How to Arrange Furniture in a Bedroom or Living Room

You don’t have to be an interior design professional to understand how to arrange furniture. There are endless possibilities for furniture layouts in small spaces and large rooms. Organize a new home or spruce up an old one with these DIY ways to make a room feel bright and inviting.
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5 Tips for Furnishing Any Space

If you want to change the interior design of a room, you don’t need to embark on a home makeover. An environment can transform with some gentle furniture rearrangement. Take your room’s styling and layout to the next level with these DIY arrangement tips:

1. Decide on a focal point. A focal point gives purpose to your room and offers direction for where to focus your gaze. The focal point may be a table at the center of the dining room. In a family room, the focal point may be a fireplace, television, or entertainment unit. Decide what that area is, and everything else will fall into place.
2. Create a flow in the space. Consider traffic flow when positioning pieces of furniture, ensuring that there is enough living space in each room so people can move comfortably from area to area.
3. Consider the lighting. If you have windows in your room, keep them visible to welcome in natural light. Arrange your furniture near light sources. If you want to beautify them, add a blind or curtains matching your room’s color and design scheme. In rooms with less natural light, add some light fixtures such as sconces, chandeliers, floor lamps, and table lamps, all of which can emit unique levels of light and feeling in a space.
4. Use art to enhance the room. Be it a rough sketch by a friend, a print purchased at a home goods store, or a prized painting from a trip, a piece of art can serve to bring visual variety to a room. If you have ample wall space, a work of art can break up monotonous wallpaper and create a more exciting space.
5. Sketch out options on graph paper. Map out a floor plan on graph paper. Sketching out layouts is much easier than constantly rearranging furniture to see each potential permutation. Try options you think might not work just to get ideas spinning and your creativity flowing. When your room looks the way you want it to, rearrange furniture to execute your plan.

How to Arrange Furniture in a Bedroom

Your bedroom is your sanctuary, so arranging its furniture is not only a practical task, it also establishes your room’s mood. Follow these tips to create your bedroom space:

• Make space around your bed. No matter your furniture arrangement, you’ll want to have room to the left, right, and front of your bed. You will be getting in and out of your bed every day, so keep that space clear of other furniture.
• Consider your lighting preferences. Some people enjoy morning rays to wake them up, and others prefer to sleep in total darkness. Your choice will determine what direction your bed should face.
• Add a nightstand. A side table is an excellent place for a book or glass of water, and it can even enliven your space. This bedroom essential can be more than just functional, and if you want to get creative, nightstands are easy to paint and customize.
• Differentiate seating areas in multi-use bedrooms. Some bedrooms double as a home office. For flow and differentiation of space, it’s essential to distinguish between the sleeping area and the working area. Use a rug as a divide, and decorate the area around your desk to establish its vibe. If your room is large enough to have a mini-living space, add in some chairs, so you have somewhere to sit other than the bed.
• Decorate with shelving. Bedrooms are personal spaces and, as such, can host some beloved trinkets, books, and photographs. The side of the room is an excellent place for bookshelves or other installed shelving units. Adorn them with favorite keepsakes and items to add a personal flair to your space.

How to Arrange Furniture in a Living Room

Living rooms come in all different shapes and sizes, but their primary purpose remains the same: to provide a space to relax, converse, and entertain. With that in mind, follow these steps to lay out your living room furniture:

1. Start with a blank slate. Open your mind to new possibilities and imagine what your living room layout could look like, even if you already have furniture in place. Imagine an empty room, or even clear yours out if space in the rest of your home permits.
2. Pick a focal point. Decide what the main attraction of your living room design will be. It could be a TV, a coffee table, or even a sectional sofa. This item might fall in the middle of the room, inviting guests in and providing a clear focus for the room’s intent.
3. Consider your furniture’s relationship to the walls. It may be hard to have your couch or end tables anywhere but up against the wall in small spaces. Walls give a natural structure and shape to a room, and it can be unnatural to place them elsewhere in small living rooms. In larger rooms, you may be able to keep furniture pieces away from the wall. This will give your room an airier, more open feel.
4. Add vibrancy with a rug. If you have a hardwood floor, consider adding an accent area rug to create contrast in tone, color, or pattern in your room. Smaller rugs can go beneath a coffee table; oversized area rugs can adorn the entire room and dictate its borders in an open-concept home.
5. Vary the furniture size. Your living room arrangement can feature a large sectional sofa alongside a smaller loveseat or a welcoming chaise. As a space for entertaining, a living room can offer various places to sit and rest throughout the room. Varied furniture—in size and pattern—creates more dynamic spaces and seating arrangements.
6. Rely on the space’s architecture. If your room has any architectural quirks, such as a built-in bookcase or window seat, adorn them thoughtfully. Keep them visible and make space around them to encourage use.