The opposite of “awkward” is “convenient.” When asking yourself, would you rather deal with an awkward situation or a convenient one, the answer is obvious. Another opposite of awkwardness is cleverness. When you relate this to a small, awkward living room space, for example, you may need a clever, convenient, and functional solution in order to transform your living room into a space your family will love.

Especially if you’re like our neighbors living in North Laurel, MD, where homes tend to be on the cozy side, things like adjustable shelving, cabinetry, and custom media centers can help you make the most of a small, awkward living room layout while providing incredible comfort and exquisite style. Here’s how to arrange an awkward living room.

7 Ideas for Fixing an Awkward Living Room Layout and Design

From square rooms to L-shaped living rooms, you need ways to maximize the natural shape of your room that can work with your current floor plan and customize the layout of the room in a way that creates a happier, more comfortable space. Below, our experts have come up with a few great ideas to help fix your awkward living room layout, organized by room shape:

1. Small Square Room

Two small loveseats facing one another with a built-in media center on one side of the square will offer a comfortable and visually appealing living space. 

DESIGN TIPS:

• Add in smaller custom cabinetry for holding your television and gaming equipment.
• Glass-doored cabinets offer classic appeal while providing a protected place to show off valuable decor or memorabilia.

2. Long, Narrow Room

A long, rectangular room with a fireplace at one end provides limited room for storage. A custom-built media center and shelving can be a huge boon for this type of awkward living room layout with a fireplace or space.

DESIGN TIPS:

• A custom entertainment center can provide room for not only your television and entertainment devices but also storage.
  
• Select a customized, versatile solution that will help keep your room uncluttered and make sure you still have all of your entertainment needs within reach anytime.
  
• Incorporate adjustable shelving where you can display some of your more decorative items and living room accents like family photos and heirloom treasures.
  
• Utilize shelving for longer, narrower walls where you have wall space to fill; be sure to place shelves in an area that will comfortably serve as a focal point for guests for maximum effect.

3. A Rectangle and a Circle

If your shape includes a rectangle and a smaller area like a circle or a square, then you can place two sofas opposite one another in the rectangular space. This creates an open area in the middle and also balances the living room.

At the far end of the room, where the circle or square bit of space is, you can include small, custom-built cabinetry with storage. Adjustable shelving can fit just about anywhere and often behind your furnishings works well for this plan.

DESIGN TIPS:

• Custom cabinetry with slide-out drawers is ideal for housing entertainment gear.
  
• Add a television on top of your cabinets or wall mount the TV just above.
  
• House your living room entertainment options just inside the cabinetry door and floating shelves on each side for displaying simple artwork, a candle, or other decor.
  
• Incorporate adjustable shelving just behind the couches on the wall for adding family and individual portraits. 

4. L-Shaped Living Room

Place the couch against the longer “L” part of the wall while adding an oval or rectangle coffee table in front of the couch to extend the elongated image of the two together. 

Place a sitting chair or shorter loveseat to the right of the couch and side table in between the two to level the natural flow of the objects. And add a custom entertainment center to fit the wall across from your sitting area.

DESIGN TIPS:

• Design your living room with the entertainment center in focus for TV viewing, game playing, and sharing family and friend videos.
  
• Add a built-in media center straight across from the couch with a custom bookshelf in the wider section of the room for holding books, magazines, and the remote or consider an L-shaped sectional couch that fits the L shape.

5. Oblong-Shaped Living Rooms

For many, oblong-shaped living rooms are the most challenging to work with, but don’t worry—there’s hope for this type of living room, too. Try centering all of your furnishings in the middle of the room, boxed in by a large, designer rug and complemented by a custom-built media center that will store the rest of your belongings.

Accent chairs work nicely for this type of awkward living room layout with ideas like dressing up your chairs with various patterned-pillows and adding a floor rug that brings out just the right pop of color.
DESIGN TIPS:

• Adjustable corner shelving can work in any corner or wall of the room to add visual intrigue and display attractive sentiments such as collectibles, sculptures, or figurines.

6. Living Room that is Parallel to the Kitchen

Some living rooms practically connect with the kitchen with a partial wall or an island separating the two. This setup is perfect for entertaining guests. 

In this case, you may want to consider dual custom cabinetry units, with one in the kitchen and one in the living room. 

DESIGN TIPS:

• The kitchen custom cabinetry can serve as a kitchen clutter solution for housing snacks, plates, napkins, and utensils for entertaining.

• The living room cabinetry can be used for games and entertainment, as well as any other quick-access storage needs.
  
• Custom cabinetry enables you to store away items you don’t need readily accessible, however, you may need occasionally. This may be things like photo albums, travel guides, e-readers, and electronic accessories.
  
• Maximize your corners using armchair seats so you have a comfortable area to enjoy the best of both worlds of food and entertainment. You can also run your sofa lengthwise against a back wall to accompany more guests.

7. Living Room with an Office

When you’re telecommuting and are needing not only a living room but also a custom home office, you can custom design the living room to better equip your living room and home office functionality. 

DESIGN TIPS:

• A custom-built desk comes in handy to place on one side of the room for working and use the other portion of the living room in a balanced square or rectangle for entertaining.
  
• Add slide-out drawers and inside shelving to tuck away items and reduce your overall clutter.

Just because the shape of your living room is awkward doesn’t mean your layout has to be. Custom-designed components ensure you have just the right solutions to create your ideal layout and transform the overall look and appeal of your living room.

Finalizing Your Custom-Designed Living Room

Fixing your awkward living room’s layout is easier than it sounds—when you work with the right custom designer and manufacturer. Let the experts help you incorporate custom-designed elements like custom built-in media centers, cabinetry, and shelving to add an elegant look and feel to your space, perhaps even adding a custom reach-in closet near your living room area for a little extra storage capacity.

Before you know it, your awkward old living room will be gone, replaced with a convenient, cleverly laid out gathering spot family and friends alike will look forward to spending quality time in.

At Closet America, we know the value of comfort—especially in a room as central to a home as the living room. If you’re ready to fix your living room once and for all or add a custom closet, schedule a free design consultation with one of our experts today. Or, if you’d like to know more about our process first, contact us at your earliest convenience.