be hosted in the living room?

B. Major Elements

Following the wide range of activities in the living room, there are certain elements that you must feature in your living room. They include;

Seats: One feature of a living room revolves around a seating area. Therefore, when setting up your living room, you must ensure a comfortable sitting area that serves as an area where people can come meet to relax or converse. In addition, seats should be designed to take at least two people at a time for convenience and nurturing conversations. You can opt for a secondary group of furniture instead of a single large one if you have a spacious room. Common examples of seats include:

Sofa: This type of seat offers sufficient space per sitting and is the most used seat in a living room.

Footstool: As the name implies, it is usually used to rest the feet, adding spice to the room’s design.

Chairs: Since chairs come in different styles, they can enhance the overall outlook of the room.

Sectional: This is more suitable for a home design. It is shaped in letters B and L and is recommended for family gatherings and casual hangouts.

Lights: A multipurpose space such as a living room where diverse activities are carried out daily and at night should be adequately lit. You can install an available light source and lighting that suits specific tasks and activities. You can install recommended lighting sources in your living room, including a chandelier, floor lamps, overhead lighting, dimmer, table lamps, wall sconce, etc.

Surface: It is essential to include a level surface for each seat. This method could come inside tables, footstools, consuls, stacking trays, etc. This surface’s purpose is to support books, drinks, remotes, and other items in the living room. Movable surfaces are the most recommended because they are more accessible and convenient.

Focal Point This refers to a place that stands out as the primary point of attraction or attention. In most living rooms, the television is the focal point. However, this does not mean it is the standard rule. You can decide to make the fireplace or even artwork or a photograph on the wall as your focal point.

Floor Covering: This goes a long way in complementing the overall outlook of the living room. Therefore, it is essential that you carefully select a floor covering. You can decide to use an area rug for the center of the room or opt for woodwork. It all relies on personal selection and what you desire to achieve.

Conversational Areas: A room is always built around a module. Even though a few fundamental arrangements exist, the subject has numerous variations. Most conversation areas will be shaped like a square, with a central open space for circulation or maybe a footstool, bordered on at least two sides by sitting. Typically, half the room will be dedicated to the sofa and a pair of tables. The supplementary chairs should be arranged opposite the couch since this is more conducive to conversation. However, the auxiliary ‘arm’ of seating and the participation side table should be positioned to match the length of the sofa arm. An example of a typical couch is 8ft long and 36 inches deep. The range is 14ft long, and a pair of tables usually organize it. 

Space Planning: Personal space is one of the things that many people hold dearly. This idea even goes as far as when they are at rest. They’d choose to sit where their personal space is protected, even if it is only a tiny portion. Similarly, most discussion areas have seats arranged in an L or U shape. In an ideal world, chairs would face the entrance to the living room, facilitating movement across the room. Unfortunately, in most living rooms, space constraints in the entryway force the seats at tables into an awkward position, especially against the wall. Therefore you must ensure that all of the above are appropriately considered when setting up the living room.

C. Considerations For Decorations and Designs

A living room is regarded as a complex room due to its diverse activities. Therefore, sophisticated layering of patterns, textures, and colors is required to transform the room.

Seating Area: Having a necessary sitting group of a footstool, an auxiliary seating group, and a sofa with at least two chairs is essential even if the living room is small. In general, an opening appears better with many furniture pieces. Ordinarily, one would want to make the decorations of a room huge so that everyone can have a feel of it. However, you should note that a 10ft long couch with a twin-sized end table does not fit, even in a vast space hosted by enormous parties. The secondary group of furniture may consist of an armchair and footstool. A pool of light, formed by table or floor lights, will benefit each arrangement.

Media Center: As mentioned earlier, there are various activities to be the dedicated living room. In that vein, where a living room is to be utilized as a media center for observing television, listening to music, or playing computer games, you must consider a few things. First, select power outage conceals to prevent glare. Transport as many delicate surfaces as feasible under the conditions, such as window treatments, upholstery furniture, rugs, and so on, to provide good acoustics. Finally, employ the services of an audiovisual professional for the technical aspects.

Interactions: One of the things to consider when designing the living room is the number of people that would have access to the room. You must specifically consider the dominant form of interaction they’d engaged. Edward T Hall states the outline for zones of physical interaction to create a comfortable living room to be as follows;

Public zone: 10ft or more

Intimate zone: 0 – 18 inches 

Social zone: 4 – 12ft

Personal zone: 18 inches – 4 feet.

Design experts recommend using these zones to determine how many premises a place can comfortably contain. For example, while it is possible to fit 12 people into a ten-by-ten space, they will most likely feel uncomfortable in such cramped conditions.

Size: Replacing durable furniture with lightweight and temporary components, such as chairs used occasionally. The heavier decorations serve as anchors for groups, but the more variable ones reflect adaptation in the course of action based on movement or consumers. Keep the layout simple because you won’t secure all the furniture, and items will shift during cleaning or visitors.

Television Area: While some think that a TV isn’t an essential element in a living room, especially when the room is not designated for solitary, others believe it doesn’t change anything. Although both groups may be right, the house owner’s or residents’ preference is the only important factor determining whether or not one will install a TV and how they will decorate the areas around it. However, you may consider installing a custom cabinet to enhance the television’s appearance.

Furniture: When considering the design for your living room, you must consider the furniture. Your aim should be that people can reach the footstool or side table while still in a comfortable position. Estimate the guidelines for the sofa-seat height for the side table, the distance, and its measurement. In addition, consider the non-abrasiveness and feel of the sofa pad. Also, keep the table a little closer or a little taller in cases where people have to slant forward from a sink into the seat to reach the footstool. On the other hand, choose a slightly taller sofa if more cushioning is required.

Floor Covering: The most accurate method for calculating floor coverage is considering the carpet as a placemat for seating. You can measure the carpet so that its edges map the entire furniture arrangement. This method means all decorations must fit perfectly on the floor without borders. 

For this rule, there are two exceptions. 

Firstly, a giant carpet may often take up a large portion of a room, defining and uniting all the furniture on top of it, leaving only a few feet of the gleaming wood floor exposed. Bookshelves, consuls, or other sporadic pieces can have a stunning bear border.

Secondly, placing a small, valuable antique carpet on a more enormous, nonpartisan stretch of crackle is an extraordinary stunt to support visual effects. The sisal should outline the gathering, while the decorative piece should float inside the interior boundaries. Under no circumstances can furniture be placed on an unprotected floor and arranged around a bit of carpet, which is inequitable to the rug and the room.

Children: Naturally, children seek to exercise their freedom and independence; however, this can only happen when the children are in a surrounding where they feel safe. They like to play in areas where they are safe and may freely express themselves. Therefore, when mapping out a design for the living room, you should consider a design that would attract them to participate in the activities.

Measurements 

Coffee table: The shape of the table will determine the size. If it’s square, it’ll be18-54 inches and 24 × 26 – 48 inches across if it has an oval or triangular shape.

Distance between the television and viewing spot: 2.5 times the diagonal dimensions of the television 

Sofa seat height: 15 – 17 inches

Spacing between seats in a grouping: 6 – 18 inches. 

Spacing between the sofa front and the coffee table: 12 – 18 inches

Circulation through the room: 36 inches wide walking route space

Sofa length: Between 72 to 120+ inches depending on the size 

Seat cushion depth: approximately 24 inches. 

Overall sofa depth: 33 – 48 inches.

D. Universal Design

Include a 36-inch wide flow route and a 5-by-5-foot unobstructed space for rotation in the conversation area to allow fair access for wheelchair users. The carpet should be exceptionally flat, thick, and well-moored to the floor, providing enough footing support. Eliminate all obstacles to make everyone feel comfortable.

In conclusion, a living room conveys a strong message. Therefore, it must include balanced lighting, a combination of chairs and tables, electrical equipment, and well-integrated audiovisual. Every movement will require its own set of decorations and lighting and a sense of detachment.