Great Room Layouts with Fireplaces: Where the Sofa Goes The Best

If you’re arranging furniture in a great room around a fireplace, it can often feel too large and disconnected without the right floor plan. The great room layouts I’ve created here are drawn to scale using popular furniture dimensions so that you can compare them with your own room before buying anything. The designs range from a 20-by-18 living area with a corner fireplace to a 28-by-32 room divided into two by a double-sided piece.

The fireplace is usually the focal point because it’s already on the wall, and the sofa will naturally face it. The challenge is deciding how far back to place the sofa and where to put extra chairs and the TV. Before placing the furniture, you’ll want to know where the passage run will go, and if it will pass straight through the area where people sit or around the perimeter. A common rule of thumb is to leave 42 inches open for the main pathway across the room and 36 inches for the side paths. It’s a good idea to position the front of the seating about 8 to 10 feet from the face of the fireplace for optimum comfort. If you place it farther away, the room may no longer feel like it has a central point. 

20×22 Classic Great Room With Centered Fireplace Layout

A symmetrical fireplace arrangement works in almost any rectangular room and creates an inviting appeal.

This great room arrangement uses a central fireplace with the main sofa facing it and the chairs directed inwards to create an inviting conversational layout. The fireplace is 6 feet wide and centered on the 22-foot wall, with the TV above. For the same focal point problem in a standard-size room, these living room layouts with a fireplace and TV work through seven smaller plans. Low cabinets extend to the corners on each side, with an 84-inch sofa positioned facing toward the fire. Two chairs, each measuring 32 by 34 inches, sit at either end of the coffee table and are angled inward. To frame the conversation area, a 9-by-12-foot rug helps bring the pieces together for a cohesive design.

The secret lies in the angle of the chairs, because turning them 30 or 45 degrees towards the sofa puts the emphasis on conversation. However, by turning the chairs so they face each other, all of the people in the group will be able to see the fire, the TV, and one another. The traffic area is located behind the sofa, with 42 inches of open floor space before you reach the back of the room. This walkway prevents anyone who needs to access the kitchen or walk down the hall from cutting between the sofa and the coffee table.

In this room, the distance from the sofa to the fireplace is quite great, with the measurement from the face of the cabinet to the front of the sofa being almost 12 feet. This is more than I would normally allow, but it prevents those in the chairs from being too close to the fire. However, you may be able to move the entire group forward by a few feet and use the extra space in the walkway behind the sofa, especially if you have an electric unit where you can control the heat. Openings vary a lot between unit types, so check the standard fireplace dimensions by type before you settle on a 6-foot surround.

Dimensions:

• Room size: 20′ x 22′
• Fireplace surround: 72″ wide, centered on the 22′ wall
• Low cabinets: 18″ deep, running to both corners
• Sofa: 84″ x 38″
• Chairs: 32″ x 34″ (two)
• Coffee table: 30″ x 48″, set 18″ from the sofa
• Rug: 9′ x 12′
• Cabinet face to sofa front: about 11′ 10″
• Path behind the sofa: 42″

Design Tips:

• Choose two side chairs fitted with swivels so that people can turn their chairs towards the fire, the TV, or those sitting on the sofa more easily.
• If the room is narrower than 20 feet, the side cabinets should not be deeper than 14 to 16 inches, since at 18 inches they begin to push the entire seating group towards the back.
• Put all front legs of the sofa and the chairs on the area rug, so it all appears as one group.

24×28 Open-Concept Living Room With Fireplace and Dining Floor Plan

By using the sectional as a functional wall, you divide the space and create a separate living area.

The house plan has a great room with a dining area and living room forming a single large space with no wall to indicate where one area ends. Centered on the 28-foot wall is a 6-foot fireplace with the TV above it, with 11 feet of low cabinets on each side. The L-shaped sectional sits on a 9 by 12 rug, and faces the fire and is open to the dining section. The back of the sofa acts as a divider to the remainder of the space, which is good if it continues on to a kitchen or other multi-use part of the home.

The dining table is at the open end of the sectional and measures 42 by 84 inches with eight chairs, so this setup works for dinner, and not just breakfast. The person sitting at the far end of the table can still see the fire, making it more inviting to those dining. Common mistakes in an open-plan room are that it can be hard to determine where the living room ends. The back of the sectional solves this problem because it provides a clear boundary to other areas and the part off of the rug belonging to the dining area. There is more on splitting one room into two zones in these living and dining room layouts that work together.

There are two points to note: the dining chairs on the wall side have only 37 inches from the table to the wall, which allows a chair to be slid out but doesn’t provide enough space for a person to walk behind while a guest is seated. There is also about 9.5 feet of open floor space between the sectional and the window wall. This can be further decorated with a console behind the sofa to add more decor and fill some of the empty space.

Dimensions:

• Room size: 24′ x 28′
• Fireplace: 6′ wide, centered, with 11′ of 16″-deep cabinets on each side
• Rug: 9′ x 12′
• Coffee table: 24″ x 36″
• Dining table: 42″ x 84″ with eight 24″ chairs
• Dining chairs to side wall: 37″
• Hearth to back of sectional: about 15′
• Sectional to window wall: about 9.5′

Design Tips:

• Place a console behind the sectional to add more options for decor and fill the extra space.
• Give the strip along the window wall some purpose; for example, by adding a reading chair together with a floor lamp, or a long, low bench. This prevents it from looking like unused space.
• Light the two areas in different ways, since a pendant situated above the table together with lamps in the seating area does a better job of separating the dining from the lounging area at night than a rug can.

20×18 Living Space With Compact Corner Fireplace Design

A corner fireplace works well if the furniture is placed on the diagonal as well.

Corner fireplaces often occur because the windows and doors take up all the best sections of the wall, which is the case with this room. It has windows running along the top wall and down the right side, with openings at the corners, and the fireplace positioned in the top left corner. The seating follows this layout: an 84-inch sofa on the diagonal, about 9 feet from the fireplace, with a 30-by-48-inch coffee table and a 6-by-9-foot rug, all in the same orientation. There are two chairs, each measuring 32 by 34 inches in size, that are placed opposite the sofa to complete the arrangement. If your room is smaller than this one, there are five more corner fireplace living room layouts from 11×14 up to 16×20.

In many floor plans, people tend to push the sofa up against a wall since that’s the way sofas are often meant to be. With a corner fireplace, the arrangement looks wrong, as everyone ends up leaning forward toward the corner and the fireplace seems out of place. However, if you rotate the sofa, the room starts to make more visual sense. Although this design does lose a bit of floor space in the distant corners, you can turn those triangular areas into walkways, and the room ends up feeling larger.

This idea works well in cabins, bonus rooms, and any smaller great room without a central fireplace wall. There is a distance of 36 inches between the sofa and the top window wall and about 39 inches behind the chairs, which means you can move around the group from every side without having to turn to fit through.

Dimensions:

• Room size: 20′ x 18′
• Corner fireplace: 5′ diagonal face, about 53″ along the side wall
• Fireplace face to sofa: 9′
• Sofa: 84″ x 38″, set on the diagonal
• Chairs: 32″ x 34″ (two)
• Coffee table: 30″ x 48″
• Rug: 6′ x 9′
• Sofa to window wall: 36″
• Behind the chairs: about 39″

Design Tips:

• Swivel chairs are a good idea here for turning towards the fire, the windows, or an adjacent kitchen without effort.
• Use an 8 by 10 rug, as a 6 by 9 only just reaches the ends of the chair, and if the seating arrangement is placed on a rug that is too small, it looks as though it’s floating there. See how to pick the right rug size for the other rooms in this guide.
• Place something tall in the empty triangular space behind the sofa, such as a plant, a floor lamp, or a narrow shelf, so it styles better.

20×18 Great Room With Center Fireplace, Built-Ins and a Large Sectional Layout 

This room design turns the fireplace wall into a focal point that can be used for storage, displaying items, and having a TV all at the same time.

Positioning the sectional toward the 7-foot fireplace, with a TV mounted above it, makes it the room’s primary focal point.  The hearth occupies the center of the wall, with two 48-inch-wide built-in cabinets on either side. The built-in cabinets are 16″ deep, so they can fit items such as games, remotes, blankets, and chargers without cluttering the room. 

A sectional measuring 112 inches by 112 inches, which is a large piece worth checking against the sectional sofa dimensions chart, covers two sides of a 9 by 12 foot rug, while two chairs, each measuring 32 by 34 inches, close off the third side. It makes a large square area for seating. The arrangement is suitable for watching a movie and also allows the entire extended family to be on board on a Sunday. There is plenty of space around it. Between the fireplace wall and the end of the sectional, it is about 8.5 feet; there are roughly 6 feet of open floor behind it and 42 inches from the chairs to the window wall. One does not have to climb over a knee in order to reach the kitchen.

The vulnerable point is the coffee table; although its 24-by-36-inch dimensions are acceptable for the two people closest to it, anyone sitting in the corner seat of a 112-inch sectional is a long way from being able to set a glass down. If you want something different than the coffee table, you can replace it with a large upholstered ottoman rather than make any other changes to the room.

Dimensions:

• Room size: 20′ x 18′
• Fireplace: 7′ wide
• Built-in cabinets: 48″ wide x 16″ deep (two)
• Sectional: 112″ x 112″
• Chairs: 32″ x 34″ (two)
• Coffee table: 24″ x 36″
• Rug: 9′ x 12′
• Chairs to window wall: 42″
• Open floor behind the sectional: about 72″

Design Tips:

• Leave the lower third of each built-in shelf closed and open the top shelves so that the decorative items you want to see are there, with the ones you don’t want to see in the doors at the bottom. These built-in shelving ideas cover the finish and styling decisions.
• Swap the coffee table for an ottoman that is 48 inches by 36 inches. This way it will reach the corner seat, take up the space under the seats, and can be transformed into a tray table with a board on top when needed.
• Before the built-ins are completed, run the TV and media wiring through them so none of it is seen.

28×32 Double-Sided Fireplace Between Lounge and Dining Room Floor Plan

This design uses a fireplace as the boundary between the living room and dining area; since it’s double-sided, the fire is visible from both sides.

The layout outlined here applies to a truly large room and therefore calls for a fireplace. A self-standing, double-sided fireplace, 9 feet wide and 18 inches deep, is positioned near the center of the 28-by-32-foot great room, with the lounge on one side and the dining room on the other, so both areas have a fire to sit in front of. On the lounge side, an 84-inch sofa backs up against the wall, with two 32-by-34-inch chairs arranged around a 24-by-36-inch coffee table, all on an 8-by-10 rug; on the dining side, a 42-by-84-inch table seats eight people.

The main question everyone asks is where to place the television. It shouldn’t go above the fireplace since a double-sided unit has two sides, and neither makes a good screen wall, as you’d likely have to mount the TV on the top wall if you want one. The case for each option is laid out in this comparison of a TV above the fireplace versus a media console.

Instead, put it on the side wall of the lounge or in a low built-in shelf, so the fireplace remains the feature you look at. That would make it a better room for the television. The partition will only work if it’s easy to get around; leave at least 42 inches on both sides so walking from the table to the sofa doesn’t feel like squeezing past an obstacle. Also make it low, because if you build it all the way up to the ceiling, you’ll have simply created two normal rooms with a rather expensive wall separating them.

Dimensions:

• Room: 28′ x 32′
• Double-sided fireplace: 9′ wide x 18″ deep
• Sofa: 84″ x 38″
• Chairs: 32″ x 34″ (two)
• Coffee table: 24″ x 36″
• Lounge rug: 8′ x 10′
• Dining table: 42″ x 84″ with eight 24″ chairs

Design Tips:

• Increase the lounge rug size to 9 ‘ x 12 ‘; in a room of that size, an 8 ‘ x 10 would make the seating area appear small in comparison with the partition and the dining table.
• Give every dining chair 36 inches behind it so there’s space to pull them out, especially on the fireplace side, since that’s where people hang out after dinner.
• Pull the sofa a foot or two off the wall if the room allows. It’s a big lounge, and a sofa pinned to the wall with the chairs way out in front reads as two groups instead of one. Here is why floating the furniture beats hugging the wall in a big room.

Furniture Arrangement Problems & Solutions

1. Problem: The fireplace naturally competes with the TV for the focal point. When they are placed on different walls the furniture can feel like it’s pulled in two different directions.
   Solution: Place the TV on or beside the fireplace, if the viewing height allows. Or, use a layout that works with two focal points and bring in an L-shaped sectional, or angle your seating slightly toward the fireplace and TV.
2. Problem: A floor plan won’t show how close the mantel, trim, or TV can be to the firebox.
   Solution: Refer to your fireplace manufacturer’s installation manual and check local building codes. Requirements vary depending on whether the unit is gas, wood, electric, or linear, so you’ll want to make sure you check this before you begin framing.
3. Problem: The room is too large, and the furniture feels disconnected.
   Solution: Float your furniture so it’s closer to the fireplace. Place an area rug under the sofa to designate the area as a defined conversation area and visually anchor the pieces.
4. Problem: The traffic path forces people to walk through the middle of the seating area and interrupts conversations.
   Solution: Identify the main walking routes before you place any furniture so you can work around them. Ensure 30 to 36 inches of walkway space for the primary walkway. Test those clearances against your own room with the traffic flow calculator.
5. Problem: The fireplace is located off-center or in a corner, creating an imbalance with the furniture.
   Solution: Consider an L-shaped seating arrangement for a corner setup. For something off-center, don’t go for perfect symmetry. Balance the hearth with a chair, console, bookcase, or floor lamp on the opposite side.
6. Problem: Furniture blocks the fireplace view.
   Solution: Instead of focusing on positioning furniture in relation to the walls, focus on comfortable conversation distances. Build your seating zone around the fireplace, roughly 6 to 10 feet away, with room for movement and a coffee table if possible.

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