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While curling up to cozy nights around a crackling fire can be one of life’s greatest pleasures, designing a room around a fireplace can feel like anything but. Trying to choose the right furniture, determine the best layout, and create harmony and flow within the room can be tricky. Add in a focal point fireplace or an awkward room shape, and you’ve got your work cut out for you.
If you’re feeling stumped about how to position furniture around a fireplace, consider these tips and helpful scenarios.
When it comes to living room interior design with a fireplace, hard-and-fast rules can be unhelpful since they often neglect to consider how small tweaks and adjustments can affect the overall mood or perceived purpose of a room. Before you begin selecting furniture or placing it in the room, consider the aesthetic you want your room to have.
If you want the room to feel more formal, the name of the game is symmetry. This works best if the fireplace is centered on your wall, and any furniture is placed evenly and symmetrically around it. This symmetry invokes feelings of order and tradition, whether you create it using pieces like armchairs, loveseats, and a center coffee table.
If this fireplace room is to be used for cozy fireside chats, the layout of your furniture should indicate that. All seating will turn inward toward each other, rather than facing the fireplace or TV. Avoid bulky tables that can create visual barriers between seats, and bring furniture closer together to naturally invite conversation between visitors.
If the key to a more formal set-up is symmetry, then a casual room will embrace the opposite. If this room is meant to be welcoming, relaxed, and a place for screen time, there should be a comfortable view of the television, and furniture will need to be delightfully and comfortably asymmetrical. Note that the fireplace can still be the room’s primary focal point in this scenario, but there should also be a comfortable, logical spot to sit and watch TV.
It’s one thing to furnish a perfectly square room with a centered fireplace, but things aren’t always that simple. Fortunately, there is no awkward angle or secondary focal point you can’t work with.
The fireplace may be the crown jewel of the room, but it can be tricky if you need to put the TV in this room, too. Should a TV go over the fireplace? This can be the perfect solution if the TV fits at a comfortable viewing height (which, for the record, is when the center of the screen is at eye level for a seated adult).
If there’s no way to fit the TV above the fireplace without needing to crane your neck, consider placing it on an adjacent wall. Then you can add seating that offers views of both. Options that work especially well include:
The key is creating a layout in which the focal points complement each other while feeling equally accessible.
If your fireplace isn’t perfectly centered on the wall, creating a perfectly symmetrical room is likely not in the cards. In fact, trying to force symmetry in these scenarios often feels clunky and awkward. Instead, maintain a corner or off-center fireplace as the focal point by:
The key in this situation is to visually acknowledge the fireplace within your furniture layout without pulling everything toward it in a way that feels forced.
Additionally, an off-center fireplace or one tucked into a corner can easily make the room feel unbalanced, so it’s important not to neglect the opposite side or corner of the room. Place something equally interesting or weighty on the opposite side of the room, like a bookshelf, a large floor lamp, or an eye-catching piece of art.
When the fireplace is the focal point of a room, the furniture should successfully complement its size. For example, a large, ornate fireplace can hold its own against a plush, stately couch. A smaller fireplace may feel dwarfed by a huge couch, and look more cohesive with smaller seating options. That said, a smaller fireplace can also be intentionally “bulked up” visually by adding artwork or a mirror above it, symmetrical shelves on either side, or by creating contrast with paint, stones, and so on.
It’s equally important to consider the height of your furniture. A tall couch or high-backed chairs can create a “wall” around the fireplace, blocking it from view. Lower seating will ensure that the fireplace is the true star of the show from every vantage point.
Similar to an awkwardly placed fireplace, an awkwardly shaped room with a fireplace can feel like a design nightmare. Rather than forcing a specific layout or furniture set into your room, allow the shape of the room to inform your design – in other words, embrace it!
As you place furniture and add decor to the room, use them in ways that continually draw the eye back to your focal point, the fireplace. Furniture can once again be angled toward your fireplace, and you can define and anchor this area with a rug.
When considering how to decorate around a fireplace in an awkwardly shaped room, it may be easiest to mentally divide the room into segments. This can be accomplished by using rugs to create distinct zones, strategically placing furniture to create boundaries with its straight lines, and distributing visual weight evenly around the room. Creating a specific zone around the fireplace still embraces it as a focal point without monopolizing the entire space.
A great layout starts with the right furniture. At CORT Furniture Outlet, you’ll find sofas, chairs, and accent pieces that help your fireplace shine—without overspending. Visit your local Outlet or shop online to find pieces that fit your room and your budget.
