Frankly, buying furniture for the living room is a fun task, but also a tricky one. Should you choose the wooden sofa set or go with the leather upholstered style? What is the best shape for your living room? And is the utility of the sofa more important than the shape and form? How many seats, what size, which side tables, what shape of centre table – the list is long, and you know the plight here.
Choosing furniture for the living room, online or in an actual shop, is like a journey in itself. The selection of every piece is a milestone achievement towards the finish point of a stylish living room décor. Trust me, after decorating living room interiors for more than ten years; I am sure of one thing – even the single smallest décor mishap can easily ruin the entire appeal of your lavishly decorated drawing room interiors. So, before you pick a choice, it is always good to know all the available options and the typical pitfalls. Let’s begin.
Design of furniture for living room
Your Living room furniture design, and its’ style value, depends on three things – the material of your furniture, your furniture size and the shape. To pick the most stylish and suitable sofa set furniture for the living room, we should talk a bit more about these – because these are the three pillars to delightful living room furniture. Are you ready to deep dive into the furniture design basics? Surely you are.
Living room furniture
Sofa set with five or six seats
Centre table,
Side tables,
Armchair,
Ottoman,
Show cabinet,
Bar cabinet 
Wooden sofa set
An upholstered sofa in Leather, Fabric or Leatherette
Bamboo
Rattan
Plastic
Wicker
Materials for Living room furniture
In today’s evolved world of furniture designs, you will feel spoilt with numerous material choices. A simple wooden sofa set is also available in many variants such as teak wood, rubberwood, and also particleboard. And wood is just the start of the list of materials in living room furniture. Don’t worry, here we have put together the short introduction of all the popular sofa materials – just to help you choose better.
Wooden sofa set
Wood furniture is the most popular and commonly available; and also, with the broadest range of designs and pricing. A wooden sofa set is known for really long life – with proper care, it can go as long as 50 to 60 years. Do note a wooden sofa set requires buffing and polishing every 3 to 4 years. The flip side of this sturdy and robust furniture is that over the years, you may get bored with the style and look.
Upholstered sofas
The upholstered look is next of kin to a wooden sofa set – comes in infinite options of fabric types and combinations. With an upholstered sofa, even the sky is not the limit. You can choose from leather, cotton, velvet, silk, chenille, satin, leatherette – each with a unique look and offerings. Do note that the longevity of an upholstered sofa depends on the fabric material – leather ages with grace, but feels hot in summers. Cotton brings a casual vibe; however, it may start showing lint. Silk and velvet sofas are the preferred choices for a luxurious look that will last long. With most fabrics, you will feel the need to reupholster after 7 to 8 years.
Bamboo
An eco-friendly alternative to living room furniture is to go with a bamboo cane. While being a green choice, it also brings in a charming elegance to your home. Bring a natural material; you will have to worry about regular care such as polish and varnish once a year.
Bamboo chair 
Bamboo sofa set by Flickr
Rattan
Bring home the incredible craftsmanship of local cane workers with a Rattan wicker sofa set – it is eco-friendly, you will also support a local craft – all this while being tropically stylish.
Plastic
For a lean and clean look – go for plastic sofa set. It does not offer the soft fluffy cushions, but don’t worry about that. The slim style of plastic sofa set celebrates a minimal and contemporary style that leaves enough space for your exciting décor accessories. For maintenance, you just need to dust it clean, that’s all.
Wicker
Welcome the all-weather sofa set – rain, or sunshine, and even snow – the wicker stands strong. It has the luxurious looks; it offers the fluffy cushions, very sophisticated style – the only down point it the big price tag.
Sofa set price – for a five-seater set
| Sofa set material | Lower Price range-INR | Upper Price range-INR |
| Wood | 35000 | 500000 |
| Upholstered – Leather | 70000 | 200000 |
| Upholstered – Fabric | 20000 | 100000 |
| Upholstered – Leatherette | 30000 | 80000 |
| Bamboo cane | 20000 | 65000 |
| Rattan cane | 15000 | 50000 |
| Plastic | 10000 | 30000 |
| Wicker | 65000 | 400000 |
Size of living room furniture
Number of seats
Sofa size is a crucial decision for any household. First is the actual physical size of the living room furniture, in feet and inches. Next, you also have to choose the number of seats. There is always the dilemma of having enough seats for the family to sit together, or over providing sitting places for those occasional lunch and dinner parties.
We suggest you strike a balance by being a little flexible. Provide enough seats for your family to sit together – you know after those long lazy meals; or for evening teatime. And, for the occasional get together and parties, keep enough chairs around the house to pull out as required – like your dining chairs, or folding chairs or the ones in your bedroom or by the study table. The idea is not to overcrowd your living room with furniture.
Seating combination
Size matters so do the seating combination. For this one, we are a little constrained by the design and layout of your living room. I mean, the location of the doors, windows, TV unit and the room dimensions. Thankfully, here you have a huge selection of seating combinations.
The shape of living room furniture
Do you know the selection of your living room furniture is like choosing art in the form of furniture? Are you aware that most interior designers regard furniture as a form of sculpture art – yes, it is true. Now that you are aware of one of the insiders’ secrets to home interiors let me share another secret – it will help you narrow down your furniture options.
The object of art is to give life a shape
William Shakespeare
So, furniture is an art in your living room. And the purpose of this art form is to reflect your lifestyle. The shape of your furniture – the centre table, the sofa set, the side table, the armchair – everything should reflect your comfort choices. Let’s stay here a bit longer. We all know that a sofa set at home is for entertaining larger groups of family and friends. And rest of the time, your living room may also serve you like a family room – a place where you can relax, maybe read a book, enjoy some music or watch the television. The shape of furniture for the living room depends on all this.
Think about your hobbies and choose furniture accordingly. Do you like to lounge on a rocking chair or a lounge with ottoman? Do you want to lie down while watching TV – maybe you need a lazy boy chair. Are you the one to entertain pals over tea parties frequently – you need a large centre table and side tables. Also, you may want to choose the two-seater love seats rather than the typical 5-seater sofa set. Think before you decide – here are some of your favourite shapes.
Guide to furniture for living room
How to select living room furniture
- Measure up
Start by measuring up your living room size to get a sense of how many furniture pieces can be fitted. Typically, one sofa seat measures 2.5 feet by 2 feet in size; a centre table is 2.5 feet by 4 feet, and the side table is 2 feet by 2 feet.
- Make a list
As per the sizing, list out the items that can comfortably fit in your living room area. For approximating the layout design, you can look up at this post on ‘How to arrange living room furniture in your apartment’
- Get sofa specific
Based on the sizing of the room and the list of furniture items, choose the number of seats you can fit
- Select a shape
Look at all your options for the shape of furniture and choose as per your lifestyle
- Pick a style
The choice of materials can easily define furniture styles. First, pick a material based on your budget. Then look further into various style options relevant in that material. Do read one of my previous posts on the wooden sofa set choices.
- Focus on the tables
Centre and side tables are essential additions to your living room sofa set. Choose something that compliments either your sofa set choice or your style statement. For instance, wood side tables go well with a wooden sofa; or, you can also choose metal and glass tables for a bold and modern look.
- Check the logistics
Living room furniture is one of the most massive pieces in your entire home, precisely the sofa set. So make sure of how and who will bring your living room furniture to home and assemble it as per your needs.
Beyond Living room furniture
Congrats, you now have all the wisdom to choose the most delightful living room furniture for your home. Once you do that, why stop at the furniture. Your living room decoration spree has only just begun!
The sofa set, the side and centre tables are the basics, so don’t just stop there. Let’s go beyond the furniture to decoration items that truly make your home uniquely yours. Yes, we are talking about the collectables, the family heirlooms and much more. Here’s a quick list for you.
- Lights and lamps – Chandelier, floor lamps, mood lighting, smart lights
- Home decor Accessories – table décor, art décor, vase
- Furnishings – Curtains, cushions, carpets, table runner
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