5 Tips on Arranging Furniture in an Awkward Living Room

Living rooms lie at the heart of any home when it comes to interior design. How you present your living room reflects the design story for the rest of your abode. It comes as no surprise that designing the perfect living room – especially an awkwardly designed room – can be quite a struggle.

Slanting walls, odd shapes, funky hardware – any curveball can prove to be a conundrum for even the average interior designer if not dealt with properly. But our highly experienced team of designers agrees that space is just a concept that can be manipulated to create your own realities.

Awkward Living Room Layouts

There are many different situations that can create an unconventional layout for living rooms – and each situation has to be dealt with accordingly. There is never one set universal formula when it comes to interior design. Here are a few commonly found awkward living room layouts and how you can tackle them: 

Slanted Walls/Slanted Corners 

Many homes with an interesting exterior end up posing a problem for the interiors – this includes slanting walls. You can square up an acute-angled corner by arranging small sofa chairs, armchairs, or bookshelves to create an illusion of sorts. A touch of creativity goes a long way. You should avoid placing décor on walls as the wall space is already limited and instead go for artworks that can be propped against the wall or placed along the floor. 

Unattractively Placed Windows 

Oftentimes, living rooms come equipped with windows placed in just the wrong spot. That’s where your accessories come in. You can cover up those windows with a stunning painting or decorative mirrors that will have the added benefit of bringing cohesion to the room. Another solution can be to accept the window and make it feel less awkward with monochromatic floor-length curtains to take the attention off of it.  

Attic Living Rooms 

Attic lofts make for a cosy retreat but those slanting ceilings can often appear daunting and suffocating if not dealt with rightly. The idea here is to take the focus off the ceiling by investing in low-height furniture; low-backed sofas, a wide coffee table and a funky rug should do the job.  

How to Arrange Furniture in an Awkward Living Room 

The first step to dealing with an awkward living room situation is to deal with your largest component – the furniture. For living rooms, start adding furniture according to your priorities and how you intend to use the room.

Identify your biggest and most non-awkward wall and keep it as your focal point – perfect for placing your biggest sofa. Then, move smaller furniture items around the space. Sometimes, it helps to place furniture away from unconventional windows or slanting walls to take the focus off of them and create your own sense of symmetry.    

Another rule of thumb for layouts is to work in zones – this applies especially well for larger and oddly shaped living rooms. You can create a cosy nook for reading, a small dining area or an entertainment corner. This helps in creating eye movement so that when someone enters a room they don’t perceive it as one awkward space but as a symphony of well-decorated zones.

Here are a few types of furniture essentials and how they can be utilized to reduce the awkwardness of a living room. 

1. Sofas: If you want to immediately add a sense of uniformity to a haphazard room start by placing your sofa. The lineated effect it offers is almost instantaneous and can greatly improve your room’s ambience. Corner sofas can help you make good use of those pesky little corners and can help give the illusion of a more uniform corner when your room could really use one – say if you have slanted walls. 

2. Wall Accessories: Do not shy away from using your walls just because they are not conventionally shaped or are too long. You can play with your living room’s sight line by placing art at different height levels or you could even go for an old-school collage wall. Such living room accessories bring ‘life’ to living areas and help reduce the awkward feel of a place. You can also go for some uber-functional wall shelves and use them for storage and décor which works perfectly in limited spaces. Our Freeway bookshelf by Cattelan Italia, for example, acts as both a room divider and a bookshelf, making it ideal for awkward, open plan living rooms. 

3. Sofa Chairs: Sofa chairs are one of the most versatile furniture options and can work as a solution to fix almost any furniture fiasco. A statement sofa chair will help take the focus off any unconventional points in your room, say a weird corner. You can also use them alongside sofas to create your own sense of symmetry and square-up oddly shaped layouts.  

4. Rugs: Beautiful rugs will not only tie up your look with a fresh impact but will help you choose where you want to create a focal point in your room. Rugs are also great for creating different zones in a living room, especially one that is large and unconventionally shaped.   

5. Home Office: With many of us working from home these days, home offices have become more of a necessity than a luxury and awkward living rooms give you plenty of room to get creative and set up a small home office within the area. Any awkwardly shaped window for example is usually a good spot to set up a small office table and chair as you're not just able to tackle the problem of furnishing the room but you also get lots of natural light for your desk - making it a win-win.

Once you're done following these simple tried-and-tested tricks you'll soon find your living room to have changed into a much more welcoming, charming and luxuriously elegant living space. There is no interior problem that can't be solved with a little attention to detail and some expertise. And in case you still need some guidance, you can always book a free living room design consultation with our award-winning interior designers.