Long and Narrow Living Room Layout: 7 Key Design Tips and Floor Plans
A long and narrow living room can present a host of challenges for the home decorator: a living room with limited width doesn't present a wide variety of choices when it comes to furniture and layout, and working with a narrow proportions can easily result in a floorplan that feels overcrowded, cramped or just plain awkward.
We've used our ArcSite mobile CAD app to tackle this challenge, coming up with smart floor plans that organize a long and narrow living room space without sacrificing openness and style. You can adopt these floor plans for your own space or use them as inspiration to create your own original layout using the Arcsite app. Let's take a closer look at these floor plans, along with some key tips on how to best organize a long living room layout.
Long and Narrow Living Room Floor Plan Layout Example
7 Tips for a Long and Narrow Living Room Layout
1. Work around the living room's constraints
Every room is different, and your living room's unique qualities will help determine how you’ll lay it out. For instance, maybe the living room has only one entry point, which means you have to free up the immediate space around the entry point for good room "flow." Or maybe the space has several windows or a fireplace. Think of these constraints as features of the room that you’ll plan around. For example, a fireplace is a logical area for some open space with furniture on the opposite wall, with the possibility of a wall-mounted TV or space-saving shelving above the fireplace. Or if the long living room layout features a door to the outside or another room, consider placing a rug in front of it to occupy the space.
2. Decide on a purpose for your long, narrow living room layout
What will the living room be used for? If you plan on turning it into an entertainment room, center your seating and other furniture around the entertainment. For example, arrange your seating, whether it’s an L-shaped sofa or several easy chairs, around where the TV is located. Or if you’re installing a stereo in the room, place the above your central seating area, such as a couch. If you want the living room to be a place for conversation and relaxation, consider a combination of chairs and sofas that don’t take up too much space and can easily be moved around, so people can congregate. If your long, narrow living room is meant to be a reading area, place sofas and easy chairs near bookshelves (built-in bookshelves are always a good space saver), with small tables and lamps to encourage curling up with a good book.
3. Break your living room into zones
One important way to organize a rectangular, long narrow living room layout is to break it into smaller squares! Creating “zones” in your room also creates spaces that have different purposes. For example, one end of the room could have an entertainment area which includes a TV and a couch, while the other end could be a conversation area, including a coffee table and sofas. Just using a couple of area rugs or arranging your furniture to set up “borders” can create different zones in your room.
[Long and narrow living room floorplan, with download button. Make it similar to this floorplan if possible, but delete the entryway above the couches, and instead of having two couches on the right, have just one couch facing the television:]
4. Think flow and flexibility
The last thing you want from a room is feeling hemmed in, especially when you’re dealing with a living room layout for a long, narrow room. As we mentioned earlier, leaving space around entry points is key for creating a space that’s easy to move around in, and while having some furniture in the middle of the room is fine, you’ll want to avoid over-cluttering; be realistic about the number of chairs and seats you need, or opt for furniture such as rolling mini-cabinets and smaller chairs that can “float” around the room as needed.
For example, you could opt for a single large sofa for your room, along with some comfortable single armchairs that can “orbit” around the sofa and can be moved to the side so people can enter and exit the space without issues. Don’t be afraid to place a coffee table and furniture on one end of the room and open up space in the rest of the room for a conversation piece such as a long cabinet or a large painting. Having contrasts between intimate seating and open space can really open up a room.
5. Move furniture away from your living room walls
It may seem counterintuitive, but moving at least some of your furniture away from the walls can increase a feeling of space throughout a long, narrow living room. Just placing a couch and some chairs a few feet away from a wall, for example, can create an individual zone that organizes your living room layout, and opens up pathways for people to circulate around the room. Just remember that when you place your furniture, you want to maintain a sense of flow in your living room, so that it’s easy to move from one side of the room to the other.
6. Layer your lighting
Whether you have numerous windows in your living room or none at all, having the right lighting in your room throughout the day goes a long way towards making it feel more welcoming. Think about placing wall-mounted lamps in areas that don’t receive much natural light instead of cluttering the area with standing lamps, or use recessed lighting in the ceiling. Another simple solution is to use LED strips along the walls. We also recommend having dimmable lights and lamps so you can increase or decrease lighting as needed during the day. Finally, placing a large mirror or two on your walls can help reflect light around the room (and also make your living room look more spacious).
7. L-shaped furniture layouts are your friend
Placing seating or storage in corners is great for opening up space in a long living room layout. Use an L-shaped sectional sofa, create built-in shelving around corners, or arrange chairs, sofas and side tables in an L shape (or even an N-shape if you can wrap around furniture or shelving) to create a zone for relaxing or socializing.
Why ArcSite is the Best Floor Plan Creator:
✅ Drag-and-Drop Shapes: Instantly add doors, windows, appliances, and furniture from an extensive shape library—no need to manually draw them.
✅ Scale Drawings with Precision: Unlike spreadsheets, ArcSite allows for accurate dimensions and scaling without guesswork.
✅ Customizable Templates: Use pre-made floor plan templates or create your own designs in minutes.
✅ Available on Any Device: Draw and edit your floor plan on iOS, Android, or desktop—no clunky spreadsheets required!
✅ Save Time and Money: Using ArcSite, you can determine the layout and furniture that best suits your room before you furnish your room, saving you valuable time and money.
🎉 Try ArcSite FREE for 14 Days and see how much easier it is to create professional floor plans for a long, narrow living room.
Long and narrow living room floor plan FAQ
1. Where to put a TV in a long, narrow room?
To save space, it’s always a good option to place your TV on the wall in a convenient location, such as over a fireplace. Another solution is to place it on top of a narrow media console. Ideally, the TV should be positioned where you can place seating (such as a couch) facing it so that the furniture doesn’t interrupt the flow of the room. See the floorplans on this page for some suggested long, narrow living room layouts that incorporate a TV.
2. How to place a rug in a long, narrow room?
A rug is a great way to make a small space look larger. In that vein, It’s okay to think big when it comes to rugs—big rugs, that is. Use a rug to define a zone in your living room, such as an entertainment area, by placing furniture along (or on top of) its boundaries, such as in our two-zone floorplan designs on this page. It’s also good to place rugs to mark out spaces in front of architectural features, such as a window, entryway or fireplace.
3. How to make a long, narrow room look bigger?
First and foremost, you don’t want to clutter up your living room with unneeded furniture or cabinets. Think of ways you can use the walls for storage and decoration, and limit yourself to one large couch or sofa at most. Use chairs or tables that are small enough to “float” in the middle of the room, creating flows and pathways to different areas. Break your room up into zones for different activities (such as watching TV or for socializing) by arranging rugs and furniture to define each zone. You can also make a space feel larger by adding shelving, art and mirrors to draw the eye upward.
4. What furniture works best in a narrow room?
When you’re designing a long, narrow living room layout, it’s best not to overwhelm the space with large pieces of furniture. Consider slim sectionals, loveseats, or modular pieces that can be moved around the room easily—this helps create a more open feeling of space while still providing enough seating. Low-profile seating also helps make a room feel taller (and larger).
5. What’s the best tool for planning my living room layout?
ArcSite helps you visualize your space and test multiple layout ideas before committing to a living room layout. With this native mobile app solution, you can use your phone or tablet to draw a space while you’re in it, using an AR room scan feature to create accurate room dimensions. With interior shape libraries featuring sofas, tables and chairs, you can
drag and drop furniture into different positions, plan walkways, zones, and seating arrangements. Experiment with layouts and avoid costly layout mistakes by using ArcSite for free.
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