8 Living Room Essentials: A Checklist for Your Home

A living room designed and built by Hanson Builders, featuring essential furniture items.

In many homes, the living room is the primary gathering space. It’s where you enjoy time with your loved ones, entertain friends, and relax after a long day. And since this room is used so often, you want to be sure it’s furnished properly. In today’s blog, we’ll be sharing our list of living room essentials—furniture, décor, and more—that we think every living room could benefit from. Of course, it’s completely up to you what you want to include in your living room, but this list is a great place to start if you’re looking for inspiration.

Sofa

Often the largest and most expensive piece of furniture in the room, the sofa should be one of the first things you pick out for your living room. This is where you, your family, and your guests will spend much of your time relaxing and socializing, so it needs to be comfortable. Its color and design can also be used as a basis for the style of the entire room.

Chairs

While the sofa provides the room’s main seating, chairs are necessary for larger gatherings. Placing chairs in strategic locations around the room can help everyone feel included and open up the conversation to the entire space. There are many options available for chairs, including stylish accent chairs and comfortable recliners.

Coffee Table

It may not be strictly necessary, but a coffee table can be a wonderful addition to your living room. It serves as a central place to set down drinks and snacks, which is ideal for entertaining. Many coffee tables are also tiered, with the lower levels perfect for storing TV remotes, magazines, and more. You can also opt for end tables instead, which provide many of the same benefits as a coffee table while leaving room for ottomans and foot rests in front of the sofa.

Entertainment Center

If you want a TV in your living room, you’ll need some sort of entertainment unit to support or house it. Even if you mount your TV on the wall, an entertainment center that sits beneath it adds depth and visual interest to the space while offering extra storage. For the full entertainment experience, consider adding a built-in media wall.

Area Rug

Rugs bring warmth and comfort to any room, especially if you have hard flooring. But even if your living room is carpeted, an area rug can enhance the room’s style and add texture to the floor. Large rugs are also useful for creating zones in your living room, helping you know where to place furniture and clearly defining the structure of your space.

Throw Blankets & Pillows

With your sofa and chairs picked out, it’s time to add some accessories! Throw blankets and pillows are not only warm and cozy, they’re also an easy way to add accent colors to your living room. A few well-chosen throw pillows can totally transform the look of your space.

Photos and Artwork

No living room should have completely blank walls. And with such a wide variety of artwork available, hanging a few carefully selected pieces shows off your unique personality and tastes. From paintings and photographs to iron wall art and tapestries, the options are truly endless. You may also prefer to hang a few photos of family and friends!

Floor & Table Lamps

The atmosphere of your living room depends greatly on the lighting. And while the primary light source may be overhead, lamps provide alternative lighting options. They can help you read at night or simply set the mood for a more relaxed evening.

Design Your Living Room with Hanson Builders

We hope you found this list of living room essentials inspiring as you think about the furniture and décor in your own home. If you want the help of expert interior designers for every room of your new home, consider working with us at Hanson Builders. We specialize in building custom and semi-custom homes for our clients, with every detail built to their preferences.