Choosing the right layout for your living/dining room

Here’s everything you need to know about getting it JUST right.

Your living room is your most-used part of your home. And when combining it with a dining space, you can bet it will be where your family ends up spending 90 percent of their time. This is why it’s so important to get that layout absolutely perfect. Here are our tips for creating a perfectly designed living/dining room. 

Think about how you’ll mostly use your space

Before you do anything, have a think about how you’ll be using your living/dining area. Are you a family that watches a lot of TV? Maybe you gather each night for family dinners? Or perhaps your living area is mostly for entertaining and chatting – these are all important things to consider, as they will affect the way you’ll orientate your furniture. For example, if TV’s the focus, you’ll need to group your sofa and chairs towards it. If you spend most of your time entertaining, then place occasional chairs against a wall and have everything leading into a central ‘conversational’ space around a coffee table. You get the drift...

 
The living space will generally be where you end up spending most of your time.


Consider how big your space is

If you have a small living/dining area you’ll need to take this into consideration when planning. If it’s square, place your dining table and chairs adjacent to the couch (which will have its back to the table and be facing the other direction) – this will make your area look much bigger. You may need to forgo occasional chairs if space is at a premium – measure everything and use green painters’ tape to mark up diametres beforehand if you’re unsure.

When working out your layout measure everything and use tape to mark out diametres on the floor before to make sure it works in your space.

Is your room L-Shaped?

Many living/dining areas are configured in an ‘L’ shape – this is actually really handy, as it makes it easy to clearly differentiate your living and dining areas. Popping a dining table in the smaller part of the ‘L’ will separate it from your living zone, but keep in mind that you still want there to be a sense of flow between the two. Matching your dining upholstery with your couch is a great way to keep things uniform.

Matching your dining upholstery with your couch is a great way to keep things uniform.

Think about where your TV will go

Unless you have a media room or second living room, it's likely this is where you watch TV. This will dictate where your furniture is placed. Remember when deciding where to place your television to take into consideration things like glare from windows – or invest in a good set of block-out blinds!


A fireplace adds an extra challenge when deciding on TV placement. 

Will you use your table for more than just entertaining?

If space is at a premium or if you have a family to cater for, chances are your large family dining table will be used for a lot more than just fancy dinner parties. If this is the case, then choose one that’s going to be both stylish and hard-wearing – choosing glass or a decorative wooden table may not be the best option if you have little people making messes and scratching things with their pens. You’ll need to keep this in mind when choosing chairs as well. Your table will probably become the focal point of your room, so bare this in mind when matching it with surrounding furniture.

 
This Christian Cole timber dining table makes a stunning focal point in Daniel and Jade's Block living/dining space.


Use rugs in your living area

To make your room appear as multifunctional as possible use rugs in the living part of the room. This can be the unifying thing that pulls together couches, occasional chairs and coffee tables, and orientates the room into a comfy lounging or chat area. We’re not huge fans of rugs in dining areas – mostly because they’re a nightmare to clean if you accidentally spill something!

More tips on purchasing a rug for your living room HERE

Formal or informal?

Are you going for an informal or formal look with your room? If you’re decorating “the good room”, using a symmetrical layout will lend a sense of formality. If it’s a relaxed style you’re after you can be a little more free-form with where you place everything.


Matt and El'ise used symmetrical styling and layout lending to a more formal living room.


What is your design style? Take our Quiz HERE


Read more home renovation and styling tips from our industry insiders HERE


The Living & Dining Block e-Book covers all you need to know on creating your functional yet beautiful living areas - download now for only $7.00