help with living room rug and couch set up!

last year

I have learned over the past month I am not a designer as much as I’d like to be :)

We have an open floor plan and I’m trying to pick a rug for our living room, get a coffee table, and place the couches in the best spot.

A little background - I have a jumble of colors so I am changing our drapes to a light color with a champagne gold curtain rod. I’m going to move the grey couches to the basement when it’s finished and likely get an L shaped cream colored couch in its place. I think the grey chairs will have to go too, but I’m having some difficulty designing this room. I’ve purchased and returned four rugs so now I’m thinking it’s me, not the rug!

From what I have read, the rug should be at least a foot on either side of the couches and either all the legs or at least the front legs should be on the rug. It just isn’t working with the rugs I’ve ordered.

I ordered a 10x14 rug and it was so long it crouched in on the kitchen stools a bit too much. Flipped the other way it was flush with the wall (I read that is not good) so it seemed just a few feet too big.

This rug here (shown) is 9x12. It seems good for the length side to side but the width seems small (the couch doesn’t sit all the way on it) and I feel like it makes the living room look smaller?

Ideally I think I need a 11x12 or 12x12 rug but I can’t find one anywhere in a neutral color.

Any thoughts? I’m a bit desperate for help. I’ll take any advice - rug size, couch and rug placement, coffee table shape, additional items needed, anything!

Thank you so much!!

Featured Answer

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Celery. Visualization, Rendering images

last year

Some option with layout

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Comments (12)

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BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
last modified: last year
IMO this room could use a larger TV screen. The only place for that is along the staircase.

Turn the rug

Try positioning the furnishings as I have shown in this layout.

Here is a new layout using a sectional sofa.

Your rug should probably be 9x12. You have placed it in the wrong direction.

Don't be making up sizes of rugs that don't even exist.

Pattern & Color could be your friend in this room. Why does the rug need to be neutral?

The formation of a room often begins with the selection of the rug first. Furnishings next.

Let your fingers do the searching for a rug first. Use a Rug Visualizer to find the right style or color. Moving 9x12 rugs is like moving dead bodies.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
last year
IMO make a media downstairs and take the TV awy from this really nice space for adult entertaing no TV wanted . I have always had a media room and never a tV in my LR and I never will have one in my LR kids or no kids. I aslo really dislike sectionals and for sure ones with a cahise. IMO the most expensive way to get the least number of comfy seats. Arm rests= comfort so no mater how bug the sectional 2 people get arm restas all the rests lin up like a kids BD party ansd all sit in the dreaded middle seat of a sofa . Waht pieces you have now is perfect for conversation You need a lot more lighting for sure.
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jackowskib
last year
Consider getting furniture placement figured first. That will be telling on the ideal rug size to look for. It will come together, your furniture changes sound nice.
AJ
Original Author
last year
Thank you all! I would be happy to move the TV and move it downstairs at some point. We have 4 kiddos all younger and all watch movies together on this floor, so we do use it. Unfortunately we don’t have a separate family room where we could move the TV too, that would be lovely! I do have another room that is a dining/craft room I’m thinking of taking the dining table out of (we have a breakfast area to eat) so I can make that a conversational too with chairs and little tables too. All things to think about. Thank you!!!

And I do need the reminder about rug sizes, lol!!! That cracked me up. I searched for hours trying to find a different size and couldn’t, so I am accepting that now. :)
Cheryl Smith
last year
last modified: last year
BeverlyFLADeziner is right ... turn the rug the opposite direction from where you have it now. doing that will seem to expand the room and make it feel less crowded even if you change nothing else. 9x12 looks to be the right size. center the rug with your fireplace and the large window pulling the furniture to it. your layout is fine. its nice to see the tv frrom livingroom, dining and kitchen. but if you'd like a larger tv or different layout, the layouts she shows would be great. since you are planning for new furniture I would look first for a rug you love. then pull colors from it for everything else. since you do have open concept rooms the colors you choose should be in all those rooms to some degree. I see blue in your table lamp and terra cotta in the couch pillow. if that's the direction you would like to go bring those colors into the dining and kitchen too. both are easy with landscape art.use the furniture you have to move and try the layouts brfore you buy. you could move the dog bed to the corner with the 2 windows. he would be close but not center stage great place for watching whats happening in the neighborhood too
AJ
Original Author
last year
My daughter helped me turn the rug 😅. Is it ok that the couch up against the wall is not on the rug then (I centered the rug with the fireplace).

I’m going to get a new wood toned side table (the lamp was my moms who passed away and I know it doesn’t match so I’ll move it downstairs when we finish the basement). I’m also going to get a wood toned coffee table. So do I get a round one and put it center in between the two couches or rectangle and put it on front of one?

Thank you!!!
AJ
Original Author
last year
I’ll look for another rug too! This one is ok, and was only $150 for that size so that’s pretty good. I do like color and not ever bring to be grey. I also like the beiges though and want to change the room to have beige tones with pops of color for pillows (some day).

I want to move the TV too but it’s too big to go on the left wall, if we center it, it will stick up over the railing edge- so maybe get a smaller tv?
AJ
Original Author
last year
Thank you!
PRO
BeverlyFLADeziner
last year
If you want a larger tv, having it extend beyond the line of the stairs is ok
PRO
Dounia Home
last year
I also suggest a chandelier at the center to tie the whole space together .

https://www.douniahome.com/products/najma-3-light-globe-chandelier
PRO
DANE AUSTIN INTERIOR DESIGN Boston & Cambridge
9 months ago
You might consider flipping the TV to the staircase and orienting the furniture towards it. Here are some designs of ours that could help you more with your dilemma.
Cambridge Luxury Loft · More Info

Cambridge Luxury Loft · More Info

Weston Bauhaus · More Info