Every Family Room Needs These 3 Furniture Pieces, According To Interior Design Experts

A living room is the space where family, friends, and loved ones come to gather. It's probably where you spend your evenings watching TV or relaxing on the couch, where movie nights are hosted, video games are played, and parties are thrown. But does your space follow the expert rule of the three pieces you should have in your family room? 

Victoria Holly, Principal and Founder of Victoria Holly Interiors, told Homes & Gardens that every living room should have three main seating components: a couch, chairs, and ottomans. But what's the best way to incorporate all of these elements into your living room, and in what order? Also, what can you do if you don't have space for much seating?

Fortunately, everyone can follow the main ideas behind this rule to create a living room layout that they love. Let's take a deeper look at how you can incorporate the three main essentials for your family room into your own space.

It probably doesn't come as much of a surprise that the sofa (or couch) is considered the focal point of any room. It's what turns a living room into a true gathering space. All of your other seating choices will be built around your couch — that includes both the design of your secondary seating and the layout of the rest of your living room. 

If you're building your living room slowly over time, you should start with the couch. This gives you flexible and versatile seating for the time being (after all, multiple people can cram onto a small couch, but the same can't be said of a set of armchairs), and helps to fill the empty space in your living room. A couch also defines the space, filling up an empty room and providing a focal point.

This rule isn't exclusive to large spaces, either. In a very small living room, the main seating component is by far the most essential. Walking into a living room with only one chair feels awkward and uninviting; you want to try to set up your space for hosting as best you can, even if you don't have much room. This means a small couch or even a loveseat can make a living room feel a whole lot more homey than just chairs.

Chairs are the next thing that every living room should have (as long as there's space, of course). Popping a chair (or two) on either side of the couch or arranging several chairs around the sides of an open living room creates a larger, more open gathering space. You can also put chairs across from the couch to define an open-concept space. Friends can look at each other while they talk, bouncing the conversation around the room. Family can gather across all corners of the living room, making the whole space feel warm and cozy. 

Consider starting with a larger, comfier statement chair, such as an armchair. You could add one in an exciting pattern, color, or fabric if you want to add a pop of joy to the room — or leave the throw pillow combinations for later and choose a timeless chair that you know you'll love for years to come.

You could also opt for a swivel chair, which can help create a more flexible conversation space, allowing your guests to turn the chair as they need. Just make sure that all chairs you add are angled towards the center of the room. They should always be the secondary focal point outside of the couch, which should remain the main focus; arrange your chairs around your couch, not the other way around. This will create a cohesive space that guides guests to gather together.

Who doesn't love a handy storage ottoman? Believe it or not, ottomans can seriously dress up a living room. That's because they're completely flexible pieces. Use ottomans as an extension of your coffee table and pop a few books on them, add them to the sides of your couch as side tables, or keep all your hosting supplies handy in a round storage ottoman with a hollow center and removable top. Then, when guests come over and you need more seating, just move them to the center of the room in front of the couch, or to the edges of the living room. Bam — you've got intentional seating that looks like it was there all along. Small ottomans and poufs are also great for making your couch even more comfortable by giving you a place to rest your feet.

If you're working with a small space, you can actually opt to use ottomans as your secondary seating in place of chairs. An ottoman is generally a lot smaller and more flexible than a chair (and they can also be a lot more affordable, too). They're also easier to move around. You could use coffee table ottoman with multifunctional storage to max out your usable space, or opt for a small side ottoman that's easy to tuck away when it's not being used as seating. Regardless of how you choose to use it and style it, an ottoman or pouf will take your family room to the next level.