A living room is one of the vital spaces in your home. It’s where everyone comes together to play board games, watch movies, or even have a meaningful discussion.

Due to its role as a place where every member of the household spends quality time together, it’s crucial to devote extra time to ensure the living room is as inviting and comfy as possible.

Just like any other room in the house, what you choose to furnish your living room largely depends on your taste and preferences. However, there are a few essentials that every living room must-have.

Here are six furniture essentials that your living room must have:

Sofa

The sofa is often considered one of the most crucial pieces of furniture you put in your house. In the living room, it is undoubtedly the most vital piece. It is used for a large number of things, including sleeping, sitting, lounging, and even hiding something from your kids!

Before you select a sofa, it’s essential to determine what size will fit into the room. Hence, you should draw up a floor plan with accurate measurements that’ll give you an idea of what sort of options you should go for. Additionally, you should try out the fabric and cushions beforehand because both different options have various maintenance requirements.

Coffee Table

Coffee table and Sofa

While coffee tables aren’t crucial as the sofa, they’re still critical pieces of furniture for the living room. Not only do they complement any sofa they go with, but they also perform several functions, including giving you space to keep your mail and your various remotes. In fact, it even acts as a footrest! Moreover, they complete the aesthetic of your living room, so it’s definitely something you should invest in.

Where the size of the coffee table is concerned, it should ideally be two-thirds of your sofa and should be equally accessible from all sides of the couch. Apart from this, the coffee table’s height should be a couple of inches shorter than your seat’s cushion.

Storage unit

Since most living rooms serve as a place where the family watches television together, you should add storage options for the equipment that comes with the entertainment unit. You can opt for a media stand that you can use to place different accessories and pieces of decor. Additionally, this stand will also hide any wires going to and from the entertainment center.

Armchair

Since the primary purpose of a living room is to create a space where everyone comes together to have a conversation, it’s essential to add more seating options. One such option is a comfy armchair for the room.

If you have the budget, you should also consider placing a massage chair. The living room is the best place to add massage chairs because it’s accessible and is a great place to watch movies and TV shows while you relax. Any guests that come over can also enjoy your massage chair while they’re having a conversation with you.

Shelves

Shelving

While the idea of shelves in the living room is quite basic, they bring a place together as nothing else can. Shelves are available in a variety of materials, including wood, glass, and plastic. They allow a room to look longer and will give your room flexibility and space.

Additionally, shelves can easily be used to store things, such as books, or decorate the room with picture frames and other memorabilia. Whichever type of shelves you choose depends on what you’re hoping to gain from it. While many people install shelves for practical purposes, others use shelves as decoration. If you’re going towards the latter, then you can even consider hanging shelves.

Rugs

Your living room should be a place where everyone can come and relax and, thus, should feel comfortable and cosy. While hard floors with marble or wood may work in other rooms, they’re not the best option for a living room.

A living room is incomplete without a base carpet or, at least, a rug. People should be able to sit on the rug, and kids should be able to sit on it, too. Additionally, rugs serve as an excellent way to define the seating area and are relatively easy to maintain also. Lastly, rugs add oomph to every living room and can easily complement the theme you’re going for.

Conclusion

Designing and furnishing a living room isn’t an easy task. However, with this list, you know where you should start and what essential pieces of furniture you should definitely have. All that’s left is a few swipes on Pinterest that’ll give you an idea of the theme you’re looking for, and you’re good to go!

What other pieces of furniture or decor should every living room have? Let us know in the comments below!