Living Room Furniture

Planning your living room furniture

Everything on this page is furniture for the living room, so it is a good place to begin whether you are furnishing from scratch or replacing a tired coffee table. We stock sofas, armchairs, coffee tables, side tables, console tables, sideboards, TV units, shelving units, display cabinets, footstools, storage ottomans, nests of tables and chests of drawers.

Start with how you use the room: a family space for films and games needs generous seating and surfaces within easy reach, while a reading corner needs little more than an armchair, a side table and good light. Many pieces here also suit the hallway, the bedroom, the study or the dining room, which is useful in an open-plan home.

Sofas and armchairs for the living room

Seating sets the scale for the rest of the room, so choose it first. Upholstery options include fabric, velvet, boucle and leather: fabric feels warm to sit on, velvet gives deep colour, boucle brings a looped texture and leather is quick to wipe clean. Where the upholstery is listed, check whether leather is real or faux.

Seat depth shapes comfort: a deeper seat suits lounging with your feet tucked up, while a shallower seat keeps you upright and is easier to rise from. Footstools and storage ottomans give tired feet a rest, and the ottomans hide throws and remote controls. Some of our sofas are modular, made up of separate sections, which helps when stairs or doorways are tight. We also stock some swivel chairs.

Living room coffee tables and side tables

A coffee table should sit roughly level with your sofa seat, or a little lower, with room to walk past without turning sideways. In a narrow room, a round or oval top is easier to move around than a rectangle. Glass keeps a small room feeling open, marble brings weight and pattern, and wood feels warm under the hand.

Side tables sit at the end of a sofa or beside an armchair, holding a drink, a book or a table lamp, and work best with a top close to the height of the chair arm. Nests of tables tuck away when you need the floor and pull out when friends come round.

Storage and display in the living room

Sideboards, TV units, shelving units, display cabinets and chests of drawers keep daily clutter in order. Measure the wall and the depth you can spare first: a deep sideboard holds more but can crowd a walkway, while a slim console table fits behind a sofa or along a narrow wall.

Choose a TV unit at least as wide as the screen so the set looks settled rather than top-heavy. Where a product page lists a maximum load, compare it with what you plan to put on top or on the shelves. Closed doors hide cables, games and paperwork, while open shelving and display cabinets show off ceramics, glassware and keepsakes.

Materials in our living room furniture

Wood runs through most of the range on this page. We stock oak, walnut and MDF, as well as glass, marble, rattan, concrete and metal, including steel and aluminium. Solid oak, oak veneer and MDF can look alike from across the room but differ in weight and in how easily they can be repaired, so read the material details before you buy.

The words 'marble effect' mean a top imitates stone rather than being cut from it. Real marble needs coasters and a quick wipe after spills. Some pieces use travertine, a porous stone that needs the same care. Rattan adds texture and a lighter look.

Colours and styles for your living room

We stock living room furniture in black, white, grey, brown, cream and natural wood tones, with greens and blues for a bolder scheme, and brass, gold and bronze finishes for warmth. We also stock matt and antique finishes. A name such as oak or walnut can describe a shade as well as a timber, so look at the colour and material details together.

When it comes to looks, we stock modern, Scandinavian-style, mid-century modern, industrial, rustic and classic pieces. Mixing works when something repeats: carry a wood tone, a metal or a colour from piece to piece and the room will feel planned rather than random.

Measuring and caring for living room furniture

Before you order, mark out larger pieces on the floor with masking tape, then check the width, depth and height on the product page against the room. Measure doorways, hallways and the turn of the stairs for anything bulky. Where assembly is listed, see whether a piece comes fully assembled, needs its legs fitted or needs building.

For everyday care, start with a soft, slightly damp cloth or a soft brush, then dry wood straight away. Use coasters on wood and stone, blot spills on fabric rather than rubbing them, and brush velvet with its pile. Strong direct sun can fade upholstery and dry out timber, so place pieces with care and follow the care notes where we list them.