Furniture Arranging Before and Afters: Small TV Room

Furniture Arranging

Sometimes when I see photos of furnished rooms online I want to reach-in and re-arrange the furniture. Scroll down to see some examples of furniture rearranging for a living room posted online about ten years ago. Time to re-fresh the space and give this place a new life.

I love, love, love the rug, but the space is too small for the upholstered chair and ottoman. From a functional and Feng Shui point of view I am concerned about the sofa with it’s back to the french door, the outside, and beautiful views.
Partial Solution: Find another place for the upholstered chair and use the ottoman to create a faux chaise sofa end.

Here are some pictures of several ways to arrange the furniture in this small living room/TV room using the magic of software. (It’s OK to laugh at my squiggles, this is the best drawing I can do with a mouse.) My hope is these spark your own thinking about how your rooms are arranged.


There is no rule that says you have to arrange your room around your cable outlet. An extension cable will liberate you and your ideas.

Furniture Placement Before and Afters:

Version #1 After

To open up the room
a. Move the sofa against the far wall of the room, under the mirror.
b. Place the ottoman in front of one end of the sofa.
c. Add a floor lamp in the corner
d. Rotate the rug to align with the sofa.

Version #2 After

To make the most of your view outside
a. Move the sofa to the wall on the right opposite the french doors.
b. Add the ottoman to the arrangement
c. Move the TV and shelving unit to the wall under the mirror and center it. White extension cable will blend in with the white baseboard and give you more options for television placement.

Version #3 After

If looking at the television is the sole purpose of this space:
a. Center the television and shelves under the mirror
b. Move the sofa so the back of it is facing the entrance to this room
c. Position the ottoman in front of the sofa
d. Add a console table with lamp and decorative objects behind the sofa.

Version #4 After

If there are absolutely no other options for positioning the TV I would make these changes in the room.
a. The upholstered chair is too big for this small space. Get rid of it. Move the ottoman up against the sofa and create a faux chaise sofa end.
b. Place a console table behind the sofa with a lamp and decorative items such as a potted plant, framed photos and other personal treasures. This protects you from feeling exposed when sitting on the sofa.
c. Center the TV table on the wall.

And fine-tune placement of the small tile-topped table and the plant.

Each configuration has it’s pros and cons.

I hope this inspires you to get creative with how your rooms are arranged. Use your camera to think things out before your roll up your sleeves.

A Thought About the Wall Color

My guess is they wanted to match the red orange of the skirt in the poster on the wall. The color they picked at the box store looked great under the fluorescent lights, but when they painted it on their walls it showed itself in all its bright and bold glory.

Take-away: Always pick you paint colors in the room you are going to paint

Please share your thoughts on the furniture arrangements in the comments below. How would you do it differently?

Need help re-thinking the arrangement of your rooms? Want a fresh look to your home, using what you already own? Contact me for a personal consultation.