Perfect Layout For Your Living And Dining Space

Find the perfect layout for your living and dining space.

STEP 1:

PLAN YOUR LAYOUT

Find the perfect layout for your living and dining space.

Open-concept

Love a bright and airy living space? If you don’t mind sacrificing the cosy, intimate vibe, opt for an open concept layout with no wall behind the couch. This makes for a convivial home that invites mingling and moving between spaces, making it extra suitable for those who love hosting.

Cosy corner

For a classic, foolproof layout, simply arrange the couch and TV opposite each other in front of the main living room window. This instantly makes the space feel intimate and cosy, which is perfect for a restful living area. Consider placing the dining area in the next corner along the same wall as the TV—we recommend going with banquette-style seating for a bit of a cafe ambience.

Peninsula dining

Not every home has enough square footage for a full-sized dining area. If you’re trying to figure out a space-saving layout, consider getting rid of the dining room altogether and instead maximising the kitchen with a dining peninsula that stretches towards the living area. Opt for a sturdy countertop material so it can double up as an extra food prep surface!

Angled living

If your home has some awkward corners and diagonal walls, there’s no need to panic. You can still achieve the living room design of your dreams— just make sure to work with the design instead of against it. Make the most of the unique angles with custom furniture and turn the twists and turns to your advantage by crafting a cosy living room nook.

STEP 2:

HIDE YOUR SHELTER

Conceal your unsightly household shelter with these understated ideas.

Make it stand out

Disguising a bomb shelter doesn’t necessarily mean making it invisible. In fact, it’s often better to hide it in plain sight by drawing the eye to it! You can decorate the outer walls of your shelter with varying tones of wood, a vibrant coat of paint and even some lively plants. Turning your shelter into an eye-catching feature will trick you into forgetting it’s a shelter in the first place, making it appear like a purposeful addition to your home design.

Add a large mirror

Nothing gives your home that certain luxe factor like a large mirror. Your shelter is the perfect space to try out this reflective feature, adding dimension to the otherwise unused wall space while brightening your overall home. Plus, by reflecting the rest of the space, the mirror completely distracts from the bomb shelter that lies behind it.

Feature it

If you’re hoping to combine function and style in your next renovation, turning your household shelter into a TV feature wall might be just what you’re looking for. Whether you cover the shelter in wood panels or veined marble, mounting your TV on the final result makes it more than just an aesthetic change. You can even complement the whole set-up with a few built-in shelves, giving the shelter another touch of practicality.

Conceal it

You may be looking through these ideas and thinking that you don’t want to highlight your shelter with paint, mirrors and storage— you just want it gone. In that case, why not conceal the entire bulk of it behind some stylish full-height panels? For a seamless look, apply the same panels to the TV wall and all around the living room.

STEP 3:

GET ENTERTAINED

How to choose the right entertainment devices for your living room.

Pick your soundbar

No entertainment setup is complete without a good soundbar. The new Sonos Beam (Gen 2) is an industry-leading soundbar for music, TV, gaming and more, providing cinema-worthy sound that adapts to your surroundings. Plus, it’s easy to set up with just two cables and a few clicks to get started.

Go with a projector

No room for a TV? For something versatile and space-savvy, install a projector instead. The Epson EH-TW7000 is 4K-ready and HDRcapable without breaking the bank, bringing you the same immersive visual experience as a TV while leaving the wall blank for multifunctional use.

Find the perfect TV

The most important consideration when shopping for a TV is the size of the screen, which should always be proportionate to the size of your living room. For the optimum viewing experience, Sony recommends that the height of the TV be two-thirds the distance from your seating position. After all, you want to be able to see all of the action and not just part of the screen.

While you should of course pay attention to the TV specs and ensure that the screen has realistic colour representation as well as good brightness and contrast, don’t neglect the frame and stand of the TV either. We particularly love the LG Gallery series and The Frame by Samsung, both of which have a chic, contemporary design perfect for art lovers.

STEP 4:

INCORPORATE STORAGE