One of the most common challenges in living room design is seating. How do you comfortably accommodate guests without overcrowding the space or compromising flow? In this project, the answer wasn’t a bigger room — it was smarter furniture choices.

With a thoughtful layout and multifunctional pieces, this living room went from seating just 5 people to comfortably hosting 10–12.

The Furniture That Made It Possible

Instead of relying on one large sofa, the room was layered with seating options that work hard without feeling bulky:

A sofa with a chaise provides seating for four while encouraging relaxed lounging.
Upholstered footstools double as stools — perfect for three children or an extra adult when needed.
A space-saving armchair with a matching footstool comfortably seats two adults without dominating the room.
A classic three-seater sofa anchors the layout and balances the space.

Each piece was chosen not just for comfort, but for flexibility. The result is a room that adapts effortlessly from everyday family use to entertaining larger groups.

The Often-Overlooked Detail: Door Swings

Furniture isn’t the only thing that affects how a room works. Door swings are frequently overlooked when renovating older properties, yet they can dramatically change how a space feels the moment you enter.

In this room, reconsidering how the doors open helped improve circulation and made the layout feel more intuitive and welcoming.

A Little History Behind Inward-Opening Doors

So why were doors originally hung this way?

In the Georgian period, middle-class households often had staff. Doors opened inwards to provide privacy, giving occupants a moment’s warning as servants approached and preventing them from immediately seeing what was happening inside the room. At the time, rooms were typically much grander in scale, so saving space simply wasn’t a concern.

Fast forward to modern living, and those same door swings can feel restrictive — which is why reassessing them during renovation can make such a difference.

The Takeaway

Great interior design isn’t just about how a room looks — it’s about how it functions. By combining clever furniture choices with a fresh look at architectural details, this living room now offers more seating, better flow, and far greater versatility, all without feeling cramped.

Sometimes, doubling capacity isn’t about adding more — it’s about choosing better.