When most homeowners walk into a furniture store, they feel compelled to buy the entire set as they see it in the showroom. In a living room setting it's usually a sofa, loveseat and chair. Although the store might offer you a savings for buying all three pieces as a bundle, if it's too much furniture for the size of your living room, then you're not doing your home justice. Typically, you realize this once the furniture arrives and by then it's too late...you're stuck with it.

I want to share with you a few living room layouts that can also work in your home beginning with the photo shown. When I first saw the room, the homeowner had a sofa and loveseat combo. The problem was that the room was too narrow and the loveseat - placed at a right angle next to the sofa - blocked the traffic flow into the rest of the spaces. The solution was to replace the loveseat with two accent chairs instead. We still gave her enough seating and the room now appears more open and inviting.

Another grouping that works nicely, which I actually have in my own home, is a sofa, accent chair and ottoman combination. Typically, an ottoman gets placed at the foot of the chair in close proximity, but I suggest that you separate the two pieces and place them on opposite sides of the room - coffee table in the center - on either side of the sofa. It's a great layout for small living rooms that can't handle too many furniture pieces.

The furniture layout of any space is of the utmost importance because that's how you achieve visual harmony in a room. Of course, the traditional setting of a sofa, loveseat and chair in a living room will work provided you have the adequate amount of space. My tip is to always measure the furniture first at the store and then create an outline on the floor in your home with painter's tape. It will help you to visualize the scale better, and at that point if not all the pieces fit, then remember you have new options that will look just as great!