Living Room Furniture

Every living room should start with the essentials: a comfortable sofa, a coffee table, and some form of storage like a TV unit or bookshelf. From there, you can add pieces like armchairs for extra seating, side tables for convenience, and a rug to tie everything together and define the space.

An L-shaped couch, or corner lounge like the Ostro Athena 5 Seater, is fantastic for larger families or for clearly defining the living area in an open-plan home. However, if your room is smaller, a separate 2 or 3-seater sofa combined with an armchair often provides more flexibility for arranging your space.

The main difference is that a chair has a backrest for support, while an ottoman is a backless, cushioned piece. Ottomans are incredibly versatile and can be used as a footstool, extra seating, or even as a coffee table if you place a sturdy tray on top. The London Leather Victoria Footstool is a perfect example of a stylish, multi-purpose ottoman.

Your side table should be roughly the same height as the armrest of your sofa, or just a few centimetres lower. This keeps the look balanced and makes it easy and comfortable to reach for anything you’ve placed on it, whether it’s a cup of tea or the remote control.

Yes, they absolutely can! While large modulars are best for big rooms, many brands offer smaller configurations or sofas with a moveable chaise. These can be a really smart way to maximise seating and comfort in a compact living room or apartment without overwhelming the space.

Think about both the style of your room and how you want to use the chair. For a sharp, modern living room, a design like the Kalona Garraf Armchair with its clean lines, leather, and steel frame works beautifully. If you're creating a cosy reading nook, a plush, deep-seated chair like the Kalona Kyoto Armchair with soft fabric and feather-filled cushions is an ideal choice.

This really comes down to personal preference and how you use your sofa. Softer, sink-in couches with deep foam cushions like the Ostro Freya range are perfect for relaxing and movie marathons. A firmer sofa, like many of the Zinus models with high-density foam, offers more postural support, can be easier to get up from, and tends to hold its tailored shape exceptionally well over time.

A good rule is to choose a rug that’s large enough for the front legs of your sofa and any armchairs to sit on it comfortably. This anchors all the furniture and makes the space feel connected. For colour, you can either select a neutral rug to ground a bold sofa, or use a patterned or colourful rug as a feature piece in a room with neutral furniture.

In an open-plan space, use furniture to create distinct 'zones'. A large corner lounge, such as the Ostro Freya 5 Seater Corner Lounge, is perfect for clearly marking out the living area. You can also position a sofa with its back facing the dining area to create a natural and effective visual separation between the two spaces.

Definitely! Layering a rug over carpet is a popular interior design trick. It’s a fantastic way to add colour, texture, and personality to a room. It also helps to define your main seating area and can protect the carpet underneath from wear and tear in high-traffic spots.