Introduction

A lot of average-sized houses usually have an l-shaped living room design but nobody talks about how tricky and challenging it actually is to achieve such layout in a way that is pleasing to the eye. 

L-shaped living room layouts are mostly used for houses where you have a living room dining room combo because most times that is usually the easiest way to manage space and separate both rooms. 

This style started back in the early 1900s when compacted houses became rampant. It works for single people or small families. Once the decor and space are well put together, the odd-looking layout becomes a sight for sore eyes. 

If you recently got a compact house and you are trying to figure out how to decorate your living room in an L-shaped style you are in the right place on the internet. In this article, I will discuss how to successfully design your living room in an L-shaped style to give you comfortable enough space and amazing decor. I will also be sharing different layout styles you could employ.

L- Shaped Living Room Furniture Placement 

Needless to say, furniture placement is literally the most important aspect when setting up your L-shaped living room. Your furniture arrangement will determine the functionality of the house. However, before you select furniture, make sure to double-check the amount of space you have. So you do not end up getting furniture pieces slightly bigger or smaller than the living room space.

The necessary furniture to get for your L-shaped living room would be:

• Sofas (an L-shaped one is best if you have enough room), 
• Coffee table or side stools, 
• TV stand (if it is not a flat screen),
• Shelves, and 
• Dining table and chairs (if you have enough space for a combo). 

Once you have purchased the type of furniture design you want, how do you place this furniture accordingly? The first thing is to ask mentally check if you would like to use up the whole space for the living room or create a combo by adding a dining area. If you want to take up the whole space like your living room your work will be more stressful as you would need to find a way to fill up the space in an orderly manner but if you want to create a combo then you will need less detailing since the dining area can take up one part of the L-shaped.

To get the best furniture arrangement it is advised that you use the larger part of the L shape that is the larger rectangle as the main functional area of the room. You could use the smaller area as dining or install a fireplace and extra furniture or household items like a refrigerator or a shelf. 

Then the next question will be, what do you intend to use the living room for? 

L-Shaped Living Room For Lounging

For casual conversation and lounging in the living room, position the TV in the main section of the room, against the wall, either pinned to it or on a stand.

Using an L-shaped sofa is usually the best, but if you do not have enough space for an L-shaped sofa or you would rather use two separate sofas, you can also arrange them accordingly. Two small chairs, along with a larger sofa will help fill out the awkward corners of the room.

Formal L-Shaped Living Room Layout

Alternatively, you can use the larger part of the rectangle to place a sofa, a book shelf, and a larger centre table if your living room is more functional than relaxing. Your TV should be placed at the opposite end of the room, along with a smaller sofa.

To maintain an orderly arrangement, make sure the larger sofa is placed opposite the focal point of the room, with one more sofa or two sets of chairs facing it. 

If it’s an L-shaped sofa, one part of it must be opposite the focal point of the large section of the room backing the wall in a corner, then you could just have a side stool at one end of it. The TV can be placed on the opposite wall or placed on a stand. 

A larger room can have the L-shaped couch placed in the centre instead of against the wall, only to make sure you have enough space to walk freely around the room.

L-Shaped Living Room For Home Office 

For a living room that doubles as a home office, on the other side of the room, you can have a floating desk to keep the room open, a chest for storage, and an armchair or loveseat that is comfortable for working for long periods of time. If necessary, you can also add open shelves or bookcases to turn them into an office and library.

L-Shaped Living Room Dining Room Combo

Lastly, if you want a combo, you can use the smaller rectangle section of the room for your dining table and chairs. Make sure to get the best sizes for the space you have. A dining room with about 4 chairs is quite decent. If you have a larger space, you could use a longer dining table with two extra chairs. Your bookshelf could be placed in the corner adjacent to the dining section.  

How to Decorate an L-Shaped Living Room

Alas, you have successfully placed your furniture in the right places. How do you add life to the room?  The next step is to decorate your living room with the right design strategy. Some of the things to put into consideration when furnishing your living room space are wall painting/wallpaper design, floor finishing, and lighting.

Wall Colours

Colours bring life to a room, so to get the best of your home, you need to let the colours of your walls complement the objects in the room. That’s why your wall decor matters a lot. It wouldn’t be a good idea to buy deep blue furniture and paint your walls the same shade or to use a contrasting colour that would not compliment it.

If you are really into creativity, you can employ the service of a professional painter to create intrinsic designs in different sections of the room.  For a living room dining room combo, you can decide to paint the walls on both sides of the room with the same colour or paint an accent wall by making one section with a complementary colour. 

You can use dull colours to create a cool and airy atmosphere, or bright colours to create a dramatic and daring atmosphere. Just make sure to use the right complementary colours for whichever shade you settle for. 

The same colour-matching technique should be applied if you prefer to use wallpapers. 

Lighting

Floating floor lamps or lamps placed on stools beside the couch are an excellent option for lighting in the living room while a chandelier is much preferred for the dining area. For extra effect, you could place a flower vase on the side stool.  

Floor Finishing

The finishing of floors is one way to enhance the appearance of your living room. It is nice to place rugs in the main part of the room, while the dining room area could have a carpet. Other areas can have their original floors- tiled, or varnished boards. Ideally, every piece of furniture should fit over the entire rug/carpet or at least overlap it. 

L-Shaped Living Room Decor and Accessories

Your living room decor fully depends on how you aim to use it. The colours, furniture, accessories all play an important role in creating the perfect decor for the room. 

The transition, flow and blend of materials will help in accentuating your style. Use accessories like candlesticks, antique flower vases, drapes, pot plants if you want a traditional homely feel. Modern accessories like table lamps, book stash, window blinds, a reading table give a more formal look. 

Selecting furniture and accessories should be based totally on your taste and the atmosphere you are looking to have bearing in mind the L-shaped layout of the living room. 

You may choose to split your L-shaped room into two spaces with a divider. Your divider could be a curtain hung from a rod placed at both ends of the wall, a sliding glass door or a tall bookshelf. 

The important thing is that the transition between both sections of the room should be seamless.

Conclusion

There you have it. My well laid out suggestions and ideas for your L-shaped living room, given to you on a platter. Take your time, decide the kind of decor you want, then focus on the important features to achieve it. Your colour combination, floor finishing, accessories, furniture placement and smooth transition should be your priority. 

In the end, what matters is that your living room should reflect your lifestyle. Your L-shaped living room might end up becoming an exquisite blend of style and comfortable home for you, your family and guests.