Last week I met with a client who has a long, rectangular sitting room that she doesn’t know what to do with. This is not the first time that I’ve been asked to help a client with a room like this. So often these long rooms have multiple entrances, fireplaces and windows which can make furniture planning a nightmare. Throw in the need for a large TV and it can drive most people bonkers!
We have recently completed a project at a Cotswolds home where we designed a rectangular living room to create a comfortable and relaxing space. Make sure you have a look at our portfolio for pictures of this project for inspiration!
I have drawn up some layouts below, all for the same room which show the various ways that the space can be utilised. Scroll down to see our top tips for how to create a layout that makes the most of your space.
P.S Download our FREE “How To Design A Rectangular Living Room” 23 Page Guide HERE
So there you have it! Hopefully this has helped you if you have been struggling with your rectangular sitting room layout. If you have any questions or comments, please pop them in the comments box below – I’d love to hear from you!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog post on the unique opportunities and challenges that come with designing a rectangular living room. As you’ve seen, there’s a lot more to it than just placing furniture and hanging up some artwork.
But i’ve only scratched the surface here. To truly create a comfortable, functional, and visually appealing rectangular living room, you’ll need a more comprehensive guide. That’s why we’ve put together a detailed e-book, “How to Design a Rectangular Sitting Room”.
This e-book is a treasure trove of expert advice, practical strategies, and inspiring design ideas. It takes you on a step-by-step journey through the process of planning and designing a rectangular sitting room, covering everything from furniture selection and lighting to the use of colours, patterns, and textures.
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I love this look! I made the mistake of thinking 4 chairs, no sofa. Now I still have a large room and not enough seating for conversation. Even if I purchase a sofa, I’m still stuck with 4 large, matching chairs. Ugh…the decorating dilemma!
Hi Teresa, thanks for your comment – I’m pleased you like the blog post! Rectangular rooms are so tricky aren’t they – could you move 2 of the chairs into another room, or to one end of the sitting room if its long enough? Lauren x
Hi Lauren,
I love this look and the tips have come in really handy – thank you! We have a dilemma at the moment as we have a rectangular living room but the door is in the centre of one of the long walls. We can’t think how to make the best use of space, whilst also ensuring all four of us have enough couch and arm chair space to watch the TV! Any advice or suggestions?
Thanks, Sonia X
Hi Sonia,
Please feel free to send an email with some photographs – I’d be happy to give you some free pointers!
Best wishes,
Lauren x
Hi Lauren,
Can you help my wife with our small rectangular living room/ kitchen interior layout ?
She’s looking for ideas…
dcw1959@aol.com is he contact info….
I just stumbled upon your site.
Thanks,
Norm- —
I have a rectangular room that was once 2 rooms but we have taken the middle wall out which leaves us with 2 chimney breasts on the inside long wall and 2 doors 1 in the long wall in the middle and 1 at the end of the same wall which is facing the chimney breast wall we have a window at each end of the room on the short walls .We really do not have any ideas as how to make the room look nice not clutted
This article was so helpful! I like the seasonal shuffle idea, my living room is aNightmare because of where the doors are placed and the radiators.
I have a large open rectangular kitchen, dining, living room combo. There are no dividing walls and 3 Windows and 1 door in the dining, living room. All clutter converges in this area. HELP!
This is definitely helpful, but our rectangular living room is only 18′ x 12′ and the rooms shown look almost twice that size. I have French doors opposite end of the fireplace wall and then a wall of windows and an arched doorway to dining room… and I am just not sure when furniture shopping if I should get a larger sofa and one chair or smaller sofa and two chairs or a sectional, if I can find one that is small (75″ in or less on one side and maybe 88-92″ on other side. Any ideas would be helpful!
I am in the same boat as Alicia! Our LR is only 17X13, and sounds similar in set-up to hers. Any tips for this small scale would be appreciated!!
Hi Michelle. Thanks for commenting – you and Alicia have inspired us to create a new blog next week on smaller rooms! X
Did you ever do this? I just looked on your blog but didn’t see anything, maybe I missed something though. 🙂
Hi Alicia, thanks for commenting! We’re going to be doing a blog post for smaller rooms next week so stay tuned! X
I have a long rectangular living room with the fireplace on one of the shorter walls. We have thought about putting the tv over the fire place, but it seems so far away. How far is to far to mount a tv over a fireplace? Thanks!
Hi Danielle, it depends on how big the TV is really but I probably wouldn’t put it above the fireplace – perhaps you could put it to one side of it in some built in shelves. We could take a look at this for you as part of the E-Design service if you’d like. Drop an email to studio@laurengilberthorpeinteriors.com if you’d like to know more! X
Hi Lauren,
I have been searching and searching for ideas on this same room. There are a few things that complicate things. First we have a sliding patio door in the middle of one wall, fireplace on another and the third wall isn’t completely flat. There is a wall built out to hide the furnace! Please help with any suggestions!
Hello!
I’d be interested in your reply to Sonia’s question back in 2016. I have a rectangular living room (12×21) with a sliding door in the middle of one long wall with the opposite open to the dining room and kitchen and one of the shorter walls has a fireplace/tv combo. We had an existing sectional on the other shorter wall that we need to incorporate with the design but no other existing furniture.
Thanks for your time!
Lisa
Great article. I am also struggling with a rectangular family room/breakfast area. Are you still offering help?
I love this post! Love the design layout drawings, too, really helpful. Question: we’ve zoned off our long Victorian living room (complete with awkward doors and chimney breasts) as you’ve done. However rather than just a desk or reading area behind the sofa in the middle of the room, we have our rectangular dining table. We’ve turned it side on, so it runs kind of parallel with the back of a the sofa. Keep wondering it this looks like “too much” furniture and whether we should replace for a dinky round table gives the other half of the room and more airy unfurnished feel or whether it’s fine to have a dining table in your long zoned living room! Thank you, Sarah 🙂
I love the different layouts. Thank you for sharing. Our LR is rectangle too, which the previous owners split into a dining and living space. I wanted to use it as a living space alone. Too many windows make it impossible to set up an entertainment center. I hope I could set something up like in the layouts you have drawn up. XO
Thanks so much for commenting, I’m so pleased that you found the information useful!