10 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Living Room Furniture

Choosing the perfect living room furniture brings a sense of comfort and elevated decor and helps meet your family's needs. Whether you're choosing living room furniture for a compact space or a large open floor plan, you can design a space that's right for you from a standpoint that's both aesthetic and great for everyday living.

Choosing the right pieces is essential if you're re-decorating the entire room or looking for a few finishing pieces to tie your look together. With these ten tips, the process can be easy and fun, and bring a sense of satisfaction at the end of your browsing, buying, and set-up project.

We have the perfect living room furniture for every space at Mor Furniture for less. Check out the most crucial things to keep in mind when shopping to get the look you want and the functionality you need.

1) Determine Your Must-Haves

Before you even start browsing for your new living room furniture, determine the items you need versus the things you'd like to have. Maybe you need a new couch but would love it if you could get the right end tables to match. Or you may need an entertainment console for all your electronics and extra storage but would love to add an ottoman or coffee table if space allows. Once you hone in on these things, you know where to begin looking.

2) Keep Functionality In Mind

Determine your main goals when refreshing your living room. Finding a sectional or couch and accent chair set is a great idea if you have a large family or frequently host guests. Do you have pets and kids that jump and relax on the sofa every day? If so, keep the furniture's material in mind to ensure it stands up to regular heavy use.

Next, consider your storage needs. Do you have a large TV you want to showcase with a video game unit, internet router, phone chargers, and remotes? Then choosing an entertainment console with drawers may be right for you.

What about kids' toys, books, magazines, and small items you need close at reach yet out of sight when you're not using them? Finding an ottoman that lifts to reveal extra storage, a console with cabinets, or a coffee table with drawers are all fantastic options. You can maximize your storage space with the furniture you already want and need.

3) Measure the Dimensions of Your Living Room

Buying the living room furniture you want can turn into a negative experience if it doesn't quite fit in the space. It's important to measure the room before you begin browsing. As a general rule, you want to leave at least 36 inches between all furniture, like coffee tables, TV units, and doors, so there's enough space to walk without stubbing a toe or banging a knee. Leave room for at least 3 to 4 inches between sofa arms and end tables, and note where your outlets are so that you won't block access to your source of electricity. This also helps the room to look more open.

Choosing furniture that's too oversized can make your living room look cramped. Sometimes this makes the room look unorganized or overwhelming instead of carefully curated and designed with care.

4) Define the Boundaries of Your Living Room

If you don't have an open floor concept, this tip isn't an issue since your walls and doors serve as the room's boundaries. However, open floor plans have taken over in the past few decades and are often the standard. One of the key elements of decorating a space is to define the boundaries of where you enter the living room and where you step out to leave.

Defining a room's boundaries becomes the most challenging part for most people. But there are a few great ways to set apart your living room instead of leading it to blend into other areas. To define your space, consider adding an area rug. Where the rug ends, your living room ends. Further additions make this boundary even more apparent. You can add a loveseat or set of chairs with their backs facing the next section of your house. Put a narrow console table behind the loveseat and add some decor accents to signify the beginning of a new space.

5) Choose The Focal Point of Your Living Room

Next, consider what you want to draw attention to when people first enter the room. Do you want your entertainment console, with shelves of photos, accolades, and small accent pieces to be the center of attention? Or do you want your coffee table with greenery and bold decor to take the stage? Others like their plush couch to catch the eye as an invitation to sit and stay away.

Whichever piece of furniture you want to stand out the most should be the piece that's seen most easily when entering the space. To determine the correct placement, walk around and view your living room from different angles. Consider the placement of your selected piece based on angles and available space.

6) Select a Theme for Your Living Room

Selecting a theme for your living room is easier than it sounds, and you can do it using a few simple steps. First, consider the overall theme of your furniture and decor in other areas of your house. You want to choose colors and materials that mesh with the vibe for an effortless and thoughtful look.

If your home is full of dark espresso hues and light tan accents, sticking with this theme will help your living room furniture look perfectly placed. If your home has more of a pastel color palette, beige pieces can provide a cohesive feel. However, if you have a lighter scheme, this also allows you to create a space with a vibrant pop of color.

Choose just a few pieces that incorporate the hue when adding color pops. Items like throw pillows and blankets, artistic wall decor, or even an accent chair, get the job done.

Sticking to the right living room furniture material is also important. If your house has many natural pieces like rattan or distressed farmhouse wood, filling the space with overstuffed leather likely won't blend and can make the room look haphazard. Similarly, if you don't want to match industrial-themed furniture featuring mixed mediums like metal and wood, there may be better choices than cozy upholstery.

7) Maximize Comfort

While you certainly need your living room furniture to serve exceptional functionality, comfort is king when it comes to this space. Your living room is likely where you kick back to relax after a long day, cozy up on rainy, gloomy weekends, or gather with friends and family for a get-together. It's also usually a place to lie down for a quick cat nap.

For these reasons, you want to focus on comfort. Choose a sofa, loveseat, or sectional that provides the ultimate sense of coziness. Stay away from items that seem stiff, yet also make sure your living room furniture doesn't sink you into oblivion with every sit. Try out these pieces in-person to determine which you're most comfortable with.

8) Keep Price Point In Mind

We're all tempted to fill our shopping carts with the things we love, disregarding the price tag for the sake of desire. However, before you begin shopping for the perfect living room furniture, set a budget. Determine which pieces you're willing to splurge on and which you're ready to sacrifice on just a little bit.

At Mor Furniture for Less, we always offer the lowest prices in town–without sacrificing style and quality. In fact, we have an exclusive double-the-difference guarantee that makes sure this statement rings true. If you find an identical piece of furniture at another local store, we'll refund and double the price difference.

9) Think About Future Maintenance

Some furniture materials require more care than others. Genuine leather, for example, requires regular conditioning to ensure it doesn't crack and flake. Upholstered furniture is easier to spot clean and usually includes zippered cushions to remove for a light wash.

There's also the consideration of how often and rigorously you will use your furniture. With kids and pets, there's no telling what can happen. Even as just adults, accidents happen. Spills, stains, and broken pieces can happen. Consider adding a SafeMor Protection Plan to your purchase, which offers free fixes or replacements for the plan's duration.

10) Have Fun Decorating

The most important thing when choosing the perfect living room furniture is to have fun! This is your opportunity to show off your style, display what you love, and create a great space in your home. Remember to let your imagination take over when you use these tips. Add some funky decor if that's what you're into, pick art pieces to go along with the room, and pick pieces that speak to you.

When you keep these things in mind, you can't go wrong. Remember, Mor Furniture for Less associates are always standing by at our showrooms to help you along the way. In no time at all, you'll have a stunning living room that's sure to "wow" everyone who steps through the door.