How to Arrange Furniture in A 12ft X 24ft Sized Living Room

A long and narrow living room is common in rowhouses and townhouses. If you have this type of living room, you probably figured out that it is quite difficult to position furniture within the space. These types of houses are built around the 1980s with the other 12-foot area used as a parlor while the other side is the main living room. These two spaces are usually divided by a non-load-bearing wall or archway with a pocket door that acts as a partition. Since this type of living room layout is pretty common in most newly built homes and apartments, I am going to talk about tips you can follow to place furniture and decorate your long and narrow living appropriately. Furthermore, I will show you 12 different living room layout illustrations you can use as a guide when arranging your furniture. 

First, let’s talk about the tips to arrange furniture and decorate your living room. 

1.    Picking the right sofa

When looking for sofas to purchase for your long and narrow living room, pick those sofa designs that are not too big or bulky. Large couches tend to take up a huge amount of your space thus making your living room look cramped. Sofas with contemporary design, sleek appearance, and has edgy geometry are considered ideal. You can also opt for armless modular or sectional sofas. These types of seating make the space look more open and spacious. 

2.    Selecting armchairs

Armchairs are usually placed in the living room to accentuate the long and horizontal couch seating. However, there are cases where the living room looks overcrowded because of accent chairs with huge armrests and backrests. To avoid these, pick armchairs with exposed arms and legs or better yet, no arms at all. Being able to see through the arm spaces and below the chairs will give the impression of an open, light, and airy living room. 

3.    Coffee tables

Living rooms must have coffee tables. Coffee tables are commonly paired with the couch and the rest of the seating in the furniture. When you already have a contemporary-styled sofa and armchairs, your coffee table should be contemporary as well. Pick a coffee table with a glass top that sits on exposed steel legs or a wooden pedestal foundation. This kind of design creates the impression of a spacious and bigger living area. 

4.    Adding floor lamps

Table lamps and floor lamps are a great addition to define functional areas in the living room and accentuate certain architectural features and furniture pieces within the area. Aside from making the space look brighter, lamps also set the mood; making your living room look and feel cozy and inviting. Select floor lamps that are 58-64 inches tall. For added style, mount swing arm lamps and wall sconces to define certain wall features. 

5.    Decorating with mirrors

Mirrors are a great way to add in a long and narrow living room to create the illusion of a bigger and brighter space. You can put a big mirror on the fireplace or behind a sofa. Select mirrors with beautiful frames or opt for a minimalistic one. There are many ways to decorate mirrors. You can either lean them against the wall to achieve that effortless aesthetic or hang them on walls alternative to artworks. 

6.    Putting an area rug. 

Get a broad striped area rug and place it horizontally from one of your 24-foot-long walls to the other if you can work with it. The stripes will draw attention over the 12-foot-wide space, making it appear larger than it is.

Here are 12 living room layout images you can use as a guide. 

Image 1

The image depicts a room with two conversation groups organized around the mantelpieces. A three-cushion sofa sits in the front of the room, flanked by two upholstered chairs. A pair of chairs back up against the two front chairs in the back of the room by the second fireplace to form a conversational space, and they are counterbalanced by a chair with a side table next to it. Take note of how the room is lit with floor lamps strewn about. For primary lighting, row houses from the 1890s are likely to feature ceiling-mounted luminaires.

Image 2

In the front of the room, two three-cushion sofas face each other, with a coffee table in between. Two modular pieces or an armless sectional sofa, are placed in the back of the room, facing the fireplace. With the other seating in the room, two cushioned chairs surround the mantel and provide a conversation area. Take another look at how the room's lighting is provided by the floor lamps. A pair of swing arm lamps would work nicely in that small space, upon the wall, above and to the left and right of the two seats, or the modular or sectional piece that I recommend for the right side of the room.

Image 3

In image 3, a three-cushion sofa is positioned in front of the closed door to the front half of the room. A light-lit end table sits to the left of the sofa, while a floor lamp sits to the right. If necessary, a piece of art or a mirror could be hung on the door to add visual appeal. In front of the bay window, an upholstered chair floats out into the space. On either side of the fireplace are two upholstered side chairs=SC (upholstered back and seat) or dining room side chairs (wooden backrest and upholstered chair only). Side chairs are typically smaller than cushioned or regular chairs, so they take up much less space.

Image 4

Image 4 depicts how the front section of the space is transformed into an office setting, complete with two large desks and two chairs. In the back of the room, there is a second conversation group, similar to the one seen in image 2.

Image 5

Image 5 depicts a three-cushioned sofa bordered on each side by two upholstered chairs. On one side of the sofa, there is an end table with a lamp, and on the other, there is a floor lamp. On the right side of the room, near the entry door, is a side chair with a floor light behind it.

Image 6

Two sofas are positioned back to back in the center of the room, and chairs of various types are grouped around them to form discussion and TV viewing areas.

Image 7

Image 7 has a similar layout to image 5 but with a hint of minimal changes. 

Image 8

The front door to the room has been closed/walled over, and the new entry from the corridor is on the right. Two three-cushion sofas face each other, with two chairs surrounding one of the sofas. The conversation grouping in the back of the room is identical to the others that have already been discussed.

Image 9

This image demonstrates how a corner fireplace was built to the 12x24 square foot room. A grouping of modular furniture is placed opposite the fireplace on one side of the space to balance it out. For extra seating, a side chair is put near the fireplace. A three-seater sofa and small coffee table with a TV across from it are placed in the back of the room to balance out the grouping at the front.

Image 10

This image is the same room as the one depicted in image 9. A three-seater sofa floats out from the wall and is positioned directly across from the fireplace, at a certain angle as the fireplace extends into the room. To fill up the area behind the sofa, a drop-leaf circular table was placed, on which an accent lamp may be placed. To the left of the sofa is an upholstered chair or possibly a side chair, and by the fireplace is an upholstered bench. At the back of the room, there is a TV grouping.

Images 11 and 12

Both depict a room with numerous entrances. On the left side of the room, French doors and windows are looking out onto a porch, two doors entering into a room(s) on the right, and another entryway at the narrow end. In rooms just like this, I positioned the sofas first and tried to create conversational groups of furniture around them. Additional seats are put in the corners of the rooms to fill in spaces, but they may be moved closer to other armchairs or sofas to form conversation groups when needed.

I hope this blog has given you clearer ideas on how you can lay out your furniture pieces in a long and narrow living space. Additional advice; before purchasing furniture, make sure you have a detailed illustration of your living room plan complete with dimensions so you will be able to find the furniture with the right size and style to fit in your living room. Save this post for later so you always have something to reference back to whether you are just designing your living room, or re-arranging it for a new and fresher look.

For more layout ideas check out our post on square living room layouts and how to arrange furniture around a corner fireplace.