Having a large living room can feel like you've won the jackpot — until it doesn't. Yes, a capacious room means more space to comfortably fit the whole family, but designing a generous living area can prove challenging. No matter how often you rearrange your furniture, chances are you're left with the dreaded 'void' — a stark and empty space in the middle of your room that throws everything off balance.
When planning our living room layout ideas, we're led to believe our options are limited. The sofa is, of course, the big ticket item. From there, you introduce a few accent chairs, a coffee table, a couple of side tables, a floor lamp — perhaps a bookshelf if you're lucky — but where do you go from there? Instead of struggling to fit everything in, homeowners with a more generous square footage often have the opposite problem — how can I make my room look less bare?
To pull a large living room together, you have to think laterally. That means going beyond the standard living room set-up by adding more furnishings, clever arrangements, and some eye-catching details. Want to rid your living room of that boring, dead space in a way that looks natural? Here, we asked experts for their tips on how to avoid the void for a large space that looks characterful and complete.
1. Create Separate Zones
A large blueprint offers the perfect opportunity to zone your modern living room. Instead of having a space defined by a sofa and the TV, for example, ensure there are several different seating areas that are distinct from each other. Treat them like rooms within a room.
"Think of creating multiple different vignettes within one space," suggests interior designer Brittny Button, "a conversational area, a reading nook, a craft spot, and a lounging section". She notes that a bit of dead space is actually okay — it just needs to be intentional. "It depends on whether the interior needs a moment to breathe in juxtaposition with the rest of the room," she explains.
Helena Clunies-Ross, Founder of Helena Clunies-Ross Design, says pulling furniture away from the walls will help achieve a more balanced and inviting layout, minimizing a big void in the middle. "Use any remaining negative space to your advantage — these areas can play a supporting role to the main seating arrangement," she says. "You might introduce a console table with a mirror or a small vignette that adds depth and interest without overwhelming the primary focus."
2. Use Curves to Pull Into the Room's Center
To fill a large living room, consider choosing curved furnishings. "Curves are a great tool since soft, rounded shapes like a circular coffee table or a bouclé accent chair move the eye and warm up a room that might otherwise feel rigid," says Tehilla Bennett, founder and principal designer at Teela Bennett Design.
Take the space above, for example. A standard sofa touching the wall would leave a large empty area in the center of the room (which would be further exacerbated by a rectangular coffee table).
Instead, the sinuous shape of the curved sofa in the living room, as well as the round table, draws further into the room's center. As a result, there's breathing room around the furnishings that feels more natural and proportional.
3. Opt for Asymmetry
If your living room looks rigid and stark with a big void in the middle, take a look at your furniture placement. Have you gone for a formal, symmetrical arrangement? If so, it could be to blame. In larger spaces, the best living room seating plans are often asymmetrical.
"I always tell clients not to be afraid of asymmetry, because an off-center vignette or intentionally uneven styling often feels more natural and lived-in," says Tehilla.
By introducing an L-shaped sofa, or an organic-shaped coffee table with natural curves, you can edge into the room further and say goodbye to the dead space in the center.
4. Use Area Rugs for Definition
A living room rug acts like an anchor. It grounds your whole space, helping to tie your furniture together, while also softening the room by adding texture and warmth. It can also be a great way to visually fill the gap in the middle of a large living room.
"Go for a rug large enough that at least the front legs of your furniture sit on it," advises Lauren Kyle of Kyle & Co Design. To visually balance out your space, you might even want to use a small-scale rug.
You could use this to sit below a coffee table, for example, to make the surrounding floor space feel less empty.
5. Be Intentional With Your Furniture Placement
Don't be afraid to introduce extra furniture into a large living room. If you have ample space, you won't need to worry about visual clutter (even if you're more minimally inclined). Instead of one sofa, have two. Use multiple accent chairs. Add side tables, pedestals, multiple coffee tables — don't be afraid to fill the space.
Brittny recommends separate furniture arrangements for each "zone". "For instance, use two low-profile couches facing opposite one another, combined with an ottoman to generate conversation," she says. "A high back chair, stool, and floor lamp is ideal for reading, and incorporating a chaise or daybed makes for a fab lounge story." We're all for daybeds in living rooms.
Don't forget to line your walls, either. This will help draw your other furnishings further into the room, minimizing the void, and will make an open concept plan feel cozy. "Bookshelves, whether ladder-style, built-ins, or floating, are perfect for adding dimension," says Tehilla. "Long benches under windows or beneath artwork are another favorite for filling wide or empty expanses."
The key, says Helena, is proportion. "Pieces should connect the seating arrangement visually, creating flow rather than blocking it."
6. Be Conscious of Furniture Scale
When your room is larger, your furniture needs to be proportional. "Oversized spaces need substantial furniture," says Lauren. "Small sofas and chairs will feel lost."
To start, Lauren recommends a large sectional living room sofa or two couches facing each other. "Add deep, upholstered chairs instead of delicate accent chairs, and use generous coffee tables, or even a pair of them, to fill the center," she continues. This way, you won't be left with a bare space in the middle of your living room.
This is especially true for rooms with high ceilings, where it's important to add height and depth to draw the eye away from any empty space in the middle of the room. "For high ceilings or awkward corners, it helps to think vertically with tall bookcases, arched mirrors, or even a tree to draw the eye upward," Tehilla says.
Sculptural side tables will help add interest to a large living room without taking up too much square footage. By adding a few eye-catching pedestals beside your sofa and accent chairs, you can bring your coffee table into a more central position, filling in that dreaded dead space.
Chrome is having a serious moment in 2025, and we love the simple, clean lines seen on the base of this coffee table. Remember, you don't need bulky, heavy furniture to fill dead space — sleeker designers like this coffee table will work better, preventing a cluttered appearance.
The best rugs might not physically encroach on your space, but they do a great job of filling in any gaps visually. Use a large area rug as the foundation of your living room, using it to anchor your furniture (an abstract pattern will help draw the eye), then layer up smaller rugs as necessary.
FAQs
How Do You Fill a Dead Corner in a Living Room?
If dead space isn't proving a problem in the center of your living room, chances are you have an empty gap elsewhere — most likely in a corner. While easier to fill than the center of a room, decorating a corner can still prove challenging. In most cases, it's best to lean into coziness.
"A cozy reading chair paired with a side table and floor lamp always feels inviting, while a statement plant in a woven basket or sculptural pot can add height and life," says Tehilla. Clever storage ideas are also another option. "Corner shelving or a compact bookcase works well, and a leaning mirror or arched cabinet can make the space feel larger," Tehilla continues. "Even a bar cart can bring charm to an unused corner if it fits the vibe of the room."
Don't feel pressure to fill every gap in your living room, though. "Sometimes, a corner left empty is just as powerful as one that’s furnished — like in a painting, the negative space gives strength to the positive," says Helena. "Don’t be afraid to let a space breathe."
As any good designer will tell you, empty space in a living room layout is no bad thing. If, however, you're faced with a vortex-like void that's sucking the energy away from the rest of your thoughtfully designed space, follow the advice above to create a more visually harmonious room.
The two-thirds living room rule is also an important rule to follow for perfecting the layout of your space.
