POINT OF FOCUS
When someone first enters your living room what do you want them to see? Perhaps it is a fireplace, or the view outside, or a nice piece of artwork. One of the first things you need to do when designing your living room is to figure out what the focal point is going to be so that all of your other design decisions work to enhance your selection. If you have a great view outside and low windows then you don't want tall furniture obstruction that view. If you have a colorful piece of artwork then you may want to consider using neutral colors throughout the rest of the room save for a few small color accents so that the artwork can really pop.
CENTERING THE ROOM
When centering your living room, you don't have to use the actual center of the room. In fact, depending on the size and shape of your living room it may be inadvisable to use the actual center of the room. This should be the point where you want to center people around. Typically the center point is where you will want to place a coffee table and then center seating around it. If you have a large living room then it may be beneficial to have multiple centers in the room. If you do this, try to design one area as the main center and any others that you include as smaller offshoots.
SEATING
There is no rule for what the correct furniture is for your living room. Ultimately, your furniture should suit your family and your needs. If you have a large family or entertain often then you probably want a fair amount of seating. Also bear in mind how much space you have for furniture. You don't want to overfull the room with too much and leave yourself with no room to move around in. If there's not enough room for all the seating that you want then think about using some multifunctional furniture. When there aren't that many people in the room that ottoman can be used as a coffee table but when you're entertaining it can easily be converted into extra seating.
FLAT SURFACES
Almost as important as seating are flat surfaces. You need places for people to set drinks and other things down. They're also a great place for a few design pieces to add some character to the room. Just don't go too overboard on adding in decor pieces. A coffee table in front of your main couch is a good place to start. After that add in a few side tables, which will be especially important if you're an avid reader so that you can add in a lamp close to where you plan to read.
LIGHTING
Consider the multitude of things that this room can be used for, it shouldn't be too surprising that you will need quite a few different light sources to keep up. The lighting you would need for reading would be far different from the lighting that you would need to watch TV. For the most effective lighting you'll want a combination that would include things like natural light, ceiling lights, table lamps, sconces, and floor lamps. If you're big on entertaining then you may also want to consider putting your light switches on a dimmer so that you can easily adjust to the most flattering light for your guests.
DECOR
One of the prevailing design themes right
now is that less is more, but that doesn't mean you should skimp out on adding in at least a few pieces to give your room some character. Throw pillows are a good addition and can be more easily swapped out if you find your design tastes have changed.A piece of two of interesting artwork for the walls can be a good conversation starter when you're entertaining. Or you could create your own gallery wall with family photos. Coffee table trays can be very handy as not only a place to arrange stylish knick knacks but also when you're cleaning up in preparation for guests. Just put everything you need to get out of the room on the tray and then move it to another room for temporary storage.
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