apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time


Conversational Living Rooms


You know those homes that just seem like they were designed for entertaining? They usually have welcoming kitchens, dining rooms that are set up for dinner parties, and living rooms where you feel at home sitting down with a drink in hand or a cup of coffee, engaged in a good talk with your fellow party-goers. You can design your own home to be more party-friendly by arranging a conversational living room...

 
 

The homes above provide examples of how to do this. None of them use the TV as a focal point; rather they include sofas and chairs that face one another so that guests or family members can sit down and see one another. Each has a slightly different approach to the arrangement - click through the links for more information on individual rooms:

FIRST ROW
1 Galo Verdesoto Design
2 Brian and Tina's Modern Makeover
3 Beth's Photogenic Home
4 Lisa and Alex's Craftsman Loft
5 Jacob and Laurie Do It Themselves in West Ridge

SECOND ROW
6 Sofa Alternative: Lounge Chair Sets
7 Recipe for Style: Opposites Living Room
8 Understated, Comfortable Style from the Rockwell Hotel
9 The Wordens' Mid C Inspired Modern Build
10 Amy's Vintage Modern Nest

Tags

Living Room, inspiration, Roundup

Related Links

Share

Comments (20)

#1 and #4... Jessssssssssssssssus! I'm dying here.

posted by dunklekatze on June 18th 2009 at 8:08pm
view dunklekatze's profile

Ankle-deep shag makes me shudder. My goodness.

---
9 things I hate about my home: http://onegrandhome.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/9-things-i-hate-about-my-apartment/

posted by 1GH on June 18th 2009 at 8:16pm
view 1GH's profile

I agree - I'm loving #1

posted by bepsf on June 18th 2009 at 8:51pm
view bepsf's profile

very lovley so good!!

posted by tigerjt on June 18th 2009 at 9:33pm
view tigerjt's profile

I love the disco ball planter in picture 6.

posted by 510living on June 18th 2009 at 10:31pm
view 510living's profile

the couch in #7 = LUST

posted by Maybert on June 19th 2009 at 1:22am
view Maybert's profile

#1 is beautiful, although I agree about the shag rug. But most of these break my 2 seating area rules - all chairs (and both ends of the sofa) must have tables next to them for setting drinks/books/snacks/pencils. A coffee table is a poor second choice for this role, because you have to lunge forward out of your chair to get anything. However, the coffee table must look like it is acceptable to put your feet on it should the occasion arise.

(I suppose it's obvious my entertaining is on the informal side?)

posted by cedargr0 on June 19th 2009 at 7:01am
view cedargr0's profile

Loulou de la Falaise's living room has always inspired me that way:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1003862/Ooh-La-la-Designer-loulou-la-falaises-parisian-home-oozes-bohemian-style.html
She has chairs around the sofa and armchair that just evoke images of chic parisian men in great pants smoking with their legs crossed and sort of leaning in, talking, talking, talking.....
It's a living room that is totally designed for conversation.

posted by annalyssa on June 19th 2009 at 7:17am
view annalyssa's profile

1, 8, and 10 have my votes.

posted by ChrisGal on June 19th 2009 at 7:40am
view ChrisGal's profile

When i was growing up, the TV was in a separate room upstairs and the living room was set up for conversation, and I really prefer it that way. It just seems easier to have a conversation with people when you don't have that flat-screen altar dominating the room.
Unfortunately, the place I'm at now doesn't really have the space for that. The living room *is* the TV room. I've sort of minimized the TV's impact on the room by placing it on low furniture, but it's still definitely there.

posted by Cupajo on June 19th 2009 at 8:59am
view Cupajo's profile

I am not a red lover, but it's just the right use in #9.

posted by theserovingeyes on June 19th 2009 at 9:13am
view theserovingeyes's profile

A pair of couches facing each other (e.g. #3) looks very adversarial to me. The only arrangement that seems to strongly foster conversation is #1.

posted by JoanneM on June 19th 2009 at 9:27am
view JoanneM's profile

am i the only one that loves #3? its gorgeous. nice mix of patterns and colours... kind of reminds me of my place.

posted by hla21 on June 19th 2009 at 10:51am
view hla21's profile

I like #1 but it's got too much white and not enough other color to offset it, general layout of the corner sectional and chairs is great, the coffee table/ottoman is the right size for the more square shape of the seating arrangement and I can't tell due to the camer anglel, is there a table at the end of the sectional by the arm chair? might be. But they did compensate for not having one at the end of the sectional we do see by the wall mounted arm lamp.

I like how the more smoother textures of the upholstery work well with the Flokati rug to bring variety of textures to the space.

#3, the furniture arrangement is fine, but the wall treatment is just too much of a good thing w/ blocks of different colors and patterns, making the room much too busy, like the room's basic bones however.

#7, love, love, love, first off, the high contrast of dark/light, hard/soft etc and the fact that it has an eclectic element to it and love the modern coffee table and the dark furniture against the Flokati rug which then sits on simple white flooring. Of all the rooms, this one is probably my favorite.

#9 is nice and I like how they used the red on the couch to anchor the room and give it color, I have done that as well with a red leather Klippan I found in the As Is dept at IKEA last fall for cheap.

posted by ciddyguy on June 19th 2009 at 12:48pm
view ciddyguy's profile

I'm in love with the couch in #7. After seeing that, everything else is a blur.

posted by baileyb on June 19th 2009 at 6:10pm
view baileyb's profile

I NEED that blue couch in #7! It is so beautiful. *swoons*

posted by msbetsy on June 21st 2009 at 1:55pm
view msbetsy's profile

I love room seven. It makes me want to put on some cool vintage 70's clothes and pour myself a martini. Now room three is a disaster. Looks like a cheap Vegas hotel that you would find off the Strip.

posted by latinwaterpolo on June 21st 2009 at 11:49pm
view latinwaterpolo's profile

I will take anyone of them. They all look so inviting.

posted by souk1501 on June 22nd 2009 at 2:01am
view souk1501's profile

I'm feeling some serious love for #9, here. The red sofa with the great toss cushion is just the right touch.

posted by Cashew on June 22nd 2009 at 10:46am
view Cashew's profile

#7: Perfect antique meets modern.

posted by Rainybeth on June 22nd 2009 at 9:25pm
view Rainybeth's profile

Feeds

RSS icon Chicago

+ City Feeds