A living room is an important part of a home. It is usually the place that will receive most of the visits a house will get. It is the place family, and friends gather and also the welcoming place for any visitor.
Then you wonder, how big should a living room be?
The average size of a living room is 330 square feet in the United States. It is about 175 square feet in the United Kingdom, though. A living room will have a size commensurate with the size of the whole building.
The actual size of the living room is dependent on how big the house is. A small house will most likely have a small living room.
Read on to find out the size of a small, medium, and large living room. And also the difference between a living room and a great room.
What should be the size of a living room?
Contents
The size of a house will reflect on the consequent size of the living room. The average is 330 square feet, but not all living rooms will be up to that. Some are even larger than 330 square feet in size.
The size of your living room will depend on the space the house size can offer.
A small living room can measure 130 square feet, while a medium one can be around 216 square feet. It is expected that a big house will have a big living room and vice versa.
A large living room is ideal for someone that enjoys having many guests.
Deciding on the size of a living room is also affected by personal preferences. A small living room may be preferred by a person that enjoys more privacy and a cozy atmosphere.
In contrast, a bigger living room will be chosen by someone who loves many visitors coming around.
What is considered a large living room?
A large living room has a size that is above 300 square feet. This means a dimension of 15 feet by 20 feet and above is considered a large living room. It is ideal for a large family to have a house with such a big living room.
An average American home has a size of 330 square feet as the living room. This means that most homes in America have large living rooms. Such a huge space makes it possible to accommodate a lot of furniture in one room.
There can be several sofas and still space for easy movements within the room. It also offers a place for entertaining a good number of guests and visitors. A large living room can be used for an in-house party or a get-together.
Apart from the basic furniture for a living room, this kind of space offers more to work with. Game tables and writing desks are some of the things that can fit into the available space.
There can also be sections of furniture within the same living room facilitating several private conversations at the same time.
What is a small living room?
The size of a small living room is around 130 square feet. This gives a dimension of 13 feet by 10 feet. This kind of room does not offer space for unneeded furniture. A small sofa and minimal furniture are used in a small living room.
The living room of this size should accommodate a small sofa with two other chairs. This should be enough to seat four people comfortably. A wall hanger is good for the television to save space.
If the living room is well planned, it may not really show as being small.
There won’t be a space for unnecessary things in a small living room. It is good to decide the necessary pieces of furniture that will be in the living room. Dual-purpose furniture is good for this kind of setup. It is conserving space and providing utility at the same time.
A small living room can be set up around a TV or fireplace as the focal point. This allows for a setup around the focal point that manages the space. Use the walls as support for the couch. Make use of corners and create space between the furniture pieces.
What is a medium-sized living room?
The medium-sized living room is somewhere between the large and small-sized ones. It has a dimension of about 18 square feet by 12 square feet. That is about 216 square feet in area for the medium-sized living room.
This space is big enough for some furniture beyond what a small living room will contain. It can sit up to eight persons comfortably. A fireplace and television will fit well into the space. More space will be available if the TV is wall-mounted. That can make the room sit up to ten persons well.
A conversation area can be created in a medium-sized living room. This is not available in the small living room. A small study table can also find a place depending on how the room is used. More space can be created with the use of small furniture pieces that fit well into corners.
Up to three conversation areas can be set up within the living room. This is possible if the corners are put to good use. A medium-sized living room can be used for a small house party of few people.
Differences between a living room and a great room
In several cases, people use the living room and great room to mean the same thing. In reality, there is a slight difference between the two rooms. The living room is the place where people mainly sit in a building. It is more of a place to receive guests, to sit, chat and relax.
A great room, on the other hand, serves more purpose than a living room. The great room is a large space that can serve as a living room, study, office, and other recreational use. It can have a space for a living room in it, but it is more than just a living room.
What furniture is needed in a living room?
A living room majorly offers a place to sit and relax. Irrespective of the living room size, there is some basic furniture that must be there. Here is the basic furniture for a living room:
Seat
There must be provision for a place to sit in a living room. A couch or sofa is usually the answer to the need for a place to sit. There is no point in having a living room where guests will have to stand to chat or watch TV. It just doesn’t cut it.
Table
A coffee table or end table is another important piece of furniture for a living room. This surface can serve aesthetics purposes by holding a vase or extra lightings. An extra surface in the form of a table is needed.
TV stand
A television set is not a compulsory gadget for a living room, but a usual one, though. There will be a need for a place the TV will sit on. Mounting the TV on the wall is an option that will rule out the need for an extra surface.
Final words
A living room is very important in a house. It is a perfect place to gather and have relaxing moments as a family. It is also the ideal place to have guests and visitors received.
The living room offers the space to relax and discuss. Irrespective of the size, there should be a provision for seating and relaxing.
