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SINCE THE TELEVISION was first invented and homeowners were lucky enough to buy their first ‘set’, living room layouts have typically centred around that big black box.
These days, however, layouts that prioritise conversation and relaxation are becoming more commonplace. Whether you’ve decided against a TV altogether, have a second sitting room or have a TV stand with doors to conceal the screen, you may find that your furniture no longer needs to face the box.
An alternative layout is good for the soul, particularly in the times we’re currently living through where it might do you well to step away from the news bulletins from time to time. Here we look at alternate ways of laying out your living room…
1. Sofas facing each other: The easiest way to take the focus off the TV is to position two equally sized sofas facing each other. If you have the space, try positioning your couches in the centre of the room, making them the focal point of the area, and freeing up surrounding wall space for lovely sideboards, book cases, mirrors and art. Take your inspiration from @oldvictoriannew and make the fireplace a part of the action too.
2. Open plan living: In open plan living spaces, there is a tendency to zone the open space into sections to create different rooms within the one larger room. Typically, this means facing the couches away from the kitchen/dining area and toward the TV. Instead, consider facing your sofa the other way, toward the kitchen/diner, to enhance the open plan space. This option would work particularly well with a corner sofa that can hug the perimeter of the room.
3. Choose an alternative focal point: If it’s not a TV, what else could it be? The obvious answer is the fireplace, but if you live in an apartment or a new build, you may have a living room that’s fireplace-free. If that’s the case, try centring your living room arrangement around house plants. You can get really creative with your arrangement of plants, using different plant pots and holders, positioning plants at different heights. Oliver Bonas and NEXT Home are your best bets for affordable planters. A striking piece of art or a gallery wall would both work well too.
4. Two for one: When you remove the TV from the equation, the traditional three-piece suite isn’t entirely necessary. Instead, opt for one cosy sofa plus an arrangement of armchairs elsewhere, giving you two separate zones in the one living room. This is ideal for those who want to create a more eclectic look with different styles of seating, perhaps opting for some statement armchairs. Changing up your seating in this way really lends itself to socialising (which we will get back to at some point in the not so distant future).
5. Face the view: Okay, we’re not all blessed with a view like the one below, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what’s outside our own windows. If you have back garden views, or live in an apartment that’s up a few floors, make the most of things. Whether it’s a cityscape or the birds in the garden, consider switching up your furniture positioning so the view takes centre stage.
6. Repurpose the space: Right now we’ve all got working from home on the brain. Unfortunately not all of us have the luxury of a home office, and the kitchen might be too busy a space to concentrate. In smaller open plan spaces – apartments in particular – why not repurpose the space normally dedicated to a TV to a gorgeous desk situation? It doesn’t have to look like a typical office. You can be clever about what you use. A vintage bureau that opens out to become a desk works wonderfully with a laptop, allowing you to fold it back up again to sit pretty as a piece of statement furniture with a lamp on top, along with some artwork. This gives a fluidity to your living space, making it multi-functional but retaining the aesthetic you’re after.
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But only the darker skin people died so in his book it is a success.
@Jeanniejampots: Not only, the fact any darker skin people died is a resounding success for him
@Chris Hammond: they dont have electrical college votes so get didn’t care
More casualties than 9/11 & 90 billion in damages, yea sure that’s o.k. So, does he even know what he’s talking about? You would have to wonder!
Trump Trump Trump, the Journal has a serious hard on for Trump
@Karen Ryan: you’ve a serious hard on for Ben Shapiro.
@West Cork Lad: how come ?
@Karen Ryan: Are you ok? Can you not find another news outlet?
@Karen Ryan: So the press should ignore it when someone in as high a position as Trump says something that is very clearly not true??. The press writes so much about Trump because he gives them good reason to most of the time plus the job of the press and of any form of journalism is to hold those in power accountable for there actions and if Trump says something asinine as this the press has a right to call him on it because even a die hard Trump supporter shouldn’t be him here, the stats speak for themselves and the US handling of the hurricane was a shambles as shown by the fact that the death toll is still rising almost a year later
@Karen Ryan: he is a tool.
@Seamus Mc Meel: I’m great Seamus thanks for asking , I have plenty of news outlets I watch them all its good to take it all in ……
Not to mention the electricity rebuilding contractor Whitefish Energy, and ties to a major Trump donor
Trump Derangement Syndrome in motion again. He is damned when does & damned when he doesn’t.
@Declan Carroll: Because he Does stupid stuff and Doesn’t do anything good for anyone
@Ciarān: This was from news reports at the time :
9,500 cargo containers with medicine, food, and other goods were stuck at the port of San Juan. It noted they need the local truck drivers to move the goods if they’re going to receive the next shipment of supplies currently on its way.
CNBC blamed failure to move the supplies on the inability of trucking companies to contact their drivers to get them to go to work and on a lack of fuel for the delivery trucks. Local media have reported a different reason: truck drivers with the Puerto Rican Teamsters Union, Frente Amplio, are allegedly refusing to move the supplies.
According to the local TV station WAPA, the strike is over a recently passed law: “el proyecto del Senado 525 que da paso a la Ley de Transformación Administrativa de la Comisión de Servicio Público,” also called “el Proyecto del Senado 525.”
The law caused a rift with unions by placing control and regulation of public transportation in Puerto Rico under the local Public Service Commission.
Colonel Michael A. Valle, director of the Joint Air Component Coordination Element, responsible for Hurricane Maria relief efforts in the area, told Huffington Post, “The aid is getting to Puerto Rico. The problem is distribution … Supplies we have. Trucks we have. There are ships full of supplies, backed up in the ports.
Valle said the problem is “only 20 percent of the truck drivers show up to work.” there were other reports that the union drivers wanted $50 an hour to deliver .
and now it’s Trumps fault !!
Who said anything about the Puerto Ricans ? I was referring to the management if you read the post and just to clarify I didn’t cut and paste from the daily caller I posted from another site but I must have a look and see what they did report. it aint no comedy at all my dear very tragic what happened but you had the mayor of San Juan blaming Trump when the relief was there. she is trying to cover up for her incompetence the same woman is been sued by Yadira Molina
@neilo: Who said anything about the Puerto Ricans ? I was referring to the management if you read the post and just to clarify I didn’t cut and paste from the daily caller I posted from another site but I must have a look and see what they did report. it aint no comedy at all my dear very tragic what happened but you had the mayor of San Juan blaming Trump when the relief was there. she is trying to cover up for her incompetence the same woman is been sued by Yadira Molina
@Karen Ryan: he’s a nob and a tool.
@Karen Ryan: you are so full of it
Trump should have enacted his weather control powers
Most of those criticizing Trump’s FEMA response in Puerto Rico have nothing to say about George W Bush and Katrina.
Hysterical since the Puerto Rico response was being hampered by the mayor of San Juan for months
@Drian Buffy: Your right .. Trump just upholding the tradition of privatisation following a disaster.
While the Journal continuously post about Trump where is their report on the EU copyright directive is ADOPTED by the European Parliament with 438 votes in favor, 226 against and 39 abstentions. Publishers rights and platform liability for copyrighted content are in the text. this is bad news for us ,
@Karen Ryan: go home Karen
@Colin Reilly: I’m at home , or was that statement “shut up” I enjoy free speech and if it offends you don’t read it …………. don’t call the hurty police line on me now …!!
Some needs to say it “A BULLSHITTER”
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